In 2024 the Arizona Legislature made another government assistance program available to ranchers with their passage of HB 2865, even though many similar programs already exist. This legislation created the Natural Resource Conservation District Fund, which can accept money from state appropriations, government grants, and just about any other source. The fund will be administered by a new state agency called the Natural Resource Conservation Board (NRCB), which will award grants from the new fund to the state’s Natural Resource Conservation Districts (NRCDs) and the tribal Soil & Water Conservation Districts (SWCDs) for projects that “further the purpose of the district.” Most of the money will likely be used to kill mesquite and juniper trees, build or repair livestock fences and waters, or conduct range monitoring to try and justify increased grazing on Arizona’s national forests. The only opportunity the general public could have to provide input on proposed NRCB grants might be during their quarterly public meetings.
The NRCB is an 11-member board appointed by the governor and legislative leaders. The board’s members are volunteers, but they can be reimbursed for expenses. At least six members of the NRCB must be elected supervisors from regional NRCDs, giving them control of the board.
Arizona’s NRCDs are regional state agencies created by local landowners that primarily serve the interests of agriculture. They have unique powers that allow them to, “Apply for grants and accept donations, gifts and contributions in monies, services, materials or otherwise, and use or expend them.” Arizona state agencies are typically prohibited from accepting private donations – for good reason. The NRCDs are run by five-member boards controlled by three locally elected supervisors. NRCD supervisors are also volunteers that can be reimbursed for expenses. Most of them are ranchers.
In addition to creating this new grant program, HB 2865 transferred the oversight of the state’s NRCDs from the Arizona State Land Department to the NRCB effective January 1, 2025. That responsibility included the distribution of annual legislative appropriations and environmental license plate sales revenues to the NRCDs. The State Land Department usually distributed these monies soon after the start of the state fiscal year, which begins July 1.
Arizona NRCD History
The state’s first conservation districts were created as a result of the passage of SB 22 in 1941, which created a temporarily board tasked with getting the districts setup and running. In early 1942 the board approved the creation of the state’s first eight conservation districts. In 1945, after the first 27 districts had been approved, the Legislature assigned oversight of the conservation districts to the State Land Department, headed by the land commissioner.
These first districts were called Soil Conservation Districts because they were only concerned with irrigated agricultural lands. The districts didn’t include rangelands until the passage of SB 12 in 1954. Even after that, however, the districts continued to be called Soil Conservation Districts until the passage of SB 1053 in 1972, which renamed them Natural Resources Conservation Districts. Not coincidentally, each NRCD got its first appropriation from the Legislature of $3,000 that year. The appropriations have been increased steadily since then, with the annual appropriation for all of the NRCDs being $650,000 in recent years.
Even though the State Land Department oversaw the NRCDs for 79 years, public records about their operations are scarce. According to the state Auditor General website, the NRCDs have never been audited. Nor did any of the audits of the State Land Department address their oversight of the NRCDs. But in 2015 the department released a NRCD Operations Handbook that described the legal duties of the NRCD supervisors, including the submission of annual reports to the department, and compliance with the state’s open meeting laws. The most recent NRCD annual reports, however, provide few specific details about their projects. And the department apparently did little monitoring of local NRCD compliance with open meetings laws. For example, on August 6, 2021, the Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich’s office released an open meeting law complaint response which found the Apache, Chino Winds, and Whitewater Draw NRCDs were out of compliance with state open meeting laws by failing to post their agendas and minutes online. These three NRCDs were given 30 days to verify their compliance.
Subsequently, during the August 26, 2021, meeting of the Coconino NRCD, state Rep. Gail Griffin (R-Hereford) “agreed to intervene” in this matter. (She was the sponsor of HB 2865.) The agendas and minutes for those three NRCDs were soon posted the to the private nonprofit Arizona Association of Conservation Districts (AACD) website, but by the end of September the state’s other NRCDs still hadn’t posted any public meeting information there, although a few of the NRCDs had their own website. Furthermore, the use of the private AACD website to officially post state government agendas and minutes was of questionable legality, since the NRCDs were required to post them to “their” websites, as per A.R.S. 38-431.02.A1. Also, the AACD website was not complying with the requirement that minutes remain online for at least one year after the date of the posting, as per A.R.S. 38-43101.K. Another open meeting Law complaint was filed with the Arizona Attorney General’s office September 21, 2021, regarding the NRCDs that were still out of compliance. No response was received before Brnovich’s term ended in January 2023.
Consequently, most Arizona taxpayers have little, if any, knowledge of state NRCD activities, despite the fact they get state funding.
HB 2865 Was The 2nd Attempt
The passage of HB 2865 in 2024 was the second attempt by the Legislature to create the NRCB. In 2023 Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs (D) vetoed HB 2444, a bill that would have created a very similar new state agency. Hobbs explained in her veto letter that she rejected the legislation because it would have required the State Land Department to provide administrative support for the new agency, and no appropriation had been provided for that purpose.
However, when its successor HB 2865 was subsequently signed into law on June 14, 2024, the biggest difference was the inclusion of the local tribal Soil & Water Conservation Districts, in order to give them access to the new NRCB grants.
The bill didn’t include an appropriation for the NRCB’s administrative expenses, although the state’s FY 2025 budget bill, where appropriations are typically made, was still being negotiated. HB 2865 did, however, instruct the State Land Department “to initiate the transitioning of duties from the state land commission to the state natural resource conservation board” until December 31, 2024, after which the NRCB would assume responsibility for the state’s NRCDs.
HB 2865 also provided explicit instructions to the NRCB:
“The state natural resource conservation board shall initiate the recruitment of staff, determine where the staff will be housed, decide on an annual budget and conduct any other business required to effectuate the transition of duties from the state land commissioner.”
In other words, the NRCB was supposed to be appointed and working with the State Land Department to setup their new state agency before the end of 2024.
The NRCB, however, didn’t hold their first public meeting until May 12, 2025. And the notice and agenda for the meeting had to be posted to the private AACD website, because the NRCB still hadn’t set up their own state website. The NRCB web page on the AACD’s website stated that, “Until the Natural Resource Conservation Board has a home of its own, meeting materials and notices will live on this page.”
What Is The AACD?
The Arizona Association of Conservation Districts claims they have been in existence since 1944. In fact, they have included that year in their website’s domain name of aacd1944.com. But the association created in February 1944 by the state’s NRCD supervisors to support their local districts was a very different organization. First of all, it was called the Arizona Association of Soil Conservation Districts, because the districts were then only concerned with irrigated agricultural lands. Moreover, it was a government organization that was administratively supported by the State Land Department and held annual public meetings.
That changed in 2005 when some NRCD supervisors filed articles of incorporation with the Arizona Corporation Commission to replace the state AACD with a private 501(c)(3) nonprofit named the Arizona Association of Conservation Districts Inc. The articles named an initial corporate board of directors, but explained that its board members would often change in response to local NRCD supervisor elections. The incorporation was primarily a fundraising strategy, because it allowed the AACD to apply for funding that the NRCDs, being state agencies, were not allowed to accept. But it also meant that the AACD would no longer have to comply with Arizona’s open meeting and public records laws, so there would be limited public disclosure about how money was acquired and spent.
And the AACD handles a lot of money. According to the USASPENDING.gov website, they have handled millions of dollars of federal money, mostly from the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), but also from the Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management (BLM). It shows, for example, that the AACD received $6.8 million in federal grants and contracts for federal FY 2023, and $8.8 million in FY 2024. Furthermore, the AACD’s Conservation Supporters web page lists many of their recent donors, which include those three agencies, each of which donated more than $10,000 this year.
The AACD has also handled state grant money. Starting in 2017 they were awarded at least three Arizona Water Protection Fund grants, including AWPF grants #17-188, #19-194, an #2301, for which they were paid, according the grant applications, a total of $61,909 out of the grant money for administering them.
