DEADLINE EXTENDED:
2021 ANNUAL MEETING BREAKOUT SESSIONS
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NACD’s 75th Annual Meeting, which is currently being planned as an in-person 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 the 2021 NACD Annual Meeting is moved to a virtual format, accepted breakout session proposals will be utilized and adapted.
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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ASA SEEKING NOMINATIONS FOR CCA CONSERVATIONIST OF
THE YEAR AWARD
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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. Participation by the recipient at the virtual event is required as a condition of the award, which also consists of a $2,000 stipend, a commemorative plaque and a one-year membership or membership renewal in ASA.
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).
Last year, Nick Allen Guilette (pictured above, center) of Casco, Wis., was named the inaugural recipient of the CCA Conservationist of the Year Award for his conservation work with AgSource Laboratories.
The application deadline is 5:00 p.m. Eastern on Friday, Oct. 2, 2020. To learn more, visit ASA's website.
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NACD 2020 MEMBERSHIP DUES REMINDER
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NACD’s 2020 fiscal year ends Sept. 30, and now, more than ever, NACD needs your conservation district’s active involvement. If your district has not yet paid membership dues, please consider making a contribution online today.
If your district or state/territory association has already submitted a payment, thank you! If you’re able, please consider sending an additional payment to bolster the important work we’re accomplishing on behalf of America's conservation districts.
A special thanks to the following states who have already met or exceeded last year’s membership contributions:
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NEW HANOVER COUNTY
SWCD CHAIR RECEIVES PRESTIGIOUS PELICAN AWARD
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The New Hanover County Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) Board Chair William J. “Bill” Hart (pictured right) has been awarded the 2020 Pelican Award for his "Decades of Outstanding Leadership to Restore North Carolina’s Coastal Waters from the North Carolina Coastal Federation."
The Pelican Award program was initiated in 2003 to recognize people and organizations that have shown exemplary coastal stewardship. This year, 14 awards were given at a virtual event held Aug. 6.
Hart has worked in and advocated for coastal management since the mid-sixties and has served on the SWCD's board since 2002. He has devoted decades confronting issues associated with stormwater runoff and other coastal challenges, and was a key influencer in the creation of the statewide Community Conservation Assistance Program. Because of his influence and dedication, the statewide program was signed into law in 2006 and has since become a model followed locally, as well as outside of North Carolina.
“The New Hanover County Soil and Water Conservation District commends and congratulates Bill on his achievements and this award,” said New Hanover County SWCD Director Dru Harrison. “We are proud to have such a devoted chairman representing the county and district.”
Read the full press release and learn more about the SWCD on their website.
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SWCD HELPING CHARLOTTE, N.C. ACHIEVE TREE CANOPY MISSION
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The Mecklenburg Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) is helping to shape policy for tree canopy conservation in North Carolina.
Earlier this year, the city of Charlotte created a Tree Canopy Action Plan Stakeholder team in response to public outcry to a tree ordinance amendment. Mecklenburg SWCD already works closely with the city’s Stormwater Committee, contributing to solutions toward impervious areas and groundwater issues, so City Planner Andrew Ausel approached the SWCD to be one of 20 stakeholders on the Tree Canopy Committee.
“We wanted a multidisciplinary approach, and we saw the conservation district as an important thought leader, as well as a voice that should be involved in any strategy we come up with to preserve trees in Charlotte,” Ausel said.
The city currently has a relatively healthy canopy for an urban area at 45 percent. Still, that has fallen from 49 percent in 2012. The city’s existing ordinance was written when Charlotte was still relatively suburban and focused primarily on preserving canopy on sites with lots of existing trees. As the city grew more urbanized, the tree canopy requirement became onerous, Ausel said. Last year, the city decided to update it.
Originally a small amendment to a larger ordinance, the tree requirements and conservation efforts that move forward out of the Tree Canopy Action Plan will be finely tuned by the project stakeholder team, which meets once a month. The Action Plan will include development policies and programs that will be included as part of the city’s new comprehensive plan.
How to preserve and increase urban trees is not a new concept to Mecklenburg SWCD. The conservation district began focusing on the issue in the 1960s, but today, in North Carolina, budgets continue to focus more on agriculture, and the district’s urban forestry budget is nearly nonexistent. Mecklenburg SWCD has annually received funding from the city and county.
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When Ausel approached her about the Tree Canopy Stakeholder team, Mecklenburg SWCD Supervisor and National Conservation Foundation (NCF) Next Generation Leadership Institute (NGLI) Cohort Member Barbara Bleiweis (pictured right) jumped at the chance to collaborate and contribute.
“One of the biggest things confronting districts for the future is we’re always on the defense, and I’m tired of being on the defense,” Bleiweis said. “When they’re changing policies, we’re always getting called by neighbors to vote against it.
