The Ionia Conservation District, which serves residents within Ionia County, is a local unit of government organized by the people within the district boundaries under provisions of The Soil Conservation District Law, Act 297 of Public Acts of 1937, as amended. In 1994, the Conservation District Law was made part of The Compiled Environmental Code. It is now Part 93 of Act 451 of 1994, as amended.

The District is a locally controlled resource management agency, created by concerned landowners and administered by a publicly elected, five-member, board of directors. The board hires qualified staff to program plan and facilitate activities. The Ionia Conservation District was organized in April 1945 through the process of petition, hearing and referendum under the leadership of local landowners who realized the importance of our soil and water resources.