NACD's Summer 2020 Edition of The Resource is here!
This publication features updates on NACD's various programs, as well as recaps of virtual meetings and webinars held in light of COVID-19 (coronavirus). From a virtual Summer Board Meeting to the Forestry Resource Policy Group (RPG) webinars, NACD is continuing to deliver conservation to its members despite unprecedented and challenging times.
Conservation districts across the country are no different. In this edition, you'll read about how the New Hampshire Association of Conservation Districts is using Zoom to teach and unite districts across the state, how the Indiana Association of Soil and Water Conservation Districts is finding innovate ways to host virtual field days, how the Inland Empire Resource Conservation District is partnering with local organizations to bring Community Supported Agriculture to communities in southern California and more!
This edition is a true testament to the innovative and creative ways in which conservation districts are championing locally-led conservation, even in the face of a global pandemic. We hope you'll enjoy this edition and find inspiration in the work of your local peers in the conservation family.
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NCPP NOW ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS
FOR HHB AWARD
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Applications are now open for the National Conservation Planning Partnership (NCPP)'s Hugh Hammond Bennett (HHB) Award for Conservation Excellence.
The award was created in 2017 to honor the legacy of Hugh Hammond Bennett by recognizing producers and conservation planners from within the NCPP partnership who have exemplified outstanding service through development and implementation of sound conservation planning and other conservation techniques.
The award has two categories: a producer award and a conservation planner award. Each year, the producer award is presented to a producer who demonstrates a commitment to conservation planning, pioneering new opportunities and leadership in the community. The local field office staff that provides assistance to the producer will also receive recognition. The conservation planner award is given to an individual who demonstrates a high standard of conservation planning and implementation for customers, as well as sharing his/her expertise with others.
Winners will be recognized during NACD's 75th Annual Meeting in New Orleans, La. The producer and conservation planner award winners are encouraged to attend the Appreciation Banquet, held Tuesday, Feb. 9, 2021. Travel expenses will be paid by NCPP partners for all non-federal employees.
Nominations for each award must be submitted online here by Thursday, Oct. 1, 2020. Nominations must be submitted by an employee or member of a NCPP agency or organization. To learn more, visit NCPP's website.
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NACD SCR AUXILIARY AWARDS SCHOLARSHIP TO TEXAS STUDENT |
Each year, the NACD South Central Regional (SCR) Auxiliary of Arkansas, Oklahoma, Louisiana and Texas sponsor a scholarship contest for high school students. Participants must be seeking a higher education at a college, university or trade school and submit an essay that coincides with NACD's Auxiliary poster contest theme. The SCR Auxiliary Scholarship is intended to encourage qualified students to increase their interest in pursuing a career within the conservation field.
In 2019, the NACD SCR Auxiliary awarded a $350 scholarship to Texas student Taryn Mitchell (pictured above). A recent high school graduate of Iraan High School, Mitchell participated in and won the essay contest focused on the 2019 NACD Stewardship and Education (S&E) theme, "Life in the Soil, Dig Deeper." Mitchell is an active local advocate for agricultural and natural resource management, as well as president of the international High School Youth Forum and founding member of the West Texas Conservation Society. Throughout high school, Mitchell participated in the National FFA Organization and 4-H, where she competed in shooting sports at the national level.
Mitchell is the daughter of Scott Mitchell, chairman of the Pecos River Rio Grande Soil and Water Conservation District Board of Directors in Sanderson, Texas. She plans to attend Texas Christian University this fall.
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CONSERVATION DISTRICTS HELPING TO UPDATE CWPPS |
Conservation districts (CD) like Skagit and San Juan Islands CD in Washington State are partnering with local, state and federal agencies to update decades-old Community Wildfire Protection Plans (CWPP).
The U.S. Forest Service has guidelines for updating CWPPs, but the process is left up to the local groups coordinating the effort. That can present both opportunities and challenges.
The Skagit CD developed the first county-wide CWPP in 2008 alongside Skagit County, as they updated their Natural Hazard Mitigation Plan (NHMP), relying on community members, the county Department of Emergency Management, county officials, and state and federal staff as partners. In 2019, the county was updating its plan and requested the conservation district do the same, with the idea that the CWPP would become the wildfire section of the NHMP. However, it proved a challenge, said Skagit Conservation District Community Wildfire Resilience Coordinator Jenny Coe.
“There were a lot of lessons learned,” Coe said.
“Originally, I thought ‘This will be easy. I’ll just incorporate the new maps and updated processes and hand it off,’ but then when I read through it, so much had changed, and there were so many more examples I could draw from that would be more comprehensive, we ended up scrapping it and starting over,” she said.
