Summer meeting is less than four weeks away! The deadline to register for NACD's annual
Summer Conservation Forum and Tour
, held in Santa Fe, N.M., from Aug. 2-6, is this
Friday, July 12.
The meeting boasts 12 concurrent sessions on a range of natural resource issues. Visit NACD's
Concurrent Sessions webpage
to view session descriptions.
The conservation forum will
feature keynote addresses from NASDA President and New Mexico Secretary of Agriculture
Jeff Witte and Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Chief
Matt Lohr.
The meeting will be held at the Drury Plaza Hotel, which is currently sold out. NACD has secured additional rooms for the
Hilton Santa Fe. To book your room, make your
reservation online or call (505) 988-2811 and refer to the “National Association of Conservation Districts” or “NACD” group block.
To learn more and register for the summer conservation forum and tour, visit NACD's summer meeting
webpage
. Single-day registration is now available for meeting participants seeking to attend programs only on Monday, Aug. 5.
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KENTUCKY DISTRICTS GATHER FOR KACD ANNUAL MEETING
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Last week, nearly 350 Kentucky district supervisors, employees and partners attended the
Kentucky Association of Conservation Districts' (KACD) three-day annual meeting in Lexington, Ky.
NACD Executive Board Southeast Region Representative
Gary Blair (pictured) addressed district employees at KACD's general session and at their luncheon. In both cases, he thanked the audience for their support and shared updates on NACD activities and programs.
NACD Projects and Partnerships Coordinator
Meg Leader
and Director of Projects and Partnerships
Rich Duesterhaus
also provided presentations with special attention to NACD's Technical Assistance (TA) grants programs, Conservation Planning
Boot Camp training opportunities and the Urban Agriculture Conservation Grants program.
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In 2017, NACD, in partnership with the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) awarded funding to the
Snohomish Conservation District (SCD) in Washington state to help encourage homeowners to grow their own food.
The SCD's
Lawns to Lettuce urban agriculture program was designed to create community food systems. Through a primary partner, Housing Hope, the district worked with diverse landowners to encourage and instruct them on how to grow food in their own front yards.
Retrofits were performed to six single-family homes transforming conventional grass lawns to edible gardens. Housing Hope’s two group facilities were provided with soil amendments, plant seedlings and weekly support. The district hosted a community event to teach people about the techniques used, including sheet mulching, raised bed gardening, and rainwater catchment.
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The SCD developed strong partnerships with local food banks providing nutritious food from a variety of sources. One of those was the district’s “Plant a Row” program, which encourages people to plant a row of produce for their local food bank. Community members who joined the campaign received free seeds and were supported throughout the season with
Lawns to Lettuce
resources. A new food bank mapping tool allowed people to see which food banks were closest to them and when they were accepting produce donations.
Food banks were also supported through small- and large-scale gleaning efforts. Produce was gleaned from farmers markets, homeowners’ trees and gardens, as well as commercial farms. Through these gleaning efforts, the district generated around 20,000 pounds of produce using approximately 390 hours of volunteer labor.
Throughout the duration of this project, the SCD grew a very active online community with over 850 users. That involved a new online Facebook group and monthly newsletters with tips and tricks to gardening, opportunities to volunteer, calls to action and online resources.
The growing
Lawns to Lettuce
community is also beginning to reflect the diverse demographic within Snohomish County. This project made lasting positive impacts not only within a food desert area, but across the entire county. Partnership building was a key element to the project’s success and will enable the program to provide a greater impact in the coming years.
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NACD SEEKS
2019 FALL INTERNS
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NACD is seeking 2019 fall interns to work full-time in Washington, D.C. Interns will work with NACD’s government affairs and communications staff to advance the association’s legislative agenda. Interns are given projects to enhance their understanding of Congress and the legislative process.
Additionally, they will learn the interworkings of federal natural resources and environmental agencies as well as the roles conservation districts and state conservation agencies play in the development of natural resources, agricultural and environmental policies.
NACD interns are often college juniors or seniors who are interested in natural resources policy, environmental science or agricultural fields. They traditionally work for 15 weeks during the fall from September to mid-December and are expected to work full-time, although special arrangements can be made. A performance-based stipend is awarded at the end of the internship.
