On Monday, Apr. 8, NACD announced it was selected as the recipient of the David Rockefeller Fund Pollinator Education Initiative Grant through an agreement with the Pollinator Partnership.
Through the agreement, NACD will develop a guide to conduct pollinator conservation field days, as well as create online resources, lessons plans and materials for classrooms to engage students in interactive, habitat-focused outdoor activities related to pollinator conservation.
“
Conservation districts have a unique role in educating their communities, regularly emphasizing the significance of our hard-working pollinators,”
NACD President Tim Palmer said.
“Expanding pollinator-related conservation education will further strengthen on-the-ground work to enhance our country’s natural resources.”
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HOW WILL YOU CELEBRATE STEWARDSHIP WEEK?
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Join us in celebrating the 2019 theme “Life in the Soil: Dig Deeper” by screening the
Living Soil documentary
or organizing an event at a local school about the significance of soil conservation. For more ideas about how your district can make a difference in your community during Stewardship Week, visit
NACD's Stewardship Week webpage.
There, you'll also find free
resources in support of a successful event.
Please let NACD know how your district or state association is planning to celebrate Stewardship Week by emailing
stewardship@nacdnet.org
.
Just in time for Stewardship Week, NACD has debuted a newly renovated Marketplace at an easy-to-remember URL:
www.nacdnet.org/store
. The NACD Marketplace is now easier than ever to navigate, with the ability to sort by category, price, men's or women's apparel, service pins, plaques or more.
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As a special effort to promote the 2019 Stewardship Week, NACD is partnering with Cabela's. Now through May 12, if you order a wearable through the NACD Marketplace, Cabela's will professionally embroider any of our featured logos (Conservation C, NCDEA, NRCS, NCF-Envirothon, NASCA, NCPP) or your conservation district's logo for free.
In order to receive your embroidered item before Stewardship Week, all orders must be submitted by close of business
Friday, April 12, 2019
. New logos must be camera ready and submitted in the same time frame. Don't miss this opportunity to show your support of grassroots conservation!
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NACD MEETS WITH MINNESOTA
LEADERSHIP PROGRAM
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The Minnesota Association of Soil and Water Conservation Districts (MASWCD) has representatives in Washington, D.C., Apr. 8 – 11 as part of the association’s 12
th
Leadership Program.
The MASWCD program is held in cooperation with the University of Minnesota Extension for representatives of Minnesota’s soil and water conservation districts, state agency and Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) staff. Program participants come to Washington, D.C., annually to learn how conservation and natural resource issues are addressed at the national level and how individuals can impact those issues at the local level.
NACD CEO Jeremy Peters
briefed the leadership program participants on NACD’s work on behalf of the nation’s 3,000 conservation districts at the national level, including advocacy efforts on Capitol Hill, education programs such as Stewardship Week, and partnership opportunities like the National Conservation Planning Partnership, Conservation Planning Boot Camp, Urban Agriculture Conservation Grants and Technical Assistance Grants.
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Thanks to funding in 2016 from the Urban Agriculture Conservation Grant Initiative through an agreement with NACD and the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), the
New River Soil and Water Conservation District
(SWCD) in Virginia held 17 field days at the New River Hill Farm showcasing its ‘Learn as We Grow Garden’ and hoop-houses.
Field days were held for local students of all ages. During field days, high school students planted, pruned, harvested, weeded, transplanted, composted, created irrigation systems, planned future crop rotations and much more. Younger students were able to get hands-on experience as well by planting vegetable seeds they later took home, ready for transplanting into their own gardens.
At New River Hill Farms, several field days were also held for local civic groups and land owners. During these field days, the New River SWCD focused on the importance of locally-grown produce within the community to mitigate the effects of food deserts. Hoophouses were showcased, and the ‘Learn as We Grow Garden’ promoted family gardens at home and selling produce at local farmers markets.
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Area elementary students were also involved with the planting and harvesting on the farm. They were very open to trying the produce; most had never tried radishes, turnips, cabbage and snap peas.
Throughout the school year, district staff presented programs to local elementary schools focusing on plant anatomy, soil health and general horticulture through hands-on activities that were fun for students. The goal during these visits was to encourage healthier eating habits and general knowledge of how to grow food at home.
The New River SWCD has included support of the
New River Hill Farm Education Farm
in its strategic plan. By doing so, the SWCD set its current and future goals to continue educational efforts throughout the community. This is accomplished by continuing 1) development of the relationships made through the Learn as We Grow grant, 2) field days for local students and land owners, 3) school visits and 4) visiting local farmers markets promoting New River Hill Farms' purpose.
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NACD JOINS 140+ GROUPS TO SUPPORT PROTECTING CONSERVATION FUNDING
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On Apr. 2, NACD, together with more than 150 leading farm, conservation and wildlife groups, sent a letter to Congress urging for the protection of funding in the Conservation Title in the 2018 Farm Bill and throughout the fiscal year 2020 appropriations process.
“Ensuring full funding of conservation technical assistance (CTA) and farm bill programs will continue to allow conservation districts to work hand-in-hand with NRCS at the local level to deliver conservation on America’s landscapes,”
NACD President Tim Palmer said.
