Clayton takes water conservancy position

CLOVIS - Ladona Clayton was more than prepared to call it a career in education and start retirement in Angel Fire.

But the only job that could change her mind came up, and she will restart her efforts on local water issues as executive director of the Ogallala Land and Water Conservancy.

Clayton's first day in the position was Friday, and she is handling the early tasks remotely until she takes up office space in downtown Clovis on Oct. 11.

"I'm excited, and I'm thrilled to have the opportunity," said Clayton, who spent her first day working on grant applications and signing up for next week's National Land Conference. "At the same time, I understand there's a steep learning curve. I've been taking courses online, I'm identifying resources. It's a mix of being very excited and at the same time a respectful fear."

Clayton, a former Clovis city commissioner and superintendent at Clovis Christian Schools, will be paid $90,000 annually.

The land trust was created to handle issues that may arise during a Readiness Environmental Protection Initiative process at Cannon Air Force Base. The REPI process, which tackles environmental issues impacted by Department of Defense installations, would in this case incentivize landowners in the paleochannel surrounding the base to convert to dryland farming and create less demand on the local water supply.

According to the job description, the executive director reports to the trust's board of directors and "serves to direct land and water conservation in Curry County, including the creation of innovative resource conservation activities, growing the capacity of the organization, managing corporate conservation responsibilities, providing financial and legal oversight, and implementing the goals of the Board of Directors."

Duties involved include execution of all aspects of land and water conservation acquisition and stewardship, participation in state and national conservation policy work and functioning as the primary representative for the trust to the public.

David Lansford, former Clovis mayor and president of the conservancy, said Clayton was one of two finalists for the position. Timothy Richardson, a project manager for the Texas Department of Transportation, was the other.

"I think her resume and experience is very well suited for the position," Lansford said. "She's a native of the area, she understands the ag community, she's got tremendous administrative skills and communication skills. This is a complex operation that requires exemplary administrative skills, and we believe she has them."

Clayton had some inkling the position would eventually be created, as the land trust was an element of the city of Clovis' master water assurance plan she helped create as a city commissioner in 2017.

Lansford said the last few years of work to get the land trust going has been difficult, but he views the work as necessary.

"It's been hard to convince some people what we want to do makes sense," said Lansford, who credited Curry County commissioners Chet Spear and Robert Thornton and others for their efforts. "It's about saving water resources ... before the Ogallala aquifer gets depleted. While we have it, we ought to conserve it for future use."

An administrative position at Tyler Street Christian Academy in Dallas led to Clayton's departure in 2019. The school has since shuttered, largely due to pandemic issues, and Clayton spent what she called a trying final three months in the position helping families transition to other area schools.

Clayton said she occasionally tuned in to local meeting livestreams to stay abreast of land trust matters, and four years of study has left her with a binder she estimates to be 6 inches thick. There was a period where she abandoned interest in the position, but the last few months of conservancy work has her optimistic despite fears of the unknown. To her knowledge, there's little history of land trusts built for the specific purpose of conserving groundwater.

The chance to write some new land trust history, and change the story of the area's water issues, is a challenge she respects and relishes.

"I love Clovis and the people there," Clayton said. "I spent 39 years in the community, and I'm so looking forward to sowing back into the community. I hope I make a difference."