And in the summer of 2021 the Legislature created the Arizona Post-Wildfire Infrastructure Assistance Program (APWIA) as part of a state wildfire emergency response. A one-time $10 million appropriation was awarded to the state Department of Forestry and Fire Management (ADFFM) to dispense APWIAP grants to ranchers to help them rebuild livestock fences and waters damaged by recent wildfires. Subsequently, a total of 20 APWIAP grants to “sub-grantees” were approved through the end of 2022. The AACD received 13 of these grants, and according to the grant records, was paid a total of $111,280 out of the grant money for administering them.
The administration of the private corporate version of the AACD has been uneven. They originally incorporated in 1993, but were declared inactive in 1996 by the Arizona Corporation Commission. They submitted new incorporation documents in 2005, then changed their name to the Arizona Natural Resource Conservation Districts State Association in 2008, but changed it back to their original name in 2015 . Then in 2023 the Arizona Corporation Commission dissolved the AACD for failure to submit annual reports. The AACD’s corporate status was reinstated in 2024, after they submitted their 2023 annual report.
The AACD’s annual reports available on the Arizona Corporation Commission website provide some clues about its financial relationship with state’s NRCDs. The 2008 annual report, for example, showed that the NRCD’s paid the AACD $16,800 in annual dues that year. A review of 2024 NRCD meeting minutes posted to the AACD website confirmed that at least some of the the state’s NRCDs still pay dues to the AACD, apparently ranging between $1,550 and $2,000 a year. The minutes stated that the dues were for things like “district support and planning” and “technical & financial support.”
Public record requests were submitted to four NRCDs on July 31, 2025, asking for clarifications about the services they received from the AACD for their dues payments. The email responses from the Gila Valley and Willcox-San Simon NRCDs were identical responses that said the information requests would be presented during the public comments periods of their next board meetings. These emails were sent from addresses using the domain names of az.nacdnet.net and willcoxsansimonnrcd@vtc.net – which are not a state government domains. As of this date, no responses to these two information requests have been received, nor have these two NRCDs posted any minutes to their meetings, even though A.R.S. 38-431.01 requires minutes to be made publicly available within 3 working days after meetings.
The response from the Coconino NRCD confirmed they paid dues to the AACD, but said there was no documentation about that arrangement. It was a hand written note that didn’t come from the NRCD’s clerk listed on the AACD website. The request mailed to the Buckeye Valley NRCD, which was sent to the mailing address on the AACD website, was returned as “not deliverable.”
The fact that state NRCDs pay dues to the private AACD raises some legal questions. First of all, if the AACD is handling financial processing, or providing technical support, including email, for the NRCDs, then it’s doing official state government business. This means there must be legal agreements in place to ensure that all of these public records are securely archived, and made available for state audits or public record requests.
Furthermore, according to the AACD’s recent annual federal income tax Form 990s, it engages in political lobbying, which 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporations are allowed to do, as long as it’s not a “substantial part” of their activities. The AACD’s 2022 Form 990 shows that they spent $30,000 on lobbying that year, and their 2023 Form 990 shows that lobbying expenses increased to $60,000 that year. As per A.R.S. 41-1234, however, it’s illegal for state agencies to pay a private contractor for lobbying. So, were the dues paid by the NRCD’s used to help pay for the AACD’s political lobbying?
Another troubling fact about the AACD is that it promoted the nonprofit the National Public Lands Council on its website. This rancher organization politically advocates for the expansion of grazing on public lands, and calls itself, “The definitive voice for public land ranchers.” But NRCDS are state agencies, and as per A.R.S. 41-752.K, they must be “administered in an unbiased manner and without favoritism.” What would be the response from some people, for example, if the Arizona Game & Fish Department promoted the Sierra Club or the Center for Biological Diversity?
The AACD also has a unique influence over the NRCB because HB 2865 required that the board include “eight members who are from different geographic natural resource areas as defined by a statewide organization that represents all natural resource conservation districts in the state.” In other words, the AACD recommends the NRCB board members.
State Land Department Oversight Of NRCDs Ends
When the FY 2025 state budget bill was signed on June 18, 2024, it didn’t an include any appropriation for the NRCB to begin its operations, even though they had been given oversight of the NRCDs starting in 2025. Instead, the State Land Department was given its regular NRCD appropriations for that fiscal year, which began July 1, 2024, and ended June 30, 2025. The department then tried to distribute all of the annual appropriations and environmental license plate monies that it held to the NRCD’s before the end of 2024, when their oversight of the NRCDs expired.
The table below shows the last two years of state funding distributions made by the State Land Department to the NRCDs. FY 2025 was the last year the department was responsible for administering these payments.
