NACD is proud to announce the second year of the Conservation Careers Workshop , hosted in Las Vegas, Nev., from Feb. 7-9, 2020 , in conjunction with NACD's 74th Annual Meeting.

This unique opportunity for undergraduate college students is an NACD program, sponsored by the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS); the United States Forest Service (USFS); and the National Conservation Partnership.

The workshop will provide an immersive experience for up to 15 highly qualified undergraduate college students and will showcase career paths in conservation, agriculture and natural resources management. Attendees will learn about career options within the National Conservation Partnership, meet conservation professionals and make valuable contacts.

Presenters during the sessions will be conservation, agriculture and natural resources management professionals from fieldwork, program management and policy career paths. These professionals will share their career stories and recommendations for developing portfolios. 

Participants will have the opportunity to develop conservation career outreach plans and discuss action strategies on how to implement them on their campuses. Finally, participants will have an opportunity to network with conservation leaders from across the U.S.

Any undergraduate college student in a conservation, agriculture or natural resource management related major is eligible and encouraged to apply. Travel costs to and from the workshop, as well as lodging and meals while attending, will be covered by NACD and the Workshop program. Student applicants will be selected based on educational, extracurricular and work experience, overall GPA and written responses to two short form essay questions.​

To apply, visit the online application. The deadline for application submissions is Sunday, Dec. 1, 2019 at 11:59 p.m., Eastern.

To learn more, visit the 2020 Conservation Careers Workshop webpage. Please contact NACD South Central Region Representative Keith Owen at keith-owen@nacdnet.org for any questions.

NEW HAMPSHIRE DISTRICTS GATHER

AT NHACD'S

ANNUAL MEETING

Last week, the New Hampshire Association of Conservation Districts (NHACD) held a Stream Restoration Conference at its annual meeting at Gunstock Mountain in Gilford, N.H.

At the conference, stakeholders from across New Hampshire learned about stream impairment in the state and resources for restoration. Presenters highlighted the importance of working with natural stream conditions, bioremediation and wood additions to streams. At the close of the conference, Belknap County Conservation District Supervisor Donna Hepp received the NHACD's President's Award for her contributions to the state association.

 

At the annual meeting, NACD’s Northeast Region Executive Board Member Linda Brownson and NACD’s Northeast Region Representative Eric Hansen provided updates from the national association. In 2019, New Hampshire districts received both a Technical Assistance Grant and an Urban Agriculture Conservation Grant from NACD. Participants were eager to continue the state's success with these programs.

BRINGING OAKS

BACK TO THE BAY

California’s  Napa County Resource Conservation District  (RCD) is spearheading oak restoration efforts after its success in gaining volunteers and performing educational outreach for its Acorns to Oaks program.

In the past seven years, the district has planted 5,105 acorns – many of which have taken root and grown – in 21 locations across Napa County. About 2,800 students and more than 700 volunteers have assisted in the program. Now, the district is branching out in the hopes of including more counties so that the effort may stretch, eventually, across the entire North Bay.

“We really want to promote education around oak woodlands,”  said Napa County RCD Program Director   Frances Knapczyk . “We want to get trees in the ground. One of the strongest goals is to have a viable valley oak population that produces the most benefits as possible for our ecosystem and for our neighboring wildlife.”

Knapczyk had been talking with the Friends of the Napa River about data found in the Napa River Historical Ecology Atlas on the valley oak decline. Seeing an estimated 90 percent loss from the early 1800s, she decided the two agencies needed to work together to address the issue.

“Our job is to empower people to make good decisions about how to manage the land,”  Knapczyk said . “We both were looking for a solution on how we can put more trees in the ground, and at the time, we were both focusing on youth education. We thought it would be a really good fit.”

The program has grown to include weekend and adult volunteering and has taken on a citizen science monitoring program to assist with monitoring the planting and tracking data to determine success, Knapczyk said.