For starters, the conservation district’s former forester, Al Craney, spent a couple years developing and vetting the science behind a new fire risk analysis method that focused more on soil data for the CWPP update prior to his retirement. This method was used to create more precise maps with targeted areas for treatment programs and was a key component to the updated CWPP.
In addition to the new risk analysis, Skagit CD recognized the need to incorporate the concept of fire-adapted communities throughout the document, update the maps, include new definitions of risk, record accomplishments since the 2008 CWPP, and incorporate information on the long-term success of CWPP implementation.
Skagit CD's CWPP was first created five years after the Healthy Forests Restoration Act (HFRA) of 2003. HFRA was enacted for communities to develop CWPPs collaboratively through planning, prioritizing and implementing fuels reduction projects that would decrease wildfire risk and create healthier, more resilient forests.
HFRA identified several strategies to include in plans, such as improving the management of insect and disease infestations; protecting, restoring and enhancing forest diversity and other ecosystem elements; and funding grants to improve the commercial value of biomass. The CWPPs also had to contain recommended steps for property owners and the community to take to help protect homes and other structures.
In the development of the original CWPP, local fire agencies, the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), State Departments of Natural Resources, the U.S. Forest Service and community members became partners in the process. That did not change this time around, Coe said.
Lessons learned from an experience like this are valuable to others who may be entering this process themselves.
“We had strong partnerships with all the different players who were involved in providing information and feedback on the plan,” she said.
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2019-2020 National Cover Crop Survey Results Now Available |
Results from the 2019-2020 National Cover Crop Survey are now available online. This survey was conducted by the Conservation Technology Information Center (CTIC), made possible by the USDA Sustainable Agriculture Research Education (SARE) and the American Seed Trade Association (ASTA).
The survey includes perspectives from 1,172 farmers, representing every state. It covers new survey topics, including planting green and crop insurance use. Many farmers reported economic benefits from cover crops that extended beyond yield improvements to include production cost savings.
“The 2019-2020 National Cover Crop Survey shows that an ever-growing number of farmers of all types and in all regions of the U.S. continue to find advantages to using cover crops," said Regional Director of Extension Programs for North Central SARE Rob Myers.
The full survey report is available to view and download here. |
NACD Forestry RPG Webinar Series Now Available Online |
The NACD Forestry Resource Policy Group (RPG) hosted a series of seven webinars on Aug. 11 to replace the RPG's summer meeting that was canceled due to COVID-19 (coronavirus).
Each 50-minute Zoom session covered a topic relevant to conservation district forestry. Click here to view the webinar series.
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Last Call:
NACD Service Awards
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The deadline to submit your NACD Service Award nominations is next Monday, Aug. 31.
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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;
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The NACD Distinguished Service Award honors an individual within the association, a conservation district or a state association that has made significant contributions to the conservation and proper management of our nation’s natural resources.
For more information and the guidelines to nominate an outstanding conservation leader, please visit NACD's website and download the nomination forms.
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Deadline Approaches:
NACD 2021
Annual Meeting
Breakout Sessions
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NACD’s 75th Annual Meeting will put heavy emphasis on NACD’s legacy and focus on where the conservation movement is headed. We encourage proposals that explore the legacy of conservation districts.
If your company or organization would like time at the meeting to present to NACD members about your products or services that support conservation district work, please contact info@nacdnet.org.
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CCA Conservationist of the Year Award Nominations Now Open |
The American Society of Agronomy (ASA) is currently seeking nominations for the Certified Crop Adviser (CCA) Conservationist of the Year Award.
This award is designed to annually recognize a certified crop adviser who delivers exceptional conservation advice and results, customer service, is highly innovative, has shown that they are a leader in conservation, and has contributed substantially to the exchange of conservation ideas and the transfer of conservation knowledge within the agriculture industry.
The award recipient will be recognized during a U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) virtual event and with a press release to their local news media.
NACD has supported the CCA Conservationist of the Year award, in partnership with the following organizations: ASA, the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture, the Agriculture Retailers Association, The Fertilizer Institute, CropLife America, Crop Science Society of America, Soil Science Society of America, Syngenta and the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS).
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USFS Seeking CFP Applications |
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and U.S. Forest Service (USFS) is now seeking applications for the Community Forest and Open Space Conservation Program (Community Forest Program or CFP).
The CFP is a competitive grant program, where local governments, qualified nonprofit organizations and federally-recognized Indian tribes are eligible to apply for grants to establish community forests that provide community benefits through fee simple acquisition of private forest land.
Interested applications must submit applications to their state forester or appropriate tribal government official by Monday, Jan. 11, 2021. To learn more and apply, click here.
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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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