| Administrator | NRCD | State Fiscal Year | Source | Invoice | Amount Paid | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| STATE LAND DEPARTMENT | AGUA FRIA‐NEW RIVER NRCD | FY 2024 | GENERAL FUND | Invoice‐7762 | $12,980.00 | 07/31/23 |
| STATE LAND DEPARTMENT | APACHE NRCD | FY 2024 | GENERAL FUND | Invoice‐7763 | $12,980.00 | 07/31/23 |
| STATE LAND DEPARTMENT | BIG SANDY NRCD | FY 2024 | GENERAL FUND | Invoice‐7764 | $12,980.00 | 07/31/23 |
| STATE LAND DEPARTMENT | BUCKEYE VALLEY NRCD | FY 2024 | GENERAL FUND | Invoice‐7765 | $12,980.00 | 07/31/23 |
| STATE LAND DEPARTMENT | CHINO WINDS NRCD | FY 2024 | GENERAL FUND | Invoice‐7766 | $12,980.00 | 07/31/23 |
| STATE LAND DEPARTMENT | COCONINO NRCD | FY 2024 | GENERAL FUND | Invoice‐7767 | $12,980.00 | 07/31/23 |
| STATE LAND DEPARTMENT | EAST MARICOPA NRCD | FY 2024 | GENERAL FUND | Invoice‐7768 | $12,980.00 | 07/31/23 |
| STATE LAND DEPARTMENT | ELOY NRCD | FY 2024 | GENERAL FUND | Invoice‐7769 | $12,980.00 | 07/31/23 |
| STATE LAND DEPARTMENT | FLORENCE‐COOLIDGE NRCD | FY 2024 | GENERAL FUND | Invoice‐7770 | $12,980.00 | 07/31/23 |
| STATE LAND DEPARTMENT | FREDONIA NRCD | FY 2024 | GENERAL FUND | Invoice‐7771 | $12,980.00 | 07/31/23 |
| STATE LAND DEPARTMENT | GILA BEND NRCD | FY 2024 | GENERAL FUND | Invoice‐7772 | $12,980.00 | 07/31/23 |
| STATE LAND DEPARTMENT | GILA VALLEY NRCD | FY 2024 | GENERAL FUND | Invoice‐7773 | $12,980.00 | 07/31/23 |
| STATE LAND DEPARTMENT | HEREFORD NRCD | FY 2024 | GENERAL FUND | Invoice‐7774 | $12,980.00 | 07/31/23 |
| STATE LAND DEPARTMENT | LAGUNA NRCD | FY 2024 | GENERAL FUND | Invoice‐7775 | $12,980.00 | 07/31/23 |
| STATE LAND DEPARTMENT | LITTLEFIELD-HURRICANE VALLEY NRCD | FY 2024 | GENERAL FUND | Invoice‐7776 | $12,980.00 | 07/31/23 |
| STATE LAND DEPARTMENT | NAVAJO COUNTY NRCD | FY 2024 | GENERAL FUND | Invoice‐7777 | $12,980.00 | 07/31/23 |
| STATE LAND DEPARTMENT | PARKER VALLEY NRCD | FY 2024 | GENERAL FUND | Invoice‐7778 | $12,980.00 | 07/31/23 |
| STATE LAND DEPARTMENT | PIMA NRCD | FY 2024 | GENERAL FUND | Invoice‐7779 | $12,980.00 | 07/31/23 |
| STATE LAND DEPARTMENT | REDINGTON NRCD | FY 2024 | GENERAL FUND | Invoice‐7780 | $12,980.00 | 07/31/23 |
| STATE LAND DEPARTMENT | SAN PEDRO NRCD | FY 2024 | GENERAL FUND | Invoice‐7781 | $12,980.00 | 07/31/23 |
| STATE LAND DEPARTMENT | SANTA CRUZ NRCD | FY 2024 | GENERAL FUND | Invoice‐7782 | $12,980.00 | 07/31/23 |
| STATE LAND DEPARTMENT | TONTO NRCD | FY 2024 | GENERAL FUND | Invoice‐7783 | $12,980.00 | 07/31/23 |
| STATE LAND DEPARTMENT | TRIANGLE NRCD | FY 2024 | GENERAL FUND | Invoice‐7784 | $12,980.00 | 07/31/23 |
| STATE LAND DEPARTMENT | VERDE NRCD | FY 2024 | GENERAL FUND | Invoice‐7785 | $12,980.00 | 07/31/23 |
| STATE LAND DEPARTMENT | WELLTON‐MOHAWK VALLEY NRCD | FY 2024 | GENERAL FUND | Invoice‐7786 | $12,980.00 | 07/31/23 |
| STATE LAND DEPARTMENT | WEST PINAL NRCD | FY 2024 | GENERAL FUND | Invoice‐7787 | $12,980.00 | 07/31/23 |
| STATE LAND DEPARTMENT | WHITEWATER DRAW NRCD | FY 2024 | GENERAL FUND | Invoice‐7788 | $12,980.00 | 07/31/23 |
| STATE LAND DEPARTMENT | WILLCOX-SAN SIMON NRCD | FY 2024 | GENERAL FUND | Invoice‐7789 | $12,980.00 | 07/31/23 |
| STATE LAND DEPARTMENT | WINKELMAN NRCD | FY 2024 | GENERAL FUND | Invoice‐7790 | $12,980.00 | 07/31/23 |
| STATE LAND DEPARTMENT | YUMA NRCD | FY 2024 | GENERAL FUND | Invoice‐7791 | $12,980.00 | 07/31/23 |
| STATE LAND DEPARTMENT | AGUA FRIA‐NEW RIVER NRCD | FY 2025 | GENERAL FUND | Invoice‐9338 | $13,427.58 | 09/06/24 |
| STATE LAND DEPARTMENT | APACHE NRCD | FY 2025 | GENERAL FUND | Invoice‐9339 | $13,427.58 | 09/26/24 |
| STATE LAND DEPARTMENT | BIG SANDY NRCD | FY 2025 | GENERAL FUND | Invoice‐9340 | $13,427.58 | 09/03/24 |
| STATE LAND DEPARTMENT | BUCKEYE VALLEY NRCD | FY 2025 | GENERAL FUND | Invoice‐9341 | $13,427.58 | 09/03/24 |
| STATE LAND DEPARTMENT | CHINO WINDS NRCD | FY 2025 | GENERAL FUND | Invoice‐9342 | $13,427.58 | 09/03/24 |
| STATE LAND DEPARTMENT | COCONINO NRCD | FY 2025 | GENERAL FUND | Invoice‐9343 | $13,427.58 | 09/11/24 |
| STATE LAND DEPARTMENT | ELOY NRCD | FY 2025 | GENERAL FUND | Invoice‐9344 | $13,427.58 | 09/03/24 |
| STATE LAND DEPARTMENT | FLORENCE‐COOLIDGE NRCD | FY 2025 | GENERAL FUND | Invoice‐9345 | $13,427.58 | 09/03/24 |
| STATE LAND DEPARTMENT | FREDONIA NRCD | FY 2025 | GENERAL FUND | Invoice‐9346 | $13,427.58 | 09/03/24 |
| STATE LAND DEPARTMENT | GILA BEND NRCD | FY 2025 | GENERAL FUND | Invoice‐9347 | $13,427.58 | 09/03/24 |
| STATE LAND DEPARTMENT | GILA VALLEY NRCD | FY 2025 | GENERAL FUND | Invoice‐9348 | $13,427.58 | 09/03/24 |
| STATE LAND DEPARTMENT | HEREFORD NRCD | FY 2025 | GENERAL FUND | Invoice‐9349 | $13,427.58 | 09/03/24 |
| STATE LAND DEPARTMENT | LAGUNA NRCD | FY 2025 | GENERAL FUND | Invoice‐9350 | $13,427.58 | 09/03/24 |
| STATE LAND DEPARTMENT | LITTLEFIELD-HURRICANE VALLEY NRCD | FY 2025 | GENERAL FUND | Invoice‐9351 | $13,427.58 | 09/03/24 |
| STATE LAND DEPARTMENT | NAVAJO COUNTY NRCD | FY 2025 | GENERAL FUND | Invoice‐9352 | $13,427.58 | 09/03/24 |
| STATE LAND DEPARTMENT | PARKER VALLEY NRCD | FY 2025 | GENERAL FUND | Invoice‐9353 | $13,427.58 | 09/03/24 |
| STATE LAND DEPARTMENT | PIMA NRCD | FY 2025 | GENERAL FUND | Invoice‐9354 | $13,427.58 | 09/03/24 |
| STATE LAND DEPARTMENT | REDINGTON NRCD | FY 2025 | GENERAL FUND | Invoice‐9355 | $13,427.58 | 09/03/24 |
| STATE LAND DEPARTMENT | SAN PEDRO NRCD | FY 2025 | GENERAL FUND | Invoice‐9356 | $13,427.58 | 09/03/24 |
| STATE LAND DEPARTMENT | SANTA CRUZ NRCD | FY 2025 | GENERAL FUND | Invoice‐9357 | $13,427.58 | 09/09/24 |
| STATE LAND DEPARTMENT | TONTO NRCD | FY 2025 | GENERAL FUND | Invoice‐9358 | $13,427.58 | 09/26/24 |
| STATE LAND DEPARTMENT | TRIANGLE NRCD | FY 2025 | GENERAL FUND | Invoice‐9359 | $13,427.58 | 09/03/24 |
