On Thursday, Aug. 6, the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) opened the application period for the Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP). This program allows private organizations and government entities to partner with NRCS to invest in targeted conservation projects, leveraging existing NRCS practices and expertise. Historically, conservation districts have been a significant partner in RCPP, receiving about one quarter of all project awards.
The current Announcement of Program Funding (APF) includes a few significant changes from past years. First, the total funding available is larger than normal, up to $360 million. This is the result of NRCS combining the Fiscal Year (FY) 20 and FY 21 funding cycles into this single APF.
Second, NRCS has altered the Critical Conservation Areas (CCAs) to create “Western Waters CCA,” which encompasses the California Bay-Delta, Columbia River Basin, Klamath River Basin and the Puget Sound Basin. NRCS also created a new “Northeastern Forests and Waters CCA,” focused on water quality and wildlife habitat, encompassing all of New England. These new CCAs create additional funding opportunities for partners.
Proposals are due Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2020. More information can be found here.
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NACD MARKETPLACE OFFERS 2021
S&E MATERIALS
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Get ready for the new school year with NACD's 2021 Stewardship and Education (S&E) materials, celebrating the theme “Healthy Forests, Healthy Communities.” With trees and forests around the world under threat, having environmentally literate and conservation-minded kids is more important than ever. NACD's materials provide the needed information to teach and promote tree and forest conservation at home and in the classroom.
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Mims House Books, which has a large collection of elementary nonfiction science picture books, is excited to offer the book, Erosion: How Hugh Bennett Saved America’s Soil and Stopped the Dust Bowl (pictured above) by Darcy Pattison and illustrated by Peter Willis. This children’s book explains the beginnings of the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), and the exciting story of soil scientist Hugh Hammond Bennett, who sought to encourage lawmakers to help protect the land.
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BRIDGING THE GAP WITH AN NACD TA GRANT
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In 2018, thanks to a 2018 NACD Technical Assistance (TA) Grant, the Dubois County Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) in Indiana hired a program support technician to help with a variety of conservation planning and practices. However, when applying for the grant, the district did not anticipate the crucial role this person would play in ensuring seamless service to the landowners.
Dubois SWCD’s district conservationist (DC) retired at the beginning of 2018, which led to a rotation of active DCs from February to November of that year. Jennifer Knable-Thompson, the retired DC from southern Indiana hired through the TA grant, played a critical role in ensuring that customers didn’t see a decrease in assistance during that time. Until the new DC arrived, Knable-Thompson helped to make the transitions seamless and ensure customers received quality service.
Knable-Thompson spent a lot of time helping with Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) and Conservation Technical Assistance Program (COTA) applications. “With the acting DCs rotating every two weeks, she was really able to help make sure applications didn’t fall through the cracks,” said Judi Brown, the district’s executive director.
Knable-Thompson also provided significant help to landowners who struggled to navigate the waterway permitting process. One landowner was willing to risk fines because he could not understand how to use the internet to accomplish the necessary steps. Knable-Thompson was quick to learn the tools necessary for success so that she could help him as well as other landowners facing similar issues in the area.
“She was able to help provide a service to the landowner that we couldn’t have done otherwise,” Brown said. “She was able to take the time to focus on it and help him through the process.”
Knable-Thompson’s other tasks included assistance with highly erodible land (HEL) determinations and wetland violation documents. These tasks helped ease the backlog that had accrued over time, allowing other projects to open.
“Because of the NACD agreement, the Dubois County SWCD received a great deal of extra service and benefits to the office staff and the clientele we serve,” Brown said.
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Photo caption: Fundraising event, AgLanta Eats!, hosted by Groundwork Atlanta and the Atlanta City’s Office of Resilience, raised approximately $50,000 to support the continuation of the program.
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In 2017, NACD, in partnership with the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) awarded funding to the Fulton County Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) in Atlanta, Ga., to launch the "AgLanta Grows-A-Lot" urban farm program.
The Fulton County SWCD partnered with Groundwork Atlanta and the City of Atlanta’s Office of Resilience to successfully launch the program on three acres of blighted, under-utilized utility easements, strategically located in designated food desert areas. This new urban agriculture initiative is replicable, as power easements represent thousands of acres of arable land in Atlanta currently not meeting its full potential.
The 2018 pilot phase was used to meet the Atlanta Resilient Strategy Target seeking to “identify and distribute 25 acres of arable land in the city for healthy food production by 2020.” Five small, urban farm businesses were selected by the AgLanta Grows-A-Lot Advisory Committee (AGAC). Four of the five small businesses were women and minority farm entrepreneurs, and several were located in neighborhoods where they were raised or currently live. The businesses were given access to arable land, infrastructure and technical support to create plots along these easements.
These first farmers selected by AGAC committed to farming in a sustainable manner. The urban ag program coordinator worked closely with them on best agriculture practices, while SWCD board members and NRCS staff provided technical assistance with site establishment and erosion control. In 2019, several of the farms provided community educational events and school visits at their farm sites.
The long-term goal of this ongoing project is to develop an “AgLanta Grown” brand that represents the program's values and mission, which states, “Aglanta is a collective dedicated to bringing local, thoughtfully grown agriculture to the Metro Atlanta Area. Our farms and gardens serve the unique needs of our communities and are built on vacant spaces in the city. We are creating innovative ways to grow food, end food deserts, and build sustainable urban agriculture businesses. We plant with purpose.”
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Deadline Approaches:
NACD Service Awards
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The deadline to submit your NACD Service Award nominations is less than three weeks away!
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The NACD Friend of Conservation Award recognizes an individual, business, organization or agency outside the association for outstanding contributions to the conservation of our nation’s natural resources;
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The NACD Distinguished Service Award 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. For more information and the guidelines to nominate an outstanding conservation leader, please visit