Each August, members of the House of Representatives and the Senate head back to their districts and states to meet with constituents. There are nearly 100 new Members of Congress who were elected last November, all of whom have a direct say in federal conservation programs and many of whom may not have ever heard of a conservation district.

This month represents a unique opportunity to educate Members of Congress on what conservation districts do in your communities and show why support for conservation programs at the federal level is so important.

NACD has created an August Recess Guide to Grassroots Engagement, designed to assist districts with how to set up a local meeting with their Member of Congress. The guide also provides aspects of a successful meeting to consider during planning, as well as strategies for how to reach out to your elected representative.

Visit NACD's Grassroots Advocacy webpage to find out who your Member of Congress is, download the August Recess Guide, and sign up for NACD's Grassroots Advocacy Alerts. If you have any questions about NACD’s advocacy efforts, please contact NACD Director of Government Affairs  Coleman Garrison at coleman-garrison@nacdnet.org .

NACD JOINS ECOSYSTEM SERVICES MARKET CONSORTIUM

On June 4, NACD announced its membership in the Ecosystem Services Market Consortium (ESMC). ESMC was launched in February 2019 to unite organizations across the agricultural supply chain in advancing the development of a market-based approach to promoting land stewardship to build healthy soils, sequester soil carbon, and conserve and improve our nation's water.

NACD joined the ranks of ADM, Bunge, Cargill, General Mills, Indigo Agriculture, McDonald's USA, Noble Research Institute, LLC, Soil Health Institute, The Nature Conservancy and Mars Incorporated, who formed the consortium earlier this year. ESMC also announced Nutrien Ag Solutions, Bayer, National Farmers Union, American Farmland Trust, Soil Health Partnership, The Fertilizer Institute and Tyson Foods as members today.

“All of the ESMC member companies and organizations recognize the critical importance and benefit of not only taking care of our working lands, but enriching them,” said ESMC Executive Director Debbie Reed. “They know it will create positive social, economic and environmental outcomes, and they want to help lead those efforts.”

Read the press release announcing ESMC's new members in NACD's Newsroom.

NACD RELEASES

SOIL HEALTH AND WEATHER EXTREMES REPORT

In February 2019, NACD hosted two focus groups at the 73rd Annual Meeting in San Antonio, Texas, inviting Soil Health Champions for discussion on how soil health practices like cover crops and no-till have impacted their operations in the face of extreme weather patterns.

The focus groups and resulting report Soil Health and Weather Extremes, available on NACD's Reports webpage, were made possible through partnership with the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). The report provides an overview of the producers' testimony, examining how they and their neighbors are responding to extreme weather events.

Producers indicated that no-till helps 'armor' their soil against weather extremes, saying, "My soil is anchored." One Maryland producer found that his continuous no-till since 1990 allows him to "get on the ground sooner," even when the soil is moist.

As one producer commented, "We've noticed you need to be ready for anything."

NACD SUMMER MEETING OFFERS HOME OF THE COELOPHYSIS TOUR

NACD's Summer Conservation Forum and Tour is only two months away!

In addition to engaging speakers, plenary sessions and informative concurrent sessions, the meeting will feature three conservation-themed tours on Tuesday, Aug. 6, from 9:00 a.m.- 5:00 p.m.

One of the three tours, Home of the Coelophysis , will begin at Ghost Ranch, home to a unique combination of natural beauty, paleontology, archaeology, history, geology and art.

Tour attendees will then travel to East Rio Arriba Soil and Water Conservation District (ERASWCD), where they'll learn about the region's acequias. ERASWCD will also host presentations from the New Mexico Association of Conservation Districts (NMACD), Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), Interstate Stream Commission New Mexico Acequia Association and the New Mexico Acequia Commission.

Attendees will also visit the Los Fresquez Diversion Dam in a tour hosted by the Acequia Commissioners and will return to Santa Fe, passing by historic Chimayo in the foothills of the Sangre de Cristo mountains.

Learn more about this tour and the other two tours on NACD’s summer meeting webpage and select your preferred tour when you register .

NEVADA SUMMIT ADDRESSES LAND DEGRADATION FROM WILD HORSES

Last week, NACD’s Natural Resource Policy Specialist Adam Pugh traveled to Reno, Nev., to attend the Free Roaming Equids and Ecosystem Sustainability Summit. The summit was sponsored by the Society for Range Management, The Wildlife Society, the Jack H. Berryman Institute at Utah State University and Nevada Bighorns Unlimited.