| STATE LAND DEPARTMENT | VERDE NRCD | FY 2025 | GENERAL FUND | Invoice‐9360 | $13,427.58 | 09/03/24 |
| STATE LAND DEPARTMENT | WELLTON‐MOHAWK VALLEY NRCD | FY 2025 | GENERAL FUND | Invoice‐9361 | $13,427.58 | 09/03/24 |
| STATE LAND DEPARTMENT | WEST PINAL NRCD | FY 2025 | GENERAL FUND | Invoice‐9362 | $13,427.58 | 09/03/24 |
| STATE LAND DEPARTMENT | WHITEWATER DRAW NRCD | FY 2025 | GENERAL FUND | Invoice‐9363 | $13,427.58 | 09/03/24 |
| STATE LAND DEPARTMENT | WILLCOX-SAN SIMON NRCD | FY 2025 | GENERAL FUND | Invoice‐9364 | $13,427.58 | 09/03/24 |
| STATE LAND DEPARTMENT | WINKELMAN NRCD | FY 2025 | GENERAL FUND | Invoice‐9365 | $13,427.58 | 09/03/24 |
| STATE LAND DEPARTMENT | YUMA NRCD | FY 2025 | GENERAL FUND | Invoice‐9366 | $13,427.58 | 09/03/24 |
| STATE LAND DEPARTMENT | AGUA FRIA‐NEW RIVER NRCD | FY 2025 | ENVIRONMENTAL PLATE FUND | Invoice‐9423 | $5,000.00 | 09/27/24 |
| STATE LAND DEPARTMENT | APACHE NRCD | FY 2025 | ENVIRONMENTAL PLATE FUND | Invoice‐9424 | $5,000.00 | 09/27/24 |
| STATE LAND DEPARTMENT | BIG SANDY NRCD | FY 2025 | ENVIRONMENTAL PLATE FUND | Invoice‐9425 | $5,000.00 | 09/27/24 |
| STATE LAND DEPARTMENT | BUCKEYE VALLEY NRCD | FY 2025 | ENVIRONMENTAL PLATE FUND | Invoice‐9426 | $5,000.00 | 09/27/24 |
| STATE LAND DEPARTMENT | CHINO WINDS NRCD | FY 2025 | ENVIRONMENTAL PLATE FUND | Invoice‐9427 | $5,000.00 | 09/27/24 |
| STATE LAND DEPARTMENT | COCONINO NRCD | FY 2025 | ENVIRONMENTAL PLATE FUND | Invoice‐9428 | $5,000.00 | 09/27/24 |
| STATE LAND DEPARTMENT | ELOY NRCD | FY 2025 | ENVIRONMENTAL PLATE FUND | Invoice‐9429 | $5,000.00 | 09/27/24 |
| STATE LAND DEPARTMENT | FLORENCE‐COOLIDGE NRCD | FY 2025 | ENVIRONMENTAL PLATE FUND | Invoice‐9430 | $5,000.00 | 09/27/24 |
| STATE LAND DEPARTMENT | FREDONIA NRCD | FY 2025 | ENVIRONMENTAL PLATE FUND | Invoice‐9431 | $5,000.00 | 09/27/24 |
| STATE LAND DEPARTMENT | GILA BEND NRCD | FY 2025 | ENVIRONMENTAL PLATE FUND | Invoice‐9432 | $5,000.00 | 09/27/24 |
| STATE LAND DEPARTMENT | GILA VALLEY NRCD | FY 2025 | ENVIRONMENTAL PLATE FUND | Invoice‐9433 | $5,000.00 | 09/27/24 |
| STATE LAND DEPARTMENT | HEREFORD NRCD | FY 2025 | ENVIRONMENTAL PLATE FUND | Invoice‐9434 | $5,000.00 | 09/27/24 |
| STATE LAND DEPARTMENT | LAGUNA NRCD | FY 2025 | ENVIRONMENTAL PLATE FUND | Invoice‐9435 | $5,000.00 | 09/27/24 |
| STATE LAND DEPARTMENT | LITTLEFIELD-HURRICANE VALLEY NRCD | FY 2025 | ENVIRONMENTAL PLATE FUND | Invoice‐9436 | $5,000.00 | 09/27/24 |
| STATE LAND DEPARTMENT | NAVAJO COUNTY NRCD | FY 2025 | ENVIRONMENTAL PLATE FUND | Invoice‐9437 | $5,000.00 | 09/27/24 |
| STATE LAND DEPARTMENT | PARKER VALLEY NRCD | FY 2025 | ENVIRONMENTAL PLATE FUND | Invoice‐9438 | $5,000.00 | 09/27/24 |
| STATE LAND DEPARTMENT | PIMA NRCD | FY 2025 | ENVIRONMENTAL PLATE FUND | Invoice‐9439 | $5,000.00 | 09/27/24 |
| STATE LAND DEPARTMENT | REDINGTON NRCD | FY 2025 | ENVIRONMENTAL PLATE FUND | Invoice‐9440 | $5,000.00 | 09/27/24 |
| STATE LAND DEPARTMENT | SAN PEDRO NRCD | FY 2025 | ENVIRONMENTAL PLATE FUND | Invoice‐9441 | $5,000.00 | 09/27/24 |
| STATE LAND DEPARTMENT | SANTA CRUZ NRCD | FY 2025 | ENVIRONMENTAL PLATE FUND | Invoice‐9442 | $5,000.00 | 09/27/24 |
| STATE LAND DEPARTMENT | TONTO NRCD | FY 2025 | ENVIRONMENTAL PLATE FUND | Invoice‐9443 | $5,000.00 | 09/30/24 |
| STATE LAND DEPARTMENT | TRIANGLE NRCD | FY 2025 | ENVIRONMENTAL PLATE FUND | Invoice‐9444 | $5,000.00 | 09/27/24 |
| STATE LAND DEPARTMENT | VERDE NRCD | FY 2025 | ENVIRONMENTAL PLATE FUND | Invoice‐9445 | $5,000.00 | 09/27/24 |
| STATE LAND DEPARTMENT | WELLTON‐MOHAWK VALLEY NRCD | FY 2025 | ENVIRONMENTAL PLATE FUND | Invoice‐9446 | $5,000.00 | 09/27/24 |
| STATE LAND DEPARTMENT | WEST PINAL NRCD | FY 2025 | ENVIRONMENTAL PLATE FUND | Invoice‐9447 | $5,000.00 | 09/27/24 |
| STATE LAND DEPARTMENT | WHITEWATER DRAW NRCD | FY 2025 | ENVIRONMENTAL PLATE FUND | Invoice‐9448 | $5,000.00 | 09/27/24 |
| STATE LAND DEPARTMENT | WILLCOX SAN-SIMON NRCD | FY 2025 | ENVIRONMENTAL PLATE FUND | Invoice‐9449 | $5,000.00 | 09/27/24 |
| STATE LAND DEPARTMENT | WINKELMAN NRCD | FY 2025 | ENVIRONMENTAL PLATE FUND | Invoice‐9450 | $5,000.00 | 09/27/24 |
| STATE LAND DEPARTMENT | YUMA NRCD | FY 2025 | ENVIRONMENTAL PLATE FUND | Invoice‐9451 | $5,000.00 | 09/27/24 |
| STATE LAND DEPARTMENT | AGUA FRIA‐NEW RIVER NRCD | FY 2025 | ENVIRONMENTAL PLATE FUND | Invoice‐9452 | $1,250.00 | 09/27/24 |
| STATE LAND DEPARTMENT | APACHE NRCD EDUCATION CENTER | FY 2025 | ENVIRONMENTAL PLATE FUND | Invoice‐9453 | $1,250.00 | 09/27/24 |
| STATE LAND DEPARTMENT | BIG SANDY NRCD EDUCATION CENTER | FY 2025 | ENVIRONMENTAL PLATE FUND | Invoice‐9454 | $1,250.00 | 09/27/24 |
| STATE LAND DEPARTMENT | BUCKEYE VALLEY NRCD CONSERVATION EDUCATION CENTER | FY 2025 | ENVIRONMENTAL PLATE FUND | Invoice‐9455 | $1,250.00 | 09/27/24 |
| STATE LAND DEPARTMENT | FREDONIA NRCD EDUCATION CENTER | FY 2025 | ENVIRONMENTAL PLATE FUND | Invoice‐9459 | $1,250.00 | 09/27/24 |
| STATE LAND DEPARTMENT | GILA VALLEY NRCD EDUCATION CENTER, INC | FY 2025 | ENVIRONMENTAL PLATE FUND | Invoice‐9460 | $1,250.00 | 09/27/24 |
| STATE LAND DEPARTMENT | HEREFORD NRCD EDUCATION CENTER | FY 2025 | ENVIRONMENTAL PLATE FUND | Invoice‐9461 | $1,250.00 | 09/27/24 |
| STATE LAND DEPARTMENT | LITTLEFIELD‐HURRICANE VALLEY NRCD EDUCATION CENTER | FY 2025 | ENVIRONMENTAL PLATE FUND | Invoice‐9462 | $1,250.00 | 09/27/24 |
| STATE LAND DEPARTMENT | ELOY, FLORENCE-COOLIDGE & W. PINAL NRCDs NATURAL RESOURCE EDUCATION CENTER | FY 2025 | ENVIRONMENTAL PLATE FUND | Invoice‐9458 | $1,250.00 | 09/27/24 |
| STATE LAND DEPARTMENT | NAVAJO COUNTY NRCD ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION CENTER | FY 2025 | ENVIRONMENTAL PLATE FUND | Invoice‐9463 | $1,250.00 | 11/14/24 |
| STATE LAND DEPARTMENT | WHITEWATER DRAW NRCD NIMON S. HOPKINS EDUCATION CENTER | FY 2025 | ENVIRONMENTAL PLATE FUND | Invoice‐9472 | $1,250.00 | 09/27/24 |