“This starts a long-term relationship with the city and other stakeholders around conservation,” she said.
The committee has concluded a handful of meetings, and though still at the beginning stages, Bleiweis said the opportunity is providing a way to form bonds with a crucial segment of conservation efforts: developers.
“At the end of the day, you have to deal with them, and they aren’t the bad guy…there are those who have a conservation orientation and try to pilot projects,” Bleiweis said. “That’s powerful, and they’re looking at our expertise."
“They may not see the connection between the forest, agriculture and urban agriculture, and we can educate them,” she said. “Conservation can co-exist – we know that – you just have to be blunt about it. Tell the developers what you want and use their talents in beneficial ways.”
In order to do tree canopy and urban agriculture projects, the SWCD received an NACD technical assistance grant this past summer. The funds are being used to develop tree stewardship and education programs, as well as a conservation program that connects trees to other aspects of conservation, including urban food forests and stream care.
“Everyone has been just great, the state has been great, and I continue to want to do more,” Bleiweis said.
She is also looking into how to create a conservation corps that can assist with bringing environmental economic value and education to low-income areas on a continuing basis.
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Cast Your Vote:
Fall 2020
The Resource
Cover Selection
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NACD is hard at work collecting content for the next edition of The Resource, set to be released in November.
There's just one problem—we need your help picking a cover image!
Above is just one of the photos you can vote for, all of which were submitted to NACD's Photo Contest. Interested in submitting photos for our 2020 contest? Visit our website to learn more. Submissions close Dec. 1, 2020.
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New Farmers.gov Feature Allows Entities to Conduct Online Business with USDA
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An update to farmers.gov now provides access to farmers and ranchers who are members of an entity, as well as individuals and entities with powers of attorney to conduct online business with the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). Additionally, online services once available through NRCS’s Conservation Client Gateway (CCG) will be moved to farmers.gov in the coming weeks.
Self-service features were added to farmers.gov in June, and this latest update expands the scope to include farmers and ranchers who are members of an entity, as well as people with a power of attorney form (FSA-211) on file with the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Farm Service Agency (FSA).
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NACD Thanks
Jack Majeres for
Conservation Service
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Majeres has also served as NACD’s secretary-treasurer, Northern Plains regional director and second vice president, as well as conservation district liaison for the National Conservation District Employees Association (NCDEA).
Majeres will continue to act as a supervisor with the Moody Conservation District in South Dakota. NACD thanks Majeres for his many years of service in conservation.
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Register Now:
NACD's September
U&C Webinar
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Space is still available to register for this month's NACD Urban and Community (U&C) Conservation webinar, scheduled for 12:00-1:00 p.m. Eastern, this Thursday, Sept. 17, 2020.
September's webinar will highlight the Tualatin Soil and Water Conservation District (TSWCD) in Oregon and their urban conservation outreach efforts.
These popular webinars, held on the third Thursday of each month, are sponsored by The Scotts Miracle-Gro Foundation in partnership with the NACD Urban and Community Resource Policy Group.
To register, click here. If you have difficulty, please contact NACD Senior Advisor Debra Bogar.
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NACD Marketplace Now Offers Face Masks
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Staying healthy is everyone's priority, including you, your employees and your family.
Help prevent the spread of germs with NACD's two-ply cotton face masks now available through NACD's Marketplace! Designed with the Conservation C logo, these reusable face coverings are machine-washable and have a comfortable fit with elastic straps. The masks have a soft 100 percent cotton jersey inner layer and a water-repellent 100 percent polyester outer layer.
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PLFM Subcommittee Legislative Hearing
Held this Wednesday
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On Wednesday, Sept. 16 at 2:30 p.m. Eastern, the Senate Natural Energy and Natural Resources Subcommittee on Public Lands, Forests and Mining (PLFM) will hold a hearing to discuss pending natural resource legislation, including S. 4431, the Emergency Wildfire and Public Safety Act of 2020.
S. 4431 would equip natural resource managers with the common-sense tools they need to better mitigate against wildfire risk. This bill is supported by NACD.
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Colorado State Ag and Natural Resources Departments Seek Public Feedback on 2020 Drought Experiences
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In response to the exceptionally dry spring and summer, the Colorado Departments of Agriculture and Natural Resources invite all who are experiencing the impacts of drought, particularly in agriculture, to submit their drought-related stories online through a dedicated “Drought Virtual Tour” website managed by the Colorado Water Conservation Board.
Anecdotal reports, stories, photos, videos or recommendations from agriculture producers and communities regarding drought conditions, economic challenges and adaptive solutions are encouraged.
All Colorado citizens may participate, and the important information gathered will directly inform current and future statewide drought response efforts. The state will include a selection of submissions in a 2020 drought report to provide more personal accounts of how drought affects Coloradans.
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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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