The idea of forming local conservation districts was founded in the early 1930’s when dust storms and floods swept the nation and aroused public concern around soil erosion. Congress passed Public Law 46 in 1935 declaring conscious land use and soil conservation a national policy, after which the federal government initiated associated technical and financial assistance programs. 
 

The Siskiyou Resource Conservation District was established and organized in accordance with Division 9 of the Public Resources Code of the State of California. Under Division 9, the District is empowered to research, develop and implement actions to address the conservation and management of natural resources including soil, water, and other related assets such as habitat.

The District consists of 1,176,160 acres of privately (294,160 acres) and publicly (882,000 acres) owned lands in the Scott River watershed, Salmon River watershed, and portions of the Klamath River. This includes the Klamath National Forest in the western and northern areas of the District and portions of the Shasta National Forest in the southern end of the District.