| STATE LAND DEPARTMENT | PARKER VALLEY NRCD EDUCATION CENTER | FY 2025 | ENVIRONMENTAL PLATE FUND | Invoice‐9464 | $1,250.00 | 09/27/24 |
| STATE LAND DEPARTMENT | PIMA NRCD CENTER FOR CONSERVATION EDUCATION | FY 2025 | ENVIRONMENTAL PLATE FUND | Invoice‐9465 | $1,250.00 | 09/27/24 |
| STATE LAND DEPARTMENT | REDINGTON NRCD CONSERVATION EDUCATION CENTER | FY 2025 | ENVIRONMENTAL PLATE FUND | Invoice‐9466 | $1,250.00 | 09/27/24 |
| STATE LAND DEPARTMENT | SAN PEDRO NRCD VALLEY EDUCATION CENTER | FY 2025 | ENVIRONMENTAL PLATE FUND | Invoice‐9467 | $1,250.00 | 09/27/24 |
| STATE LAND DEPARTMENT | SANTA CRUZ NRCD EDUCATION CENTER | FY 2025 | ENVIRONMENTAL PLATE FUND | Invoice‐9468 | $1,250.00 | 09/30/24 |
| STATE LAND DEPARTMENT | TONTO NRCD NATURAL RESOURCES LEARNING CENTER | FY 2025 | ENVIRONMENTAL PLATE FUND | Invoice‐9469 | $1,250.00 | 09/27/24 |
| STATE LAND DEPARTMENT | VERDE NRCD ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION CENTER | FY 2025 | ENVIRONMENTAL PLATE FUND | Invoice‐9470 | $1,250.00 | 09/27/24 |
| STATE LAND DEPARTMENT | WELLTON‐MOHAWK VALLEY NRCD EDUCATION CENTER | FY 2025 | ENVIRONMENTAL PLATE FUND | Invoice‐9471 | $1,250.00 | 09/27/24 |
| STATE LAND DEPARTMENT | TRIANGLE & CHINO WINDS WESTERN YAVAPAI CONSERVATION EDUCATION CENTER | FY 2025 | ENVIRONMENTAL PLATE FUND | Invoice‐9456 | $1,250.00 | 09/27/24 |
| STATE LAND DEPARTMENT | WILLCOX‐SAN SIMON NRCD ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION CENTER | FY 2025 | ENVIRONMENTAL PLATE FUND | Invoice‐9473 | $1,250.00 | 09/27/24 |
| STATE LAND DEPARTMENT | COCONINO NRCD WILLOW BEND ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION CENTER | FY 2025 | ENVIRONMENTAL PLATE FUND | Invoice‐9457 | $1,250.00 | 09/27/24 |
| STATE LAND DEPARTMENT | WINKELMAN NRCD ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION CENTER | FY 2025 | ENVIRONMENTAL PLATE FUND | Invoice‐9474 | $1,250.00 | 09/27/24 |
| STATE LAND DEPARTMENT | YUMA NRCD CONSERVATION GARDEN, INC. | FY 2025 | ENVIRONMENTAL PLATE FUND | Invoice‐9475 | $1,250.00 | 09/27/24 |
| STATE LAND DEPARTMENT | AGUA FRIA‐NEW RIVER NRCD | FY 2025 | ENVIRONMENTAL PLATE FUND | Invoice‐9338 | $13,427.58 | 09/06/24 |
| STATE LAND DEPARTMENT | APACHE NRCD | FY 2025 | ENVIRONMENTAL PLATE FUND | Invoice‐9339 | $13,427.58 | 09/26/24 |
| STATE LAND DEPARTMENT | BIG SANDY NRCD | FY 2025 | ENVIRONMENTAL PLATE FUND | Invoice‐9340 | $13,427.58 | 09/03/24 |
| STATE LAND DEPARTMENT | BUCKEYE VALLEY NRCD | FY 2025 | ENVIRONMENTAL PLATE FUND | Invoice‐9341 | $13,427.58 | 09/03/24 |
| STATE LAND DEPARTMENT | CHINO WINDS NRCD | FY 2025 | ENVIRONMENTAL PLATE FUND | Invoice‐9342 | $13,427.58 | 09/03/24 |
| STATE LAND DEPARTMENT | COCONINO NRCD | FY 2025 | ENVIRONMENTAL PLATE FUND | Invoice‐9343 | $13,427.58 | 09/11/24 |
| STATE LAND DEPARTMENT | ELOY NRCD | FY 2025 | ENVIRONMENTAL PLATE FUND | Invoice‐9344 | $13,427.58 | 09/03/24 |
| STATE LAND DEPARTMENT | FLORENCE‐COOLIDGE NRCD | FY 2025 | ENVIRONMENTAL PLATE FUND | Invoice‐9345 | $13,427.58 | 09/03/24 |
| STATE LAND DEPARTMENT | FREDONIA NRCD | FY 2025 | ENVIRONMENTAL PLATE FUND | Invoice‐9346 | $13,427.58 | 09/03/24 |
| STATE LAND DEPARTMENT | GILA BEND NRCD | FY 2025 | ENVIRONMENTAL PLATE FUND | Invoice‐9347 | $13,427.58 | 09/03/24 |
| STATE LAND DEPARTMENT | GILA VALLEY NRCD | FY 2025 | ENVIRONMENTAL PLATE FUND | Invoice‐9348 | $13,427.58 | 09/03/24 |
| STATE LAND DEPARTMENT | HEREFORD NRCD | FY 2025 | ENVIRONMENTAL PLATE FUND | Invoice‐9349 | $13,427.58 | 09/03/24 |
| STATE LAND DEPARTMENT | LAGUNA NRCD | FY 2025 | ENVIRONMENTAL PLATE FUND | Invoice‐9350 | $13,427.58 | 09/03/24 |
| STATE LAND DEPARTMENT | LITTLEFIELD HURRICANE VALLEY NRCD | FY 2025 | ENVIRONMENTAL PLATE FUND | Invoice‐9351 | $13,427.58 | 09/03/24 |
| STATE LAND DEPARTMENT | NAVAJO COUNTY NRCD | FY 2025 | ENVIRONMENTAL PLATE FUND | Invoice‐9352 | $13,427.58 | 09/03/24 |
| STATE LAND DEPARTMENT | PARKER VALLEY NRCD | FY 2025 | ENVIRONMENTAL PLATE FUND | Invoice‐9353 | $13,427.58 | 09/03/24 |
| STATE LAND DEPARTMENT | PIMA NRCD | FY 2025 | ENVIRONMENTAL PLATE FUND | Invoice‐9354 | $13,427.58 | 09/03/24 |
| STATE LAND DEPARTMENT | REDINGTON NRCD | FY 2025 | ENVIRONMENTAL PLATE FUND | Invoice‐9355 | $13,427.58 | 09/03/24 |
| STATE LAND DEPARTMENT | SAN PEDRO NRCD | FY 2025 | ENVIRONMENTAL PLATE FUND | Invoice‐9356 | $13,427.58 | 09/03/24 |
| STATE LAND DEPARTMENT | SANTA CRUZ NRCD | FY 2025 | ENVIRONMENTAL PLATE FUND | Invoice‐9357 | $13,427.58 | 09/09/24 |
| STATE LAND DEPARTMENT | TONTO NRCD | FY 2025 | ENVIRONMENTAL PLATE FUND | Invoice‐9358 | $13,427.58 | 09/26/24 |
| STATE LAND DEPARTMENT | TRIANGLE NRCD | FY 2025 | ENVIRONMENTAL PLATE FUND | Invoice‐9359 | $13,427.58 | 09/03/24 |
| STATE LAND DEPARTMENT | VERDE NRCD | FY 2025 | ENVIRONMENTAL PLATE FUND | Invoice‐9360 | $13,427.58 | 09/03/24 |
| STATE LAND DEPARTMENT | WELLTON‐MOHAWK VALLEY NRCD | FY 2025 | ENVIRONMENTAL PLATE FUND | Invoice‐9361 | $13,427.58 | 09/03/24 |
| STATE LAND DEPARTMENT | WEST PINAL NRCD | FY 2025 | ENVIRONMENTAL PLATE FUND | Invoice‐9362 | $13,427.58 | 09/03/24 |
| STATE LAND DEPARTMENT | WHITEWATER DRAW NRCD | FY 2025 | ENVIRONMENTAL PLATE FUND | Invoice‐9363 | $13,427.58 | 09/03/24 |
| STATE LAND DEPARTMENT | WILLCOX-SAN SIMON NRCD | FY 2025 | ENVIRONMENTAL PLATE FUND | Invoice‐9364 | $13,427.58 | 09/03/24 |
| STATE LAND DEPARTMENT | WINKELMAN NRCD | FY 2025 | ENVIRONMENTAL PLATE FUND | Invoice‐9365 | $13,427.58 | 09/03/24 |
| STATE LAND DEPARTMENT | YUMA NRCD | FY 2025 | ENVIRONMENTAL PLATE FUND | Invoice‐9366 | $13,427.58 | 09/03/24 |
| STATE LAND DEPARTMENT | AGUA FRIA‐NEW RIVER NRCD | FY 2024 | ENVIRONMENTAL PLATE FUND | Invoice‐8496 | $5,000.00 | 02/08/24 |
