The Illinois Valley Soil and Water Conservation District (IVSWCD), established on December 13, 1949, and the Two Rivers Soil and Water Conservation District (TRSWCD), established on December 31, 1949, now operate under a co‑managed structure that jointly serves all of Josephine County. Together, the districts encompass the Illinois River watershed, the Rogue River corridor, and the broader mosaic of forest, agricultural, and rural communities across Josephine County.

The 75‑mile‑long Illinois River rises in California, flows northwest through its 628,000‑acre watershed (most of it in Oregon), and discharges into the Rogue River. The watershed supports diverse native plant species, including 20 conifer trees, 29 broad‑leaved trees, and scores of rare endemic wildflowers. Elevations range from 7,055 feet on Grayback Mountain to 380 feet at the mouth of the Illinois River near Agness. Valley floors sit between 1,200 and 1,600 feet, with average annual precipitation varying from 40 to 160 inches.

IVSWCD and TRSWCD are two of Oregon’s 45 Soil and Water Conservation Districts chartered under the Oregon Department of Agriculture (ORS 568) to protect the state’s renewable natural resources. In 1994, Josephine County combined the IVSWCD with the Illinois Valley Watershed Council (IVWC) under “The Oregon Plan for Salmon and Watersheds” (ORS 541.388). Today, under the co‑managed district structure, IVSWCD and TRSWCD jointly implement conservation programs, technical assistance, and watershed restoration across the entire county.

In addition to its other responsibilities, the IVSWCD manages the 172‑acre Thompson Creek Woodland Conservation Tract, along with other projects funded by federal, state, and private grants. TRSWCD contributes complementary programs focused on agricultural water management, forest health, riparian restoration, and landowner assistance throughout the Rogue Basin portion of Josephine County.

Land use across the co‑managed districts includes logging, livestock ranches, pastures, vineyards, orchards, row‑crop and truck farms, mining, public parks, the Wild and Scenic Illinois River, and the Red Buttes and Kalmiopsis Wilderness Areas. The 2000 census reported a population of about 15,500 in the IVSWCD portion of the county, with most residents living in Cave Junction, Selma, O’Brien, Kerby, Holland, and Takilma. TRSWCD’s service area includes Grants Pass, Merlin, Wolf Creek, Williams, and rural communities throughout the Rogue River corridor.

The Illinois Basin and the broader Josephine County landscape present several land‑use challenges in the twenty‑first century, including water quantity and quality, soil conditions, invasive species, endangered species, and the threatened coho salmon. Through their co‑managed structure, IVSWCD and TRSWCD respond to those concerns by planting trees, testing wells and assessing groundwater, replacing irrigation ditches with pipelines, monitoring streams, stabilizing stream banks, and supporting landowners with conservation planning. As a result of those efforts, salmon habitat is improving, irrigation is more efficient, and watershed resilience is increasing across the entire county.