The deadline for nominations for NACD and the Pollinator Partnership (P2)'s 2020 U.S. Farmer Rancher Pollinator Conservation Award is this Friday, July 10.

Each year, awards are given in recognition of all the work that goes into protecting American pollinator populations.

The U.S. Farmer Rancher Pollinator Conservation Award recognizes the unique contributions that members of the agricultural community make to pollinators where they are needed most: supporting our food supply. To learn more and submit a nomination form, please visit  P2's website.

NACD is also seeking submissions for its NACD Friend of Conservation Award, which recognizes an individual, business, organization or agency outside the association for outstanding contributions to the conservation of our nation’s natural resources; and the NACD Distinguished Service Award, which 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.

Nominations are due  Monday, Aug. 31. All nominations will receive an honorable mention certificate from NACD President Tim Palmer in appreciation of their service to conservation. Winning nominations will receive a complimentary meeting registration for NACD's 2021 Annual Meeting in New Orleans, La., a complimentary Appreciation Banquet ticket, a plaque and national recognition at the annual meeting and in NACD’s publications.

For more information and the guidelines to nominate an outstanding conservation leader, please visit the  NACD website and download the nomination forms.

LAST CALL FOR

NCF FEEDBACK

The National Conservation Foundation (NCF) is still seeking input from the public on its existing programs and work through its  2020 NCF Survey. We value your input and opinions, and we plan to use your responses to improve the work of the board and the NCF-Envirothon and the Next Generation Leadership Institute (NGLI) programs.

This survey should take around 10 minutes to complete. Please fill out the survey by this Friday,  July 10, 2020. Upon completion of the survey, you will be entered for a chance to win a Yeti coffee cup from NACD's Marketplace.

To take the survey,  click here.

MANAGED GRAZING:

A CRITICAL PIECE IN MARATHON COUNTY'S CONSERVATION PUZZLE

In Marathon County, Wis., the use of managed grazing practices is a critical piece of the conservation puzzle. The Marathon County Conservation Planning and Zoning (CPZ) Department plays a crucial role in teaching farmers about these sustainable practices and helping them develop and implement their own plans. 2018 and 2019 NACD Technical Assistance Grants allowed them to keep their Conservation Analyst Bill Kolodziej on staff to provide assistance to farmers.

According to Paul Daigle, Marathon County CPZ’s Land and Water Program Director, the grants helped get farmers up and running with managed grazing by developing plans and designing the systems necessary to implement them. Kolodziej was able to provide one-on-one consultations to tailor an individual plan for each farm to meet their management goals.

Through their grants, the department was able to follow up with farmers and help them through the process.

“We always find the most success when we work with those farmers for the first two years of them implementing this practice,” Daigle said. “It’s not as easy as installing a waterway and walking away. This is a whole change in their farming system.”

The department also used their grant funds to help highlight Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) practices and their success through a variety of events. One such event was a pasture walk, where they highlighted the benefits of stockpiling grasses and legumes and how that helps increase wildlife habitat. Attendees learned how stockpiles improve soil organic matter and in turn improve infiltration. This infiltration is tied to increases in the basal flow to the two local trout streams that provide crucial wildlife habitat.

To Daigle, one of their bigger successes was the ability to assist two young dairy farmers with managing cattle in their pastures. In 2018, the department helped them write managed grazing plans, and in 2019, helped them through Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) and CSP projects to install some grazing practices enhancements.

“We were able to provide managed grazing knowledge to the farmers, as well as build a network of farmers learning from farmers to ensure profitable farms while protecting the environment,” Daigle said.

To learn more about NACD’s Technical Assistance grants or to read other TA success stories, visit the NACD Technical Assistance Grants webpage.

As a retired researcher in linguistics, Joan Bybee has decided to focus on restoring her ranch, Mesteño Draw Ranch, which is located approximately five miles north of Mountainair, N.M., near the Village of Punta de Agua and Manzanos Mountains State Park.

Bybee’s small-scale, grass-fed cattle operation employs sustainable grazing practices on limited acres. She rotates the cattle among 13 pastures of about 100 acres each, giving them time to recover in between grazing periods. This grazing program has changed the landscape from almost a monoculture of blue grama grasses to a much more diverse mixture of grasses, which has lengthened the growing season and improved the health of the soil.

The ranch also has an intermittent creek running through it, as a result of snowmelt and the summer monsoons. Bybee has invested in restoring the riparian areas with the assistance of several conservation organizations, including the Claunch-Pinto Soil and Water Conservation District. Using the techniques of Bill Zeedyk, former employee of the U.S. Forest Service, she has slowed the flow of water and prevented further channelization and erosion.