| STATE LAND DEPARTMENT | APACHE NRCD | FY 2024 | ENVIRONMENTAL PLATE FUND | Invoice‐8497 | $5,000.00 | 02/09/24 |
| STATE LAND DEPARTMENT | BIG SANDY NRCD | FY 2024 | ENVIRONMENTAL PLATE FUND | Invoice‐8498 | $5,000.00 | 02/08/24 |
| STATE LAND DEPARTMENT | BUCKEYE VALLEY NRCD | FY 2024 | ENVIRONMENTAL PLATE FUND | Invoice‐8499 | $5,000.00 | 02/08/24 |
| STATE LAND DEPARTMENT | CHINO WINDS NRCD | FY 2024 | ENVIRONMENTAL PLATE FUND | Invoice‐8500 | $5,000.00 | 02/08/24 |
| STATE LAND DEPARTMENT | CHINO WINDS NRCD | FY 2024 | ENVIRONMENTAL PLATE FUND | Invoice‐8648 | $5,000.00 | 04/12/24 |
| STATE LAND DEPARTMENT | COCONINO NRCD | FY 2024 | ENVIRONMENTAL PLATE FUND | Invoice‐8501 | $5,000.00 | 02/09/24 |
| STATE LAND DEPARTMENT | EAST MARICOPA NRCD | FY 2024 | ENVIRONMENTAL PLATE FUND | Invoice‐8502 | $5,000.00 | 02/09/24 |
| STATE LAND DEPARTMENT | ELOY NRCD | FY 2024 | ENVIRONMENTAL PLATE FUND | Invoice‐8503 | $5,000.00 | 02/09/24 |
| STATE LAND DEPARTMENT | FLORENCE‐COOLIDGE NRCD | FY 2024 | ENVIRONMENTAL PLATE FUND | Invoice‐8504 | $5,000.00 | 02/09/24 |
| STATE LAND DEPARTMENT | FREDONIA NRCD | FY 2024 | ENVIRONMENTAL PLATE FUND | Invoice‐8505 | $5,000.00 | 02/09/24 |
| STATE LAND DEPARTMENT | GILA BEND NRCD | FY 2024 | ENVIRONMENTAL PLATE FUND | Invoice‐8506 | $5,000.00 | 02/09/24 |
| STATE LAND DEPARTMENT | GILA VALLEY NRCD | FY 2024 | ENVIRONMENTAL PLATE FUND | Invoice‐8507 | $5,000.00 | 02/09/24 |
| STATE LAND DEPARTMENT | HEREFORD NRCD | FY 2024 | ENVIRONMENTAL PLATE FUND | Invoice‐8508 | $5,000.00 | 02/08/24 |
| STATE LAND DEPARTMENT | LAGUNA NRCD | FY 2024 | ENVIRONMENTAL PLATE FUND | Invoice‐8509 | $5,000.00 | 02/08/24 |
| STATE LAND DEPARTMENT | LITTLEFIELD-HURRICANE VALLEY NRCD | FY 2024 | ENVIRONMENTAL PLATE FUND | Invoice‐8510 | $5,000.00 | 02/08/24 |
| STATE LAND DEPARTMENT | NAVAJO COUNTY NRCD | FY 2024 | ENVIRONMENTAL PLATE FUND | Invoice‐8511 | $5,000.00 | 02/08/24 |
| STATE LAND DEPARTMENT | PARKER VALLEY NRCD | FY 2024 | ENVIRONMENTAL PLATE FUND | Invoice‐8512 | $5,000.00 | 02/08/24 |
| STATE LAND DEPARTMENT | PIMA NRCD | FY 2024 | ENVIRONMENTAL PLATE FUND | Invoice‐8513 | $5,000.00 | 02/08/24 |
| STATE LAND DEPARTMENT | REDINGTON NRCD | FY 2024 | ENVIRONMENTAL PLATE FUND | Invoice‐8514 | $5,000.00 | 02/08/24 |
| STATE LAND DEPARTMENT | SAN PEDRO NRCD | FY 2024 | ENVIRONMENTAL PLATE FUND | Invoice‐8515 | $5,000.00 | 02/08/24 |
| STATE LAND DEPARTMENT | SANTA CRUZ NRCD | FY 2024 | ENVIRONMENTAL PLATE FUND | Invoice‐8516 | $5,000.00 | 02/08/24 |
| STATE LAND DEPARTMENT | TONTO NRCD | FY 2024 | ENVIRONMENTAL PLATE FUND | Invoice‐8517 | $5,000.00 | 02/08/24 |
| STATE LAND DEPARTMENT | TRIANGLE NRCD | FY 2024 | ENVIRONMENTAL PLATE FUND | Invoice‐8518 | $5,000.00 | 02/08/24 |
| STATE LAND DEPARTMENT | VERDE NRCD | FY 2024 | ENVIRONMENTAL PLATE FUND | Invoice‐8519 | $5,000.00 | 02/08/24 |
| STATE LAND DEPARTMENT | WELLTON‐MOHAWK VALLEY NRCD | FY 2024 | ENVIRONMENTAL PLATE FUND | Invoice‐8520 | $5,000.00 | 02/08/24 |
| STATE LAND DEPARTMENT | WEST PINAL NRCD | FY 2024 | ENVIRONMENTAL PLATE FUND | Invoice‐8521 | $5,000.00 | 02/08/24 |
| STATE LAND DEPARTMENT | WHITEWATER DRAW NRCD | FY 2024 | ENVIRONMENTAL PLATE FUND | Invoice‐8522 | $5,000.00 | 02/08/24 |
| STATE LAND DEPARTMENT | WILLCOX-SAN SIMON NRCD | FY 2024 | ENVIRONMENTAL PLATE FUND | Invoice‐8523 | $5,000.00 | 02/09/24 |
| STATE LAND DEPARTMENT | WINKELMAN NRCD | FY 2024 | ENVIRONMENTAL PLATE FUND | Invoice‐8524 | $5,000.00 | 02/08/24 |
| STATE LAND DEPARTMENT | YUMA NRCD | FY 2024 | ENVIRONMENTAL PLATE FUND | Invoice‐8525 | $5,000.00 | 02/08/24 |
| STATE LAND DEPARTMENT | AGUA FRIA‐NEW RIVER NRCD | FY 2024 | ENVIRONMENTAL PLATE FUND | Invoice‐7737 | $1,200.00 | 09/08/23 |
| STATE LAND DEPARTMENT | APACHE NRCD EDUCATION CENTER | FY 2024 | ENVIRONMENTAL PLATE FUND | Invoice‐7738 | $1,200.00 | 09/08/23 |
| STATE LAND DEPARTMENT | BIG SANDY NRCD EDUCATION CENTER | FY 2024 | ENVIRONMENTAL PLATE FUND | Invoice‐7739 | $1,200.00 | 09/08/23 |
| STATE LAND DEPARTMENT | BUCKEYE VALLEY NRCD CONSERVATION EDUCATION CENTER | FY 2024 | ENVIRONMENTAL PLATE FUND | Invoice‐7740 | $1,200.00 | 09/08/23 |
| STATE LAND DEPARTMENT | EAST MARICOPA NRCD RESOURCE MANAGEMENT EDUCATION CENTER | FY 2024 | ENVIRONMENTAL PLATE FUND | Invoice‐7741 | $1,200.00 | 09/08/23 |
| STATE LAND DEPARTMENT | FREDONIA NRCD EDUCATION CENTER | FY 2024 | ENVIRONMENTAL PLATE FUND | Invoice‐7742 | $1,200.00 | 09/08/23 |
| STATE LAND DEPARTMENT | GILA VALLEY NRCD EDUCATION CENTER, INC | FY 2024 | ENVIRONMENTAL PLATE FUND | Invoice‐7743 | $1,200.00 | 09/08/23 |
| STATE LAND DEPARTMENT | HEREFORD NRCD EDUCATION CENTER | FY 2024 | ENVIRONMENTAL PLATE FUND | Invoice‐7744 | $1,200.00 | 09/08/23 |
| STATE LAND DEPARTMENT | LITTLEFIELD‐HURRICANE VALLEY NRCD EDUCATION CENTER | FY 2024 | ENVIRONMENTAL PLATE FUND | Invoice‐7745 | $1,200.00 | 09/08/23 |
| STATE LAND DEPARTMENT | ELOY, FLORENCE-COOLIDGE & W. PINAL NRCDs NATURAL RESOURCE EDUCATION CENTER | FY 2024 | ENVIRONMENTAL PLATE FUND | Invoice‐7746 | $1,200.00 | 09/08/23 |
| STATE LAND DEPARTMENT | NAVAJO COUNTY NRCD ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION CENTER | FY 2024 | ENVIRONMENTAL PLATE FUND | Invoice‐7747 | $1,200.00 | 09/13/23 |
| STATE LAND DEPARTMENT | WHITEWATER DRAW NRCD NIMON S. HOPKINS EDUCATION CENTER | FY 2024 | ENVIRONMENTAL PLATE FUND | Invoice‐7748 | $1,200.00 | 09/08/23 |
| STATE LAND DEPARTMENT | PARKER VALLEY NRCD EDUCATION CENTER | FY 2024 | ENVIRONMENTAL PLATE FUND | Invoice‐7749 | $1,200.00 | 09/08/23 |
| STATE LAND DEPARTMENT | PIMA NRCD CENTER FOR CONSERVATION EDUCATION | FY 2024 | ENVIRONMENTAL PLATE FUND | Invoice‐7750 | $1,200.00 | 09/08/23 |
| STATE LAND DEPARTMENT | REDINGTON NRCD CONSERVATION EDUCATION CENTER | FY 2024 | ENVIRONMENTAL PLATE FUND | Invoice‐7751 | $1,200.00 | 09/08/23 |
