§ 35-70-101. Short Title

This article shall be known and may be cited as the “Colorado Soil Conservation Act”. Source: L. 37: p. 1170, § 2. CSA: C. 149A, § 2. L. 41: p. 688, § 1. CRS 53: § 128-1-2. C.R.S. 1963: § 128-1-2.

§ 35-70-102. Legislative Declaration

The general assembly finds and declares that the state of Colorado, through wind and water erosion and depletion of subsurface water resources, has lost for agricultural and livestock uses approximately six million acres, or one-tenth of the total area of the state; that these losses range from severe damage to complete destruction of the topsoils […]

§ 35-70-102.5. Legislative Declaration – Change of Name – Continuity of Existence

The general assembly hereby finds and declares that: Upon creation in this article, the name “soil conservation district” best reflected the activities of such districts throughout this state; To better reflect the current activities of the soil conservation districts in this state, each such district should be referred to as a “conservation district”; and The […]

§ 35-70-103. State Conservation Board – Composition – Powers

There is hereby created in the department of agriculture the state conservation board, referred to in this article as the “state board”, which shall consist of nine members. One member shall be a qualified elector of the state appointed by the governor from the state at large for a term commencing January 1, 1974. The […]

§ 35-70-104. Petition for Organization of District – Qualified Electors

Proceedings to determine whether or not a conservation district shall be organized shall be instituted by a petition addressed to the state board and signed by not less than twenty-five percent of the owners of land within the district and who own not less than half of the area to be included within the proposed […]

§ 35-70-104.1. Mobile Home Ownership – Elections and Petitions

Notwithstanding any other provision of this article 70 to the contrary, for all elections and petitions that require ownership of real property or land, the ownership of a mobile home as defined in section 5-1-301 (29) or 38-12-201.5 (5), or a manufactured home as defined in section 42-1-102 (106)(b), is sufficient to qualify as ownership […]

§ 35-70-105. Hearing on Petition – Election

Within sixty days after it receives a petition, the state board shall cause notice by publication to be made of the pendency of the petition. Such notice shall state: That a petition has been filed for the organization of a conservation district and the name of the proposed district; The date (not less than twenty […]

§ 35-70-106. Creation of District – Certification

Within sixty days after the holding of such election, if more than a majority of the votes cast are for organization of such proposed district, the state board shall certify to the division of local government in the department of local affairs a statement of such election and the result thereof, together with a map […]

§ 35-70-107. Board of Supervisors – Election – Term

The governing body of the district shall consist of a board of supervisors, referred to in this article as “supervisors”, who shall be elected by the qualified electors of the district at an election conducted as provided in section 35-70-105. Each board shall consist of not less than five and not more than eleven supervisors, […]

§ 35-70-108. Powers and Duties of Districts

A conservation district, in the exercise of its public powers, has the following powers and duties in addition to others granted in this article, which powers and duties may be exercised by the supervisors subject to the rules, regulations, and bylaws adopted by such district and to the direction of the qualified voters at any […]

§ 35-70-109. Assessments – Amendments to Bylaws

Repealed. If, in the judgment of the qualified voters of a district or the supervisors, a tax levy or assessment is essential to accomplish the purposes of the district as set forth in this article, the levy may be assessed as follows: The supervisors shall prepare a budget and distribute the amount thereof over the […]

§ 35-70-110. Appeals to State Board

If the owner of any lands within the district desires, he may appeal from any decision of the supervisors to the state board. To establish such an appeal, he must submit his appeal in writing to the state board within thirty days after the date of the action of the supervisors from which the appeal […]

§ 35-70-111. Certify Assessments or Tax

If an assessment or tax has been voted as provided in section 35-70-109 (2), the supervisors shall, in accordance with the schedule prescribed by 39-5-128, C.R.S., certify to the board of county commissioners of the county in which any tract or parcel of land within the district may lie the amount of assessment or tax […]

§ 35-70-115. Additions and Withdrawals

If any owner of lands adjoining or in the immediate vicinity of the boundary of an established conservation district desires to have his or her lands included within the district, the owner may petition the supervisors of the district, stating the legal description of the lands affected and the reasons why it is desired to […]

§ 35-70-116. County Agents

Any resident county extension agent whose jurisdiction lies wholly or in part in any established conservation district shall be ex officio a member of the board of supervisors of such district in an advisory capacity, but without the right to vote. Any county agent may serve in such capacity in more than one district. Source: […]

§ 35-70-117. Counties to Cooperate

The county commissioners of any county in which a conservation district lies in whole or in part shall cooperate with the supervisors of such district in carrying out the purposes of this article, and to that end may use the equipment of the county and persons employed by the county to do such physical work […]

§ 35-70-118. Dissolution – Procedure – Conservation Fund

No proceeding for the dissolution of a conservation district shall be initiated within five years after the date of the organization of the district. Anytime after the expiration of such five-year period, proceedings to determine whether or not a conservation district shall be dissolved may be instituted by a petition addressed to the state board, […]

§ 35-70-119. Consolidation of Districts

Two or more established districts may be consolidated into a single district by the following procedure: The supervisors of the districts desiring to consolidate, acting upon their own initiative or upon the petitions of a substantial number of the qualified landowners in their districts, may jointly prepare and submit to the state board a request […]

§ 35-70-120. Change of Name

The term “soil erosion district” as used in “The Colorado Soil Conservation Act of 1937” and “conservation district” as used in this article shall be deemed synonymous. Districts organized after April 3, 1941, shall be known as conservation districts, and districts organized before April 3, 1941, may be known either as soil erosion districts or […]

§ 35-70-121. Cooperation Between Districts

Whenever, by reason of location, similarity of problems, and need for mutual assistance, the purpose of this article may be more economically, completely, and satisfactorily performed and accomplished thereby, two or more conservation districts may cooperate with each other by the joint exercise of the powers granted in section 35-70-108. The nature and extent of […]