The Victoria Soil and Water Conservation District (VSWCD) was established in March of 1943. The purpose of this landowner’s organization was to provide technical assistance to the county’s farmers and ranchers in applying conservation treatment to their land to protect the soil, water, plant and wildlife resources. To this end the VSWCD provides about 80% of the county’s agricultural land owners and operators with assistance when dealing with erosion, water quality and quantity issues, brush problems, grazing management problems and wildlife habitat management problems.

In the past several years the SWCD has expanded our conservation effort to better meet the increasing complexity of managing our natural resources. The district gives one to three college scholarships to deserving high school graduating seniors from the Victoria County. We honor local outstanding farmers, ranchers, teachers, Ag businesses and our student winners of a conservation contest, at our locally held annual awards banquet. VSWCD also sponsors local workshops, for example a bush control workshop to provide the latest guidance for controlling brush problems. The district sponsors a prescribed burn workshop and supports the Coastal Bend Prescribed Burn Association. We support the Texas Grazing Land Conservation (GLC) and the Coastal Prairie Conservation Initiative, with their efforts to enhance grazing land management and wildlife habitat restoration. VSWCD is the administrative arm for both the GLC and the CPCI as well as providing technical expertise for these projects