On Monday, Oct. 4, National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD) Chief Executive Officer Jeremy Peters announced the installment of Jen Nelligan as the organization’s Chief Program Officer (CPO) and Karla Maldonado as its Chief Operations Officer (COO).

"NACD is poised for even greater success in the future because of the depth of knowledge, capacity and abilities of our entire staff team,” Peters said. “As key members of our executive management team, Jen Nelligan and Karla Maldonado will help NACD continue to fulfill our strategic mission to promote responsible management and conservation of natural resources on all lands by representing locally-led conservation districts and their associations through grassroots advocacy, education and partnerships.”

Read the full press release here.

Seventeen state association leaders met last week in Asheville, N.C., for the 2021 NACD State Association Executive Directors’ Conference. This two-day annual event, held in different locations each year, brings together state association executive directors from across the country for learning, networking and sharing. The North Carolina Association of Soil & Water Conservation Districts (NCASWCD) and the North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services’ Division of Soil and Water Conservation co-hosted this year’s meeting.

During the meeting, the executive directors learned more about soil health and ecosystem services from Soil Health Institute President and CEO Wayne Honeycutt, Ph.D. and NACD Immediate Past President Tim Palmer. They also heard an update on the National Conservation Planning Partnership (NCPP) from NACD Director of Projects and Partnerships Rich Duesterhaus. Oklahoma Association of Conservation Districts Executive Director Sarah Blaney shared the work of the Conservation and Agriculture Reach Everyone (CARE) Project to support the participation of socially disadvantaged and veteran farmers and ranchers in conservation planning and programs. NACD First Vice President Kim LaFleur highlighted the NACD Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Special Committee’s activities.

Executive directors also discussed COVID-19 workplace challenges, solutions and lessons learned, and shared current programs and projects in their states during a roundtable discussion. NCASWCD Executive Director Bryan Evans and leadership from the Division of Soil and Water Conservation shared information on the state’s Community Conservation Assistance Program (CCAP) and actions implemented to strengthen training and capacity-building among districts across the state.

Participants also visited the Buncombe Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) to see a rain garden installed with CCAP funding, enjoyed a tour of Biltmore Estate’s farm operations and conservation practices, and capped off the event with fellowship and a cookout at a local park (pictured above).

Earlier this year, the Biden Administration announced its intent to re-write the Waters of the United States (WOTUS) definition. This comes on the heels of the passage of the Navigable Waters Protection Rule (NWPR), which was Trump Administration’s revision of the Obama-era WOTUS rule. Much has happened since President Biden’s announcement, including a ruling from a federal court in Arizona in August of 2021, which rescinded the NWPR and reverted operations back to the pre-Obama Administration regulations.  

 

The Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers have already begun their rulemaking process for re-writing this rule. While it’s still in the early stages, opportunities for stakeholders to engage will occur throughout the rulemaking process. Last week, NACD was able to host a webinar with EPA staff to hear updates on WOTUS and have questions answered on the changing definition. The agencies recently concluded their first round of public comments. NACD submitted comments outlining where the organization stands when defining waters of the United States.

Read the comments on NACD's website, and for more information on this issue, contact NACD Natural Resource Policy Specialist Mary Scott at mary-scott@nacdnet.org. 

The Indian Nations Conservation Alliance (INCA) met in Lawton, Okla., from September 27-29, 2021, to discuss how tribal conservation districts can support native producers through the locally-led conservation process in tribal communities. Keith Owen, NACD South Central Region Representative, provided an update on NACD activities to meeting attendees. 

INCA is a nonprofit 501(c)3 organization established to promote community-based and locally-led holistic conservation activities to protect Mother Earth for future generations by establishing and supporting tribal conservation districts. INCA believes that conservation supports tribal solidarity and provides resiliency to tribal nations to protect and shield their culture, sovereignty and lands. The meeting in Oklahoma was one of several regional meetings INCA held to further the goal of assisting tribal conservation districts, Tribal nations and holistic land stewards care for the earth and its resources. NACD is a partner with INCA, and INCA staff serve on the NACD Tribal Outreach and Partnerships Resource Policy Group. INCA plans to hold their national meeting in Las Vegas, Nev., October 19-21, 2021. 