| STATE LAND DEPARTMENT | SAN PEDRO NRCD VALLEY EDUCATION CENTER | FY 2024 | ENVIRONMENTAL PLATE FUND | Invoice‐7752 | $1,200.00 | 09/08/23 |
| STATE LAND DEPARTMENT | SANTA CRUZ NRCD EDUCATION CENTER | FY 2024 | ENVIRONMENTAL PLATE FUND | Invoice‐7753 | $1,200.00 | 09/08/23 |
| STATE LAND DEPARTMENT | TONTO NRCD NATURAL RESOURCES LEARNING CENTER | FY 2024 | ENVIRONMENTAL PLATE FUND | Invoice‐7754 | $1,200.00 | 09/08/23 |
| STATE LAND DEPARTMENT | VERDE NRCD ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION CENTER | FY 2024 | ENVIRONMENTAL PLATE FUND | Invoice‐7755 | $1,200.00 | 09/08/23 |
| STATE LAND DEPARTMENT | WELLTON‐MOHAWK VALLEY NRCD EDUCATION CENTER | FY 2024 | ENVIRONMENTAL PLATE FUND | Invoice‐7756 | $1,200.00 | 09/08/23 |
| STATE LAND DEPARTMENT | TRIANGLE & CHINO WINDS NRCDs WESTERN YAVAPAI CONSERVATION EDUCATION CENTER | FY 2024 | ENVIRONMENTAL PLATE FUND | Invoice‐7757 | $1,200.00 | 09/08/23 |
| STATE LAND DEPARTMENT | WILLCOX‐SAN SIMON NRCD ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION CENTER | FY 2024 | ENVIRONMENTAL PLATE FUND | Invoice‐7758 | $1,200.00 | 09/08/23 |
| STATE LAND DEPARTMENT | COCONINO NRCD WILLOW BEND ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION CENTER | FY 2024 | ENVIRONMENTAL PLATE FUND | Invoice‐7759 | $1,200.00 | 09/08/23 |
| STATE LAND DEPARTMENT | WINKELMAN NRCD ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION CENTER | FY 2024 | ENVIRONMENTAL PLATE FUND | Invoice‐7760 | $1,200.00 | 09/08/23 |
| STATE LAND DEPARTMENT | YUMA NRCD CONSERVATION GARDEN, INC. | FY 2024 | ENVIRONMENTAL PLATE FUND | Invoice‐7761 | $1,200.00 | 09/08/23 |
Note: Information acquired from State Land Department through a 2025 public record request. The payments disbursed by the NRCB to the NRCDs will be added to this table after the data becomes available from the NRCB.
The NRCB Begins
Since the NRCB had no staff or money for their first meeting in May 2024, it was organized by the AACD. The meeting’s agenda said the “Board staff” could be contacted via the email address of the AACD Executive Director Deborrah Smith, and that the “Board’s office” was located at the AACD’s address. The meeting was made available online and managed by Smith.
Their first meeting focused on initial organizational issues. The NRCD supervisors expressed no interest in hiring a state employee to do the NRCB’s administrative work, and officially appointed Smith to be the NRCB’s administrative officer. They also created internal committees, including a Finance & Funding Committee, and wanted to get their own state website setup. Rancher Frank Krentz was elected to be their first chairperson. According to the AACD’s 2023 annual report, the most recent one available on the Corporation Commission’s website, Krentz is also the corporation’s current president.
The NRCB had to wait until the FY 2026 state budget bill passed in June of 2025 to receive its initial $100,000 appropriation for administrative expenses. This budget bill also gave the NRCB the regular annual appropriations for the NRCDs that were formerly distributed by the State Land Department. All of these monies could have been available to the NRCB as of July 1, 2025.
Six weeks later, on August 13, 2025, the NRCB held its second meeting. The agenda was posted to the AACD’s website because they still didn’t have one of their own. It was also made available online and managed by Smith. It began with a discussion of the NRCB’s financial situation. Smith admitted that she hadn’t known anything about state agency administration, but had learned about services available from the Arizona Department of Administration (ADOA). They included a free state website and a state agency email system for the NRCB for $1,728 a year. A separate state email system for the local conservation districts could be setup for $36,288 annually. (Then, and later in the meeting, it was admitted that some local NRCD supervisors were using private email accounts for state business.) Also, the ADOA’s Central Services Bureau, which services small agencies, would process the NRCB’s financial transactions for $28,000 per year, set up the electronic distribution of funds to the NRCDs, and provide comprehensive financial reports. The bureau would also help them draft their state FY 2027 budget request, which had to be submitted to the governor’s office by September 1.
Smith also explained that she was still in the process of getting the NRCB’s accounts setup on ADOA’s state financial system, and believed they would soon be able to pay some bills, such as administrative expenses and the board’s travel expenses. But she warned that the money that had accumulated from the sales of environmental license plates wasn’t yet available for distribution to the NRCD educations centers because the legality of transferring the the funds from the Land Department was still being questioned. Part of the problem, she said, was that there was over $283,000 that had accumulated in the department’s license plate revenues account, and the special plate fund had only been appropriated $260,600 a year for many years.
This repeated annual appropriation of $260,600 by the Legislature to the environmental special plate fund is very odd because, for some reason, the funds have been listed as appropriated in annual state budgets, but their source isn’t appropriations – it’s environmental plate sales. Furthermore, the $260,600 annual amount doesn’t appear to have any connection to the actual amounts of annual plate sales. According to a public record request submitted to the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT), they forwarded $1,118,636 to the State Land Department from the sales of environmental plates for state fiscal years 2021 to FY 2025, or about $223,727 per year.
