Mountain View and Kiowa County Conservation District Consolidate

History Made as Conservation Districts

For the first time since 1995, two of Oklahoma’s conservation districts have voted to consolidate into one district. At its November 2009 meeting, the Oklahoma Conservation Commission reviewed a consolidation plan submitted by the Mountain View and Kiowa County Conservation District boards. The Commission issued an administrative order approving the consolidation plan effective Dec. 1, 2009. The new district will retain the name Kiowa County Conservation District and will remain at the Kiowa County CD office at 802 W. 11 in Hobart. The action will reduce the number of conservation districts in Oklahoma that receive state funding from 88 to 87.*

The new district boundaries will include all of Kiowa County and the portion of Washita County that was previously included in Mountain View Conservation District. Three current directors from Kiowa County CD will serve on the new district board – Manuel Quintero, Ben Meinert, and Justin Krieger – along with two from the Mountain View CD board – Jim Leitner and Robert Fobes. Two Kiowa County CD employees, a district manager and secretary, along with the watershed aide from Mountain View CD will all be retained. All property and assets from both previous districts will be transferred to the new district as well as upstream flood control responsibilities.

*Since December 2007 there also exists the Kiowa Tribe of Oklahoma Conservation District, the 29th tribal conservation district in the nation organized in cooperation with the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service. The tribal conservation district is a member of the Oklahoma Association of Conservation Districts but receives no state funding from the Oklahoma Conservation Commission.