The 2022 National Conservation Foundation (NCF)-Envirothon kicked off in Oxford, Ohio on Sunday, July 24! Hosted in partnership with the Ohio Federation of Soil and Water Conservation Districts (OFSWCD), the NCF-Envirothon competition brings together high school students from across the United States, Canada, and China to complete for prizes and awards in different environmental and conservation focused areas of study.

As students arrived on site, they were able to take team photos, decorate water bottles, and explore the University of Miami campus. The evening's opening session included welcome remarks from Wendee Dodds, Ohio Envirothon Committee Chair and NCF-Envirothon Operating Committee Vice-Chair, Millie Langley, NCF-Envirothon Operating Committee Chair, Steve Robinson, NCF Executive Board Member, and representatives from Miami University. The day concluded with the annual trading session, where teams swapped Envirothon gear and other local products from their home states and provinces with one another.

On Monday, the students traveled to the University's Ecology Research Center for training. Natural Resource and conservation professionals taught the students about the competitions five areas of study: aquatic ecology, forestry, soils and land use, wildlife, and this year’s current issue - "Waste to Resources." Students learned about different types of waste and explore how various waste management strategies impact natural resources. They are being challenged to examine the social, economic, and political impacts of reclaiming and repurposing waste products and degraded lands. 

Today, the students are being tested in these five subject areas. Later in the week, students will prepare and give 20-minute oral presentations on these topics.

Follow along with the rest of the week's events on NCF-Envirothon's social media and learn more about the program on their website.

The 2022 cohort of the Next Generation Leadership Institute had their second in-person session at the NACD Summer meeting in San Juan, Puerto Rico last week.

This session’s focus was communications - conservation district outreach and marketing, social media strategies, and public speaking on behalf of districts. Guest speakers included communications professionals from Syngenta and private industry, and activities were three minute public addresses and mock interviews with Syngenta staff.

The next session will be a fly-in makeup for both the inaugural and 2022 cohorts in Washington, D.C. in September, with the focus being legislative visits and conservation district policy.

We are currently accepting applications for the 2023 cohort! Representation from each of the seven NACD regions is the goal, so please, if you have identified a candidate or think you may be one yourself, check out our website to see if NGLI might be the next step in your leadership journey. Applications must be submitted by September 30, 2022.

Woman Owned Woodlands and Developing the Next Generation of Forest Landowners is a resource for women landowners and forest stewards. According to their website, "The Women Owning Woodlands (WOW) web project strives to bring topical, accessible, and current forestry information to woodland owners and forest practitioners through news articles, blogs, events, resources, and personal stories. We support women in forest leadership, women who manage their own woodlands, and all who facilitate the stewardship of forests."

The WOW network is national in scope and works at the local level with chapters and conservation professionals to offer women-focused woodland management content. They support female forest landowners in seeing their woodland management goals realized through skill-building opportunities and connecting them with necessary resources.

Conservation Districts show up in various ways in this work by offering these workshops, engaging with the local WOW chapters, and supporting these female forest landowners in realizing their management goals. In Maine, Piscataquis County Soil and Water Conservation District (PCSWCD) has been engaged in WOW for some time. They offer chainsaw safety 1-3 and a variety of management workshops geared towards female forest landowners and provide the skill-building opportunities necessary to make them successful woodland managers. Like many districts, the community’s needs drove the interest towards offering this type of specialized content, and they’ve seen continued and growing interest in attendance. “We started with chainsaw safety, and participants continued to ask for the next course and more workshops. We now offer chainsaw 1-3 as well as a variety of hands-on workshops aimed at helping these landowners take home the necessary skills to do this work themselves,” said Sarah Robinson, Executive Director, PCSWCD.

In addition to these successful workshops, PCSWCD recently secured a Maine Community Foundation Grant, which they’ll use to update the forest management plan of their demonstration forest, Williamsburg Forest. With a focus on EQIP-approved conservation practices, forestry for Maine birds habitat management goals, and building the forest into a WOW skill-building ground. The forest will be re-imagined as “Forests for Everyone, Managed by Women” and involves various local partners, including the Maine Forest Service, the Penobscot Indian Nation, and other local, state, and federal partners. The site will help landowners see EQIP practices in action and give a working space for female forest landowners to practice management skills learned through PCSWCD’s WOW programming. The Holmes Soil and Water Conservation District (HSWCD) has recently begun engaging with workshops geared towards female forest landowners in Holmes County, Ohio. Community interest and lack of similar programing for female landowners drove their first event this April. They saw an opportunity to be a convener for the community and for those with forestland that wasn’t being managed. “We wanted to be that connector, to help someone that has ground and help them understand how to manage it better. To connect them with resources”, said Karen Gotter, Watershed Coordinator for Killbuck Creek, HSWCD. Inspired by regional programming geared towards female agriculture producers, Women4TheLand, HSWCD began putting together this event and engaging with local partners, including the Ohio Division of Forestry, to offer the programming. The southeast part of the state is home to a WOW chapter, the Southeast Ohio Chapter of the Women Owning Woodlands Network, but nothing currently exists at that scale in Holmes County.

Read more on NACD's blog.

The National Conservation Foundation's (NCF) 2021 Annual Report has arrived! Click the cover above to begin browsing the publication.

This past year, NCF has worked hard to continue to adapt its programs to best support the delivery of locally-led conservation and the creation of future conservation leaders in a hybrid world. From virtual NCF-Envirothon competitions to returning to in-person sessions for the Next Generation Leadership Institute (NGLI), NCF has found ways to continue its mission and strengthen its brand identity in spite of the pandemic.

Visit NCF's website to learn more about the work accomplished in 2021!

The USDA is hosting a public meeting of their Federal Advisory Committee for Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production on August 5, from 1:00 - 3:00 p.m. ET. Urban producers and members of the public interested in hearing the latest on USDA efforts to support urban agriculture are encouraged to attend. New urban conservation practices, updates on the USDA’s Equity Commission, an overview of the Committee’s priorities, and a breakdown of FSA urban county committees are on the agenda for discussion. Authorized via the 2018 Farm Bill, the Federal Advisory Committee seeks to assist the USDA in providing better service to urban producers through local representation and feedback. NACD firmly supports this mission and encourages members to participate in this opportunity.

The public can register to attend by August 4, and written questions and comments will be accepted through the Federal eRulemaking Portal until July 29 at 11:59 p.m. ET. 

Napa County Resource Conservation District (Napa RCD) is hiring a full-time Forestry Project Manager to support forestry, wildfire mitigation, and related programming. The position will contribute to exciting and critical growth in Napa RCD’s forestry programming, which began following the 2017 Wine Country wildfires and has advanced significantly since.  

To learn more and to apply visit here.

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