The summit defined wild horses and burros as “free-roaming equids” due to the legal definitions of wild horses, feral horses and tribal horses.

The three-day summit consisted of approximately 90 different national organizations, federal agencies, local and state government representatives, stakeholder organizations and universities and discussed the ongoing degradation of our nation’s public lands directly caused by free-roaming equids. Summit participants agreed time is of the essence and management decisions need to be made immediately in order to ensure healthy herds on healthy rangelands.

Many stakeholder groups and member-based organizations emphasized the importance of changing the public’s perception of wild horses and burros to influence Congress to actively seek solutions to the over-abundance of free roaming equids on the lands.

NACD is honored to have Lucas Young as the first Soil Health Champion in Connecticut. Young is part of Valleyside Farm (photo right), a family operation in Woodstock, Conn., which includes 220 Holstein milking cows on a 750-acre dairy farm. The Young family has been on that land since it was first deeded by the King of England in the early 1700s. With that legacy comes a sense of pride, as well as great responsibility.

Young farms with his wife Angela, his father Tim, and even his grandfather Dexter (family photo below), who still helps where he can. With Young’s leadership, Valleyside Farm has implemented no-till farming and the use of a diverse mix of cover crops. A couple of years ago, Valleyside Farm also received assistance from the Connecticut Department of Energy & Environmental Protection (CT DEEP) through Section 319 of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)’s Clean Water Act to purchase precision planting equipment. With this equipment, Young can plant through standing cover crops, deliver targeted nutrients, and plant his crop by pressing the seed directly into the soil with very little disturbance, all while mapping field conditions, which are displayed live on an iPad in the tractor cab.

“Building soil health is essential if America is to meet the challenges of providing food, fuel and fiber for a growing population here and abroad,” Young said.

Young is also engaging his children in the operation and fostering a love of the land. Just two years ago, Young’s teenage son Chase installed a woodchip bioreactor to remove excess nitrogen from tile drain discharge.

Read more about Young and his operation by visiting his NACD Soil Health Champion Profile . If you or someone you know would like to become an NACD Soil Health Champion, please contact NACD North Central Region Representative Beth Mason at beth-mason@nacdnet.org or visit the NACD website .

CARCD ADDS DISTRICT EMPLOYEES TO BOARD

The California Association of Resource Conservation Districts (CARCD) hosted their quarterly board meeting on May 30, 2019. Prior to this meeting, the CARCD Board of Directors included the association officers (President, Vice President, and Secretary/Treasurer), CARCD’s Executive Director, region chairs representing the district boards from the 10 CARCD Regions and NACD Executive Board Pacific Region Representative Tom Wehri . 

Due to recent changes in by-laws, the CARCD Board of Directors now additionally provides voting privileges to three district managers or staff. Without a district employee’s association in California, having district manager representation on the CARCD board helps to ensure district staff can weigh-in on pressing issues in the state. Additionally, in the event that regional chairs are not easily identified to serve on the CARCD board, district staff may also represent the region as non-voting members on the CARCD board.

This board meeting was the first time all 16 members were able to meet. In addition to celebrating this unique aspect of the state's district operations, the board also received updates from the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) regarding changes in district and NRCS Memoranda of Agreements (MOAs); the Xerces Society on pollinator conservation and opportunities for district interventions; and the Pacific Policy Group (PPG), CARCD’s primary partner on state-level policy, on pending legislation to support district operations and the success of PPG in raising the district profile with state legislators.

Wehri and NACD Pacific Region Representative Ariel Rivers also provided NACD updates, encouraging participation in the Summer Conservation Forum and Tour and Pacific/Southwest Region Meeting , highlighted upcoming listening sessions , and encouraged districts to plan for legislative visits during the August Recess .

NACD Welcomes New Summer Intern

On Tuesday, June 4, Katie Miears joined NACD as the association's summer intern.

Miears is a recent Colorado State University (CSU) graduate, with a degree in human dimensions of natural resources. During her time at CSU, Miears was the president of the school's Outdoor Club, as well as the Financial Officer in the Women for Wildlands Club.

Miears was born and raised in Conifer, Colo., nestled in the foothills west of Denver. Growing up in a small mountain town allowed Miears to develop an understanding and love for natural resources and conservation that led her to pursue a career in conservation.

When not working or going to school, Miears enjoys backcountry skiing and rock climbing.