Conflicts Of Interest
After the board concluded its financial discussions, Sarah Hicks, from the office of the Arizona Attorney General, gave them a presentation about state conflict of interest laws, as per A.R.S. 38-501 through 38-511. This wasn’t a surprise, because the NRCB has multiple built-in potential conflicts of interest. Board member Daric Knight, for example, owns a ranching infrastructure company, Knight Environmental LLC, that could benefit from NRCB grants. There was much discussion about the definition of what constituted a “substantial interest” in a board decision, and Hicks distributed a conflict of interest disclosure form that they could use if necessary.
The potential conflict of interest created by Smith being the NRCB’s administrative officer, while simultaneously being the AACD’s executive director, was addressed by the board when they approved her contract agreement. It stated that she is a non-salaried officer of the AACD, and would not be compensated by the NRCB for completing official duties as their administrative director. But the AACD doesn’t have any salaried employees, because it’s a “1099 organization” wherein all of its employees are contract employees. And according to the AACD’s 2022 Form 990, they paid Deborrah Smith $100,800 for consulting that year, and their 2023 Form 990 shows that Smith CRC-LLC, a Texas corporation owned by Smith, was paid $243,450 for consulting that year. Furthermore, in the fall of 2023 she became an owner of the newly created Sage Consulting Group LLC. At the NRCB’s first meeting in May, Smith said that Sage was the AACD’s “management company.” The AACD’s 2024 Form 990, however, doesn’t show they made any payments to Sage or its employees that year.
Another potential conflict of interest for the NRCB is with their awarding of grants that are funded with federal money, because federal agencies have strict conflict of interest regulations regarding grant recipients.
FY 2027 NRCB Budget Request
Before the meeting concluded, the board voted to approve a disbursement of what were thought to be available funds to the NRCDs and their education centers. Each NRCD was to be sent $11,593, but each education center was to only receive an initial $1,250 because the license plate revenues weren’t yet available. And they also voted to approve the payments to the ADOA for their administrative services, although the separate state email system for the local conservation districts wasn’t approved.
Because their FY 2027 budget request was due on September 1, the board also agreed that their Finance & Funding Committee would meet soon, on August 21, to draft a request, and then the full board would meet on August 26 to approve it. But the August 21 committee meeting never happened. Instead, the board reviewed and approved a budget request at their August 26 meeting. The draft agenda for the meeting was posted to the AACD website because the NRCB still didn’t have its own site.
Before the board voted on the budget at the meeting, their administrative officer Deborrah Smith explained that she was still working on getting the license plate funds held by the State Land Department transferred to the NRCB, and once that happened they could distribute more money to the NRCD education centers.
Sarah Hicks provided legal information about the requirements for state agencies holding public monies. Board member Bill Dunn expressed concern that the local NRCDs didn’t understand these rules. Hicks explained that she worked for the NRCB, but it was their responsibility to oversee the conservation districts. She promised to provide some information about state financial operations that they could distribute to the NRCDs.
When the board got to the FY 2027 budget request, there was much discussion about how to request a significant increase to their annual appropriation. The fact that annual appropriations for the NRCDs hadn’t been increased for many years, along with the new oversight of local tribal Soil & Water Conservation Districts, were used as justifications to ask for a $900,000 increase. For some reason, the NRCB’s FY 2027 budget request repeated the claim that they would receive $260,600 in plate sales revenue from ADOT, despite the invalidity of that number.
In early October 2025 the NRCB finally launched its own state website at https://nrcb.az.gov. NRCB meeting information was removed from AACD website and transferred to the Meetings page on the NRCB’s new website, along with meeting information for the local NRCDs. But information about the NRCB’s August 26 budget approval meeting was not transferred. Subsequently, the only information publicly available about that meeting is its online video, and a web search is needed to find it. (That video shows a different agenda than the draft agenda that was posted to the AACD website.) Subsequently, the NRCB’s approved FY 2027 budget request is not on their website. It was, however, post to the AACD website.
The NRCB’s final meeting of 2025 was held on October 30. There are no written minutes, as state law allows the online video of the meeting to suffice. Board chair Frank Krentz began the meeting by explaining that the FY 2026 $650,000 appropriation for the NRCDs hadn’t yet been transferred from the State Land Department for the same reasons the license plate sale revenues had yet to be transferred. (This meant the NRCB only had access to their $100,000 FY 2026 appropriation for administrative expenses.) Subsequently, later in the meeting the board had to vote to rescind the distributions to the NRCDs that they had approved during their August 13 meeting.
Sarah Hicks promised to look into the funding complications, and informed the board that she was working on getting all of the physical and digital records for the NRCDs held by the State Land Department transferred to the NRCB. She also informed the board that they were now responsible for overseeing all public record requests regarding NRCD records.
At Hicks’s invitation, Jake Richardson, from the State Treasurer’s office, gave a presentation about Local Government Investment Pools (LGIP), wherein the NRCB and NRCDs could legally park public money and earn some interest. Hicks explained that use of the LGIP accounts would, “ensure public monies are being invested properly.” Obviously, this was in response to concerns about what the local NRCDs were doing with the public monies they held and spent.
End The AACD Shadow Government
Instead of providing more government assistance for ranchers, the NRCB would better serve the interests of the general public if it completely took over the administration of existing grant programs from the private AACD shadow government. State government open meeting and public records laws could then bring some much needed transparency.
Nevertheless, the NRCB should provide detailed information about the grants they dispense. The grants have to be approved at NRCB public meetings, but there needs to be more than just lists of project titles and dollar amounts. Also, the sources of the grant monies should be identified, as well as the names of the grant recipients. Additionally, the public should be given the opportunity to submit comments on proposed grant projects, like the Arizona Water Protection Fund (AWPF) Commission does with its AWPF grants.
These procedures could be implemented by the adoption of rules, as per A.R.S. 41-6011.H.10, which states that the board shall, “Adopt administrative rules that the board deems necessary and proper to carry out this chapter.”
The NRCB must also be dedicated to complying with the state open meeting laws, and that includes doing a better job than the State Land Department did of overseeing the NRCDs. The NRCB & NRCD Meetings page on the new NRCB website is a good first step, but local NRCD compliance must be monitored, and minutes must remain online for at least year. The board also needs to ensure that the NRCDs are using state email accounts to do their business, and are properly handling public money. That includes identifying exactly what the NRCDs are paying for with their annual dues to the AACD.
And, of course, the NRCDs should be audited by the state Auditor General. They’ve never been audited, despite the fact they are uniquely allowed to accept donations. The audit could help the NRCB to establish effective oversight.
Most importantly, the NRCB’s administrative officer needs to be a full-time state employee. How many other state agencies have a private nonprofit corporation, with unknown donors, running their operations?
Updates
On December 30, 2025, Rep. Griffin introduced HB 2117 which would remove the AACD’s power to recommend new NRCB board members to the governor and legislative leaders.
2 thoughts on “Arizona Ranchers Get Another Government Assistance Program”
The last thing we need is another agency. we do not need juniper and mesquites removed. The cattle thrive on shade and mesquite beans. maybe some of those tax payer funds could be used to actually reclaim the public lands destroyed by over grazing and unethical ranchers. What is really needed is an honest awareness campaign that clearly spells out what the legal uses of OPEN RANGE actually are, not the redundant and dishonest “anything goes and property owners have no rights” redric. If the state, county, local law enforcement wont enforce livestock laws already in place then give fencing grants to property owners and force ranchers to keep their fences and cattle guards in good working order.
I finally managed to read this entire, *wonderfully* densely informative article. I’ve attempted to be a follower of my local NRCD, the Hereford one. It’s been a challenge, to put it mildly. They’ve declined to put me on their mailing list for announcement of any meetings (how hard can that be), so I would have to check their website daily if I wanted to catch any special meeting they called outside their regular meetings. Which they do a fair amount of. And getting financial information was next to impossible, partly because the president views that as confidential. It sounds like this all *might* be promising for better management. Thank you.