Annually, volunteers across the watershed collect acorns and deliver them to the RCD office. The acorns are then cleaned, sorted, and labeled to prepare for planting. Students, volunteers, partnering agencies and landowners then plant, mulch and weed in parks and private lands to promote foresting.

The re-oaking effort began in Napa as a pilot program, and this year, the district is using a $50,000 grant from the North Bay Watershed Association on a strategic development plan for oak restoration in watersheds in Napa and Sonoma Counties that drain to the San Francisco Bay. The strategic plan would identify and prioritize areas with the greatest need for oak restoration and serve as a starting point for the district to begin engaging with landowners directly, rather than waiting for people to volunteer. The plan is meant to be a model for neighboring counties in the North Bay, in particular, Solano and Marin, who are also interested in re-oaking.

To read the rest of this story, visit NACD's blog .

Virginia Farmer

Testifies on the Benefits of Precision Agriculture

On Tuesday, Oct. 22 at 2:00 p.m. Eastern, Virginia farmer Dustin Madison , a cooperator from the Thomas Jefferson Soil and Water Conservation District , testified at the House Agriculture Committee's Subcommittee on Conservation and Forestry hearing entitled "Realizing the Conservation Benefits of Precision Agriculture."

In his testimony , Madison discussed the important role that precision ag plays in implementing conservation practices on his farm. Not only does Madison operate 100 acres of his own farmland in Louisa County, Va., he manages agronomy and conservation initiatives on Engel Family Farms , which raises corn, soybeans, wheat and other crops on 20,000 acres spread out over 17 counties.

"Farming has evolved a great deal from both a conservation and prec ision agriculture perspective in just the last 30 years," said Madison. "If we as producers continue to be innovative and earn the support from the non-farming community, there is no limit to what we can accomplish in the years to come."

To watch the full hearing, visit the House Ag Committee's YouTube channel .

NACD Welcomes Friend Mary Collier

NACD would like to welcome our new Friend of NACD, Mary Collier (pictured right).

Collier is a soil conservationist with the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), based in Shawnee, Okla.

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 of NACD. Learn more on  NACD’s website .

Vote Now:

Fall 2019  The Resource 

Cover Selection

NACD still needs your help in picking the front cover of the 2019 Fall edition of The Resource ! Do you want the picture above to be the feature photo for NACD's next publication? If so, cast your vote today!

All the photos you can vote on were submitted to NACD's Photo Contest. If you are interested in submitting your photos for the 2019 Photo Contest, please visit  our website to learn more . Submissions close  Sunday, Dec. 1, 2019 .

USDA Seeking Nominations for CFLRP Advisory Panel

On Tuesday, Oct. 15, the Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration (CFLRP) Advisory Panel announced that its 30-day nomination period is now open.

The purpose of the CFLRP Advisory Panel is to review, evaluate, and provide recommendations on nominated CFLRP projects to the Secretary of Agriculture for final selection. The panel will consist of individuals from academia; tribal, state, county, or similar agencies; non-government organizations; and industry.

Panel members will be appointed by the Secretary based on their expertise in one or more of the following areas: Ecological restoration, fire ecology, fire management, rural economic development, strategies for ecological adaptation to climate change, fish and wildlife ecology, and/or woody biomass and small-diameter tree utilization.

Nominations must be received by Thursday, Nov. 14, 2019. To learn more, visit the Federal Register's webpage .

California District Seeks Revegetation Project Coordinator

The Trinity County Resource Conservation District (RCD) in Weaverville, Calif., is seeking a revegetation project coordinator to help develop, promote and implement resource conservation projects for revegetation, habitat restoration and invasive species management within the district.

The California-based position will also be involved in all aspects of resource conservation projects from concept to completion, including initiating contact with cooperators; identifying needs; environmental compliance; implementation; and staff supervision and monitoring.

The full job description can be found  here . The deadline to apply is Monday, Nov. 4, 2019. For more information on how to apply, please contact Kelly Sheen at ksheen@tcrcd.net .

Promote your conservation district or state association's tree sale, annual meeting, webinar, field day or more on NACD's Calendar of Events !