During the 1930s the Dust Bowl made the need to conserve natural resources, particularly soil, very clear. The Soil Conservation Service, now named Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), was created under the Soil Conservation Act of 1935 to develop and implement soil erosion control programs.

Local leadership was needed to coordinate these efforts and tie them to local conditions and priorities. Accordingly, President Roosevelt developed a model Conservation District Law for consideration by state governments. In March 1941, the State Legislature passed an enabling act which established conservation districts in Wyoming. Conservation districts were to direct programs protecting local renewable natural resources. Wyoming now has 34 conservation districts in 23 counties.

The Cody Conservation District (CCD) was organized on May 20, 1942. Seven additions to the original District boundaries since its formation have brought the total area of the CCD to 2,470,710 acres. The CCD is one of three conservation districts in Park County and is in the Western half of Park County. The Powell-Clarks Fork Conservation District borders the CCD to the northeast, while the Meeteetse Conservation District lies to the southeast.

The CCD is a local nonregulatory residing subdivision of the state as defined and established by the Wyoming State Statues at Title 11, Chapter 16, et seq., entitled “Wyoming Conservation District Law”. The five-member Board of Supervisors of the CCD is chosen by the people residing within the CCD boundaries by popular vote during the general election and serves the community voluntarily. The elected members represent both the rural and urban populations within the District. The Board of Supervisors is the only locally elected board charged with the responsibility of representing local people on natural resource issues.