NACD's 76th Annual Meeting is right around the corner and the deadline to register and reserve a room at the discounted rate is quickly approaching!

The meeting, hosted in partnership with the Association of Florida Conservation Districts, will be held in Orlando, Florida from February 12-16, 2022, at the Hilton Orlando Lake Buena Vista at Disney Springs Resort. The theme for this year's meeting is "Conservation Defined For All" and will be integrated into sessions and activities at the event!

This Friday, January 21, is your last chance to register for the discounted price of $520. Starting January 22, the cost to register on-site increases to $575. Register now to save and secure your entry into the Conservation Expo, NACD General and Concurrent Sessions, Monday’s Leadership Lunch, and NCF Live Auction, and NACD Training Sessions and Workshops.

This is also the last chance to take advantage of the discounted room rate of $222/night at the Hilton resort. After January 21 reservations may no longer be available, so book now! Visit NACD’s Annual Meeting webpage to learn more, view the agenda, register, and reserve your room.

The NACD North Central Region Board met January 10-11 in Lewis Center, OH for their annual region meeting with state leaders and conservation partners. This two-day event was a hybrid meeting which allowed participation both virtually and in-person.

The main topic of the meeting centered around state certification programs – exploring their differences and the partnerships involved. The four programs presented were:

NACD Past President Tim Palmer joined the meeting virtually to discuss the opportunities for landowners, conservation districts, and their communities in the ecosystem services marketplace.

Conservation partners from across the region participated both in-person and virtually, providing a broader context to issues facing the North Central region. Speakers included Sharmin Syed, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 5 Agriculture Advisor; Xavier Montoya, Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Acting Region Conservationist, Central Region; Melissa Higbee, National Conservation District Employees Association (NCDEA) Vice President; and John Switzer, National Association of State Conservation Agencies Region Representative.

To view presentations from the meeting, please visit the North Central Region webpage on the NACD website.

The National Conservation Foundation (NCF) will host their auction to support Envirothon, the Next Generation Leadership Institute, and other conservation education programs during NACD's Annual Meeting. The auction will be held live in-person and virtually on Monday, February 14 at 6:00 p.m. and is hosted thanks to the sponsorship from Prince George's Soil Conservation District.

The 2022 National Conservation Foundation Virtual/LIVE Auction is now open and available to preview at http://bidpal.net/ncf2022.

The online auction will be open for virtual bidding at 3:00 p.m. Eastern on January 31, 2022 and run through 10:00 p.m. Eastern on February 14, 2022. All items will be up for bid virtually, and some items will also be auctioned live during the NCF Auction event. Live bidding on these items will open at the highest virtual bid and online bidders will be able to continue their bidding in real time during the live auction. 

If you would like to donate an item to the 2022 NCF Virtual/LIVE Auction, it isn’t too late! Contact Keith Owen, NACD Director of Education at keith-owen@nacdnet.org. Include a description, good photo, who is donating the item, and an estimated value. 

The NCF Virtual/LIVE Auction helps support and fund NCF's mission to identify and advance strategic programs and partnerships to deliver conservation solutions through locally-led conservation and to develop the next generation of conservation leaders.

Learn more about the auction here.

District officials, employees, and partners gathered in Durham, North Carolina last week for the 78th Annual Meeting of the North Carolina Association of Soil and Water Conservation Districts (NCASWCD).

NCASWCD President Blount Knowles chose the theme "Back in the Saddle" for the 2022 meeting, saying, "we have proven our resilience and commitment to serve citizens and conserve natural resources by providing service in new ways, accomplishing our tasks more efficiently, and continuing the legacy set before us many years ago."

Southeast Region Executive Board Member Franklin Williams, North Carolina NACD Board Member Myles Payne, and Southeast Region Representative Candice Abinanti kicked off the next day with an NACD update at the supervisor's breakfast. The day also included general sessions, a legislative lunch, and breakout sessions on topics such as conservation easements, local workgroups, drones in conservation, and the Floodwise program. Attendees gathered in the evening for a conservation education awards dinner.

On the last day, participants learned about the state's new Streamflow Rehabilitation Program (StRAP) and flood recovery, resilience, and preparedness during general sessions. A banquet the final evening recognized conservation contributions with a variety of awards before outgoing President Knowles handed over the gavel to incoming NCASWCD President Chris Hughes.

To learn more about NCASWCD, visit their website.

See the full RFP online. Applications are due February 4, 2022 at 11:59 p.m. Eastern.

Learn more about the NCF-Envirothon at www.envirothon.org or by following us social media; Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.

The deadline to apply for NACD’s Urban Agriculture Conservation (UAC) grants is quickly approaching. Make sure you submit your application by 11:59 p.m. local time on January 31, 2022.

As you prepare your application, review the frequently asked questions on NACD’s Urban and Community webpage and review the recent grant information session. If you still have questions about your application or the program in general, you can email Ariel Rivers, PhD, NACD’s Pacific Region Representative before the deadline.

You can still take advantage of NACD's new insurance benefits for members! When you renew your NACD membership at the Gold Level or above, you become eligible for insurance benefits through Mercer. All Gold Level or higher membership contributions for fiscal year 2021 will qualify for eligibility.

This program offers coverage for your health and wellbeing, including ACA-compliant health insurance, supplemental benefits, life insurance, auto/home protection, and more.

Visit NACD's website to learn more.

Join Shannon Russell Pennington and Melissa Proffitt for January's Urban and Community (U&C) Conservation webinar on Thursday, January 20 at 4 p.m. Eastern. Pennington, a staff naturalist with Warren County Park District, and Proffitt, Education & Communications Specialist for Warren County Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD), will discuss their new pollinator habitat garden and walking trail.

Learn more about this webinar, watch past U&C webinars, and submit a webinar proposal on our website.

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