Rice Creek Watershed District’s (RCWD) mission is to conserve and restore the water resources of the District for the beneficial use of current and future generations. Established at the request of citizens, county boards, cities and the Board of Water and Soil Resources in 1972, the RCWD is governed by a Board of Managers appointed by the county commissioners of Anoka, Ramsey and Washington. The RCWD is about 200 square miles and includes parts of 28 municipalities and four counties. RCWD is the founder of the Blue Thumb – Planting for Clean Water outreach program. The RCWD has other innovative programs such as Resource Management Plans that use natural resource inventories to work with cities as the basis for city planning.