For each donated item, please send the following information to Keith Owen, NACD South Central Region Representative at keith-owen@nacdnet.org: 

Those wishing to donate to the auction are asked to hold on to their items. NACD staff will provide helpful guidance for shipping later.

The 2022 NCF Auction is a great opportunity to support NCF and conservation. The deadline for donations is January 7, 2022. 

Mark Ditlevson is a third-generation farmer in Blooming Prairie, Minn., growing corn, soybeans and small grains. In 1971, when Ditlevson finished high school, his father passed away, and he began running the family farm.

His journey to a no-till operation took time, and Ditlevson did his research. In 1976, he transitioned to conservation tillage, which included chiseling, and then switching to ridge-tilling in the 1980s. Then, in 2014, Ditlevson shifted to no-till. He admits the changes were scary, but he noticed that not only was he using less fuel, but his soil was improving.

Recently, Ditlevson has added small grains into his crop rotation, which he believes has improved his soil even more than adding cover crops. This switch has increased the root diversity in his fields and improved the soil biology, which has benefitted his cash crops both in yields and quality.

Today, Ditlevson’s main goal is to capture whatever water he receives through rain or snow on the soil, and make sure whatever leaves the field is safe enough to drink. He’s working toward those goals through implementing his conservation practices and building healthier soils in his fields, which has increased the rate of infiltration of precipitation and decreased or eliminated soil erosion.

Ditlevson is a strong advocate for both technical and financial assistance to help farmers make the switch from conventional practices to a more conservation-minded operation. Programs like the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), which is run through the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) help mitigate some of the risk involved in trying new conservation practices which could be beneficial not only to the environment but to the farmer’s bottom line.

To read more about Ditlevson and his operation, please visit the NACD website for his 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 for more information.

NACD's offices will be closed Monday, Oct. 11, in observance of Columbus Day and Indigenous People's Day.

On Monday, October 4, NACD welcomed Jen Nelligan as its Chief Program Officer.

Nelligan comes to NACD as founder and president of Alithea Advisors, where she has supported USDA as a consultant across multiple mission areas and agencies. Nelligan served as an advisor to the USDA Farm Production and Conservation Deputy Chief Operating Officer for Business Services, who was responsible for over 1,500 employees and $3 billion in infrastructure investments.

Nelligan holds a master’s degree in business administration degree from the University of Maryland and bachelor's degrees in economics, international and global studies and anthropology from Brandeis University. She was also an Envirothon Team Captain at Lowell High School.

Nelligan will be based in the Washington, D.C. office and can be contacted at jen-nelligan@nacdnet.org.

NACD is pleased to announce Karla Maldonado as its new Chief Operating Officer.

Maldonado joined NACD in 2017 as a senior staff accountant and has steadily grown into other roles throughout the past several years. She was responsible for the fiscal management of NACD and the National Conservation Foundation (NCF), including auditing and budget management. Maldonado supports and manages NACD’s and NCF’s multi-million dollar grant portfolios, as well as NACD’s human resources and operations functions. Maldonado's latest endeavor has been supporting NACD to bring additional membership benefits that are slated to be implemented in this 2022 fiscal year.

Maldonado holds a master’s degree in business administration from Trinity Washington University and a bachelor's degree in finance with a minor in international business from Penn State.

Maldonado is based in the Washington, D.C. office and can be contacted at karla-maldonado@nacdnet.org.

Learn more about the position and how to apply here. Apply by Friday, October 8, 2021 for priority interview consideration.

NACD is offering a free, two-part skills webinar series to guide conservation district staff and members on how to create compelling videos. Tell your story effectively using the equipment you already have: your mobile phone, webcam or camcorder.

Learn key video production best practices and troubleshooting tips from a seasoned video professional with experience in your industry, Tanya Spann Roche. She has interviewed numerous farmers, conservation district representatives, feed industry experts and other soil health stakeholders, and she has also edited 100 episodes of the popular PBS show “Maryland Farm & Harvest.”

The first webinar was held on Thursday, September 30; watch the recording here.

The second installment will be held Thursday, October 28 from 2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. Eastern; register here for free.

Submit your story here to be featured. You can view past editions of the special 75th Anniversary newsletter here.

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