In an interview with Know Your Farmer magazine, Bybee was asked what she would be if she wasn’t a rancher. Bybee responded, “I have already been what I’d be if I weren’t a rancher. I retired after a 40-year career teaching at the university level and doing research in linguistics. I love this subject and still do research and writing, but I need my land, my cows and my calves to bring me peace of mind.”

To read more about Joan Bybee and her soil health journey, visit her Soil Health Champion profile on NACD's website.

If you or someone you know would like more information on becoming a member of the NACD Soil Health Champions Network, please contact NACD North Central Region Representative Beth Mason at beth-mason@nacdnet.org or call 317-946-4463.

ENVIROSCAPE OFFERS EXCLUSIVE

NACD DISCOUNT

NACD and Enviroscape are excited to offer a variety of exclusive discounts to conservation districts who are interested in purchasing EnviroScape hands-on models , including the watershed/nonpoint source and coastal watershed models.

Conservation districts can receive discounts with the following promotional codes:

Enter the promotional codes when ordering online or contact erin@enviroscapes.com to place an order.

D.C. Office Closed

Until September 7

NACD’s Washington, D.C. office will remain closed with staff teleworking until Monday, Sept. 7 in light of the ongoing COVID-19 (coronavirus) outbreak.

 

NACD wants to ensure the continuity of normal business operations, and you can reach NACD staff during regular business hours as usual via email or by calling the main line: (202) 547-NACD. We will continue to update our members on any changes during this time.

Call for NACD U&C Webinar Proposals

The NACD Urban and Community Resource Policy Group (RPG) is seeking proposals for the FY2021 Urban and Community (U&C) Conservation Webinars.

Submit your presentation proposal(s) by sending a brief paragraph describing the program/project you would like to showcase to NACD Senior Advisor  Deb Bogar  at

deb-bogar@nacdnet.org  by Aug. 1, 2020 .

To view a full list of the past webinars, visit NACD's website .

Submit Your Ideas:

NACD 2021 Annual Meeting Theme

Help us come up with a theme to celebrate NACD's 75th Annual Meeting in New Orleans, La., scheduled for Feb. 6-10, 2021.

The winning submission will also earn a complimentary full registration to the 2021 Annual Meeting. The deadline to submit your idea is July 24 .

To submit your theme idea, please fill out the form  here .

ICYMI: NACD Interview with The BARN

Last Thursday, radio host Brian Allmer spoke with NACD President Tim Palmer on The BARN .

Allmer and Palmer discussed the reaction to the U.S. Senate's Climate Solutions Act of 2020, the U.S. House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis' recent report, upcoming events, program updates and more.

To tune into the conversation, click here . For a more in-depth analysis of the Select Committee's report, visit NACD's blog .

Register Now:

NRCS Soil Health Webinar Series

The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS)'s Conversations in Soil Health Webinar series will hold its third webinar this Thursday, July 9 , from 1:00-2:30 p.m., Eastern .

The series is intended to help conservation planners gain ideas from across the country that can be implemented locally. This includes approaches to taking soil health to the next level in their area, engaging farmers and partners, problem solving, and continuing to find solutions that lead to increased adoption of soil health management systems. Each webinar will introduce the session’s topic through speakers sharing their experience and includes time at the end for the audience to ask questions and create discussion.

If you can't make this Thursday's webinar, the next one will take place Thursday, July 23 from 1:00-2:30 p.m., Eastern . To learn more and join, click here .

NFWF SE Aquatics Fund 2020 RFP Now Open

The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) is now accepting applications for the Southeast Aquatics Fund 2020 Request for Proposals (RFP).

The Southeast Aquatics Fund is a competitive grants program, made possible by the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Southern Company, supports watershed-based restoration that will improve the health of aquatic systems and secure populations of native freshwater aquatic species in targeted river basins and watersheds of the Southeast.

In 2020, NFWF is soliciting proposals within the Conasauga, Locust Fork and Middle Coosa watersheds of the Alabama and Mobile-Tombigbee Basins; the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint Basin; as well as coastal HUC-6 watersheds along the Gulf of Mexico . 

Proposals must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. Eastern on Thursday, July 23. To learn more and view the RFP, click here .

Download P2's Native Pollinator Garden

Recipe Cards

The Pollinator Partnership (P2) recently released a collection of region-specific Native Pollinator Garden Recipe Cards, which are made possible by the North American Pollinator Protection Campaign (NAPPC).

The recipe cards were designed to provide easy-to-follow guidelines for creating pollinator gardens that provide a diverse and colorful floral display throughout all growing seasons.

The suggestions given for specific native plant species were made to meet the unique environmental characteristics associated with each region and the pollinators that depend on native habitat areas. Each recommendation was thoroughly vetted by multiple conservation authorities and can be found at your local native plant nurseries.

To learn more and download a recipe card, visit P2's website .

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