Conservation district okay, auditors say

The Washington State Auditor’s Office recently issued the results of their audit of the Wahkiakum Conservation District (WCD) financial statements for January 1, 2009 through December 31, 2009.

The auditor’s office examined evidence to support the figures contained in the financial statements and also looked at the reports to test that the WCD had put in place proper internal controls over financial reporting.

The auditor’s office staff stated in their report that they believe the financial statements present an accurate representation of the operations of the WCD for the specified time period.

Further, the report stated, “We did not identify any deficiencies in internal control over financial reporting that we consider to be material weaknesses.”

The report defines material weaknesses as deficiencies that might prevent misstatements on the financial reports from being detected or corrected on a timely basis.

The conservation district began 2009 with $314,112 in cash and investments and ended the year with $365,003 in cash and investments.

The WCD was started in 1940 as the Puget Island Soil Conservation District and exists to provide education and technical assistance to the public regarding natural resource conservation.