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SAVE THE DATE: POLLINATOR PINT NIGHT AT STEARNS SWCD
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Stearns County Soil and Water Conservation District
(SWCD) is hosting a
Pollinator Pint Night
on
Friday, July 12
from
6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
, at Milk & Honey Ciders in St. Joseph, Minn.
The event is for anyone who is curious about creating pollinator habitats on their property, whether on the farm, in town or by the lake.
Sarah Foltz Jordon
from The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation will provide an overview of pollinators’ status, discuss their role in agriculture and natural ecosystems, and explain pollinator life cycle and habitat needs. She will also share a few farmer case studies showing opportunities to integrate habitat into productive lands.
Steven Heymans
with PrairieScapes will discuss service options for installation and maintenance of pollinator plantings. Stearns County SWCD staff will wrap up the event with a brief presentation on programs available for technical and financial assistance.
The event is free and open to the public. For more information, contact
Katie Breth at 320-345-6482.
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USFS To Hold
NEPA Webinar
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The U.S. Forest Service (USFS) is holding a webinar on
Friday, July 12
at
3:30 p.m. Eastern
, on its proposed changes to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) implementation guidelines.
The proposed rule will give USFS more flexibility in responding to the
unprecedented challenges they face in connection with extended droughts, catastrophic wildfires and epidemics of insects and disease. To view and participate in the webinar, visit USFS'
webpage
.
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CTIC Conservation in Action Tour Approaches
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The Conservation Technology Information Center (CTIC)'s 12th annual Conservation in Action Tour will be held Aug. 20-21 in Des Moines, Iowa.
The tour, entitled “Conservation at the Leading Edge," will explore conservation systems in central Iowa. Participants from across the country will visit farms, attend demonstrations, and hear from a wide range of speakers to gain a comprehensive look at how Iowa farmers are using conservation farming systems to achieve the state’s Nutrient Reduction Strategy goals.
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Honor Your
Conservation Leaders:
NACD Awards
Deadline Approaches
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NACD's national service awards annually recognize conservation leaders for their work and dedication. Know someone who fits the bill? Consider nominating them for the following awards:
The
NACD Friend of Conservation Award recognizes an individual, business, organization or agency outside the association for outstanding contributions to the conservation of our nation’s natural resources.
The
NACD Distinguished Service Award honors an individual within the association, a conservation district or a state association who has made significant contributions to the conservation and proper management of our nation’s natural resources.
The award recipients will be honored at the 2020 NACD Annual Meeting in Las Vegas, Nev., this coming February, and will receive a complimentary meeting registration for the 2020 NACD Annual Meeting, a complimentary Appreciation Banquet ticket, a plaque and national recognition online and in NACD’s publications.
All nominations will receive an honorable mention certificate from
NACD
President Tim Palmer in appreciation for their service to conservation.
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Reserve Your Spot: Final 2019 Conservation Planning Boot
Camp Session
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Due to high demand, a final 2019 session for Conservation Planning Boot Camp has been added for
Oct. 22 - Nov. 7
. Space is limited, so reserve your spot today!
NRCS Conservation Planning Boot Camp is a three-week, intensive training course for technical employees that covers current conservation planning policy, procedures and guidelines as outlined in the National Planning Procedures Handbook.
For more information, visit
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Support NACD on Amazon Prime Day
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Amazon Prime Day is a two-day, online shopping holiday full of deals starting Monday, July 15 at 12:01 a.m. Pacific through Tuesday, July 16 at 11:59 p.m. Pacific.
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Register Now: 2019 NCDEA Leadership Conference
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The National Conservation District Employees Association (NCDEA) will be hosting the 2019 North Central and Northern Plains Regional Leadership Conference at the Ramkota Hotel in Sioux Falls, S.D., from
Aug. 13-14
.
NCDEA will be hosting two days of networking and professional development. Topics will include leadership, customer service, balancing work and life and the National Conservation Planning Partnership (NCPP).
To learn more, view the conference schedule and register, visit the
NCDEA website.
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Promote your conservation district or state association's tree sale, annual meeting, webinar, field day or more on NACD's
Calendar of Events!
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