Established in 1948, the Lawrence Conservation District is located on the western border of South Dakota in the northern portion of the Black Hills. The county has a range in elevation from 3,300 feet above sea level on Whitewood Creek in the northeast to 7,064 feet above sea level at Terry Peak in the southwest. The northern third of the county lies in the foothills, and consists of valleys divided by northerly, sloping ridges. The southern two-thirds of the county is mountainous, timbered area.

The major drainage of Lawrence County is Spearfish Creek which begins in the southwest corner and flows into the Redwater River near the Butte County line. Whitewood Creek begins south of Englewood and drains through Lead, Deadwood, and Whitewood and eventually flows into the Belle Fourche River.

The Lawrence Conservation District office is located in Spearfish. The NRCS office for both Lawrence and Butte Counties in located in Belle Fourche. The District receives funding from the county and through the operation of a tree planting and weed fabric installation business. In its long range plan developed in 2004, the District Board of Supervisors identified the following critical resource issues in Lawrence County: water quality and quantity, soil erosion, shelterbelts/windbreaks, public conservation education, grazing lands, nutrient management, urban growth, forest management, invasive species, and mining. The District strives to work with landowners and public entities to protect and conserve the natural resources of the county.