Miears will be based in Washington, D.C. and can be reached at intern2@nacdnet.org .

Colorado District Seeks Soil Conservationist

Big Thompson CD in Fort Collins, Colo., is seeking qualified candidates for a soil conservationist position. The position is responsible for managing the district's Soil Health Program and coordinating those activities through the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Field Office and participating with other partners on a local, state and federal basis.



View the position announcement on NACD’s District Job Board , including salary details, requirements and duties and responsibilities. Interested applicants should apply by June 7, 2019 .

National Outstanding Farmers Seeking

2020 Candidates

The National Outstanding Farmers of America (NOYF) is seeking candidates for the 2020 NOYF Awards Program.

The program is looking for nominees between the ages of 21 and 40 who excel in their field of agriculture. Winners will be announced at the 2020 awards ceremony, held in Westbrook, Conn., from Feb. 6-9, 2019.

For more information or to submit a nomination, visit the Outstanding Farmers of America (OFA) webpage or contact OFA Coordinator Sharon Page at pageeboy@yahoo.com.

NACD Thanks Friend

Peter Vigil

NACD would like to thank Peter Vigil for renewing his Friend of NACD membership.

Vigil is the District Manager with Taos Soil and Water Conservation District in New Mexico .

Interested in becoming a Friend of NACD? Learn more on  NACD’s website .

EPA Seeks Pesticide Program Dialogue Committee Nominations

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)'s Office of Pesticide Programs is seeking nominations for membership on the Pesticide Program Dialogue Committee (PPDC), a stakeholder-comprised committee that advises the EPA on pesticide-related issues.

The due date for nominations is June 27. To learn more and submit a nomination, visit PPDC's website or contact PPDC Designated Federal Officer Shannon Jewell at jewell.shannon@epa.gov.

Get It Now:

NACD Marketplace's Promotional Hat Package

Help promote NACD's work and outfit your district members at the same time!

From  May 28 to Sept. 1, 2019 , NACD's Marketplace will be offering a special promotional hat package.

The package will include 12 hats, with your choice of colors and styles and your conservation district’s logo, professionally embroidered on the front.

This limited special of $83.88 includes a discount on the headwear, free embroidery, free logo set-up and free shipping. The  Promotional Hat Package must be ordered in multiples of 12. To order, visit NACD's Marketplace.

To upload your custom district logo, please contact NACD Stewardship and Education Coordinator  Diana Blackwood at  diana-blackwood@nacdnet.org .

Save the Date: BLM Webinar Seeks Input from Local and State Partners

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is rewriting its Planning Regulations and is seeking input from local and state partners. These regulations directly impact resource management plans, as they serve as the template for ensuring lands are productive without negatively impacting the environment. Local governments are at the forefront of the planning process, so it is essential to have the input of county governments and conservation districts early and often.

Please follow this link to register for the “Engagement on BLM Planning Regulations” webinar on Friday, June 14 at 1:00 p.m. Eastern. This session will provide local officials the opportunity to share your ideas and expertise with the agency as the rule is developed.

ICYMI: Check out NACD's Blog

Last week, NACD published several blogs highlighting the impressive marks districts are making across the nation. Check out:

To read these blogs and more, visit NACD's blog webpage .

Caribe SCD Educates Children at "Huellitas" Care Center

On May 3, 2019, two soil conservation technicians from Caribe SCD (Agro. Gelyan Reyes and Agro. Lorimar Figueroa ) gave a playful and interactive presentation about plants to children at “Huellitas” Care Center in Juana Diaz, Puerto Rico.

In addition to the presentation, the children had the chance to plant pumpkin and bean seeds (photo above) and play the game, "How do plants protect us?," where they got to pretend they were houses, wind and trees. They also were given “Frescurita” the Water Droplet coloring books and crayons, as well as temporary bee tattoos.

Save the Date: NRCS Now Accepting CIG Proposals

On May 30, USDA announced $12.5 million in funding through ‘classic’, national Conservation Innovation Grants (CIG). The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) will accept proposals through July 30, and all U.S.-based non-federal entities and individuals are eligible to apply.

2019 CIG priorities are increasing the pace and scale of conservation adoption; water quantity; pollinator habitat; and urban agriculture. This funding program is distinct from the $25 million announced on May 15 for on-farm conservation innovation trials.

Visit NACD’s 2018 Farm Bill implementation webpage for more information.