In 1965, the Iowa State Legislature passed a law permitting counties to establish County Conservation Boards, with members appointed to 5 year terms by the Board of Supervisors. The Van Buren County Conservation Board was subsequently authorized in the primary election of 1966. This program is supported by a tax levy on the valuation of all real estate and personal property.
Purposes are to acquire, develop, maintain, and make available to the inhabitants of the county, public museums, parks, preserves, parkways, playgrounds, recreational centers, county forests, wildlife and other conservation areas, and to promote and preserve the health and general welfare of the people, to encourage the orderly development and conservation of natural resources, and to cultivate good citizenship by providing adequate programs of public recreation.