“Farm bill conservation programs are essential to our nation’s producers, as well as the consumers of their products. We urge Congress to protect and sustain conservation funding to allow our producers to continue providing a safe, reliable food supply while emphasizing locally-led conservation solutions to improve the quality of our nation’s soil, water and natural resources.”
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OKLAHOMA HOSTS CONSERVATION DISTRICT EMPLOYEE TRAINING
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On Apr. 2-3, the Oklahoma Conservation Commission (OCC), the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and the Oklahoma Association of Conservation Districts (OACD) hosted a training for all Oklahoma conservation district employees in Oklahoma City, Okla.
More than 115 conservation district employees gathered information and ideas at the statewide training.
Topics included Oklahoma's state funded, locally-led conservation cost-share program; director elections and appointments; basic financial management; soil health and other education resources; surplus and sale of equipment and property; pesticide applicators; and Continuing Education Unit (CEU) training opportunities.
"The two days of training and continuing education for conservation district employees far exceeded my expectations,"
said Trey Lam
, executive director of the Oklahoma Conservation Commission.
"This was the most complete gathering of local district staff in anyone’s memory. I heard from brand new employees and veteran staff with 40 years of experience who both learned something new. I was so impressed with the dedication of these public servants,"
Lam said.
"Oklahoma’s top 10 ranking in natural resource conservation depends on local boards and employees setting priorities and delivering programs. Oklahoma’s Conservation Partnership has 80 years of successes in solving environmental issues through the voluntary approach. The next 80 years are in great hands with our local district employees. "
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DEADLINE FRIDAY: NACD Seeks Communications Coordinator
NACD is seeking a full-time, experienced
communications coordinator
for the Washington, D.C., headquarters. This position will support coordination across a broad portfolio of communications activities, including graphic design, writing and video editing.
Interested applicants should submit a resume, cover letter, portfolio and two writing samples to
hr@nacdnet.org
no later than this
Friday, Apr. 12, 2019
, to receive priority interview consideration.
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Check Your Conservation District's Contact Information
Last week, NACD updated the interactive district maps in our
Conservation District Directory
. Is your district's contact information correct? To locate your district, simply click on your state, then identify your corresponding pin. If your district’s contact information is incorrect, incomplete or missing, please contact
NACD Director of Communications
Sara Kangas
.
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New CSP Sign-Ups Through May
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Last week, the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) announced producers have until May 10 to sign up for the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) this year.
CSP is a whole-farm conservation program that awards contracts to farmers that have undertaken some conservation measures and commit to implementing additional conservation practices to address multiple resource concerns.
New this year, producers will be eligible for higher payment rates for cover crops and resource-conserving crop rotations. For more information on CSP, visit your local service center.
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NACD Announces
2020 Annual Meeting Theme Contest
The 74th NACD Annual Meeting will be held Feb. 8-12, 2020, in Las Vegas, Nev.
NACD is
now accepting submissions
to the annual meeting theme contest, through the end of the month. This year's theme should focus on the concept of innovation.
The person who submits the winning theme will receive one complimentary registration to the 2020 Annual Meeting and a ticket to the 2020 NACD Appreciation Banquet.
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NACD Welcomes New Friend of NACD
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NACD is pleased to welcome
Anna Golightly
from Van Meter, Iowa, as the newest Friend of NACD. Golightly is the Badger Creek Lake Watershed Project with Madison County SWCD.
Friends of NACD are individuals who are committed to the conservation of America’s natural resources. Show your appreciation for our nation’s 3,000 conservation districts by
becoming a Friend today!
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Boot Camp Application Deadlines Approach
The deadline to apply for the June session of Conservation Planning Boot Camp is quickly approaching - all applications must be received by NACD no later than
next Tuesday, Apr. 16
.
Conservation Planning Boot Camp is a three-week, intensive training course where course participants work side-by-side with new Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) staff to learn how to develop and implement a conservation plan.
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Save the Date:
Upcoming EPA Webinar
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NutrientSmart (NSmart) is a proposed voluntary program to recognize water resource recovery facilities' (WRRFs), and their watershed partners', progress towards reducing nutrients in waterbodies.
The EPA’s Office of Water and the NSmart Steering Committee are hosting webinars on Wednesday, Apr. 10 and Thursday, April 11 to introduce a proposed voluntary recognition program for POTWs, WWRFs, communities, and other stakeholders and potential partners that have reduced or are working toward reducing nutrient loadings to streams, rivers, lakes and other surface waters.
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Don't Miss Out:
Texas Soil Health Course
On Apr. 23 and 24, the Goliad County and Victoria SWCDs will host a Texas Soil Health Short Course in Victoria, Texas.
The Texas Soil Health Short Course has been designed to provide leading dynamic soil properties research and technical information in Texas and surrounding areas along with producers' practical approaches to implementing a system to improve their soil health. The Texas Soil Health Short Course will also provide conservation demonstrations and hands-on field activities that will help you start implementing soil health the minute you return to your operation.
Learn more and register online.
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NJACD Seeks
Executive Director
The New Jersey Association of Conservation Districts (NJACD) is seeking a part-time executive director, responsible for overseeing the administration, programs and strategic plan of the organization.
Other key duties include fundraising, marketing and community outreach. Please send a letter of interest and resume (including professional references) no later than
Friday, May 3.
A complete position description, including application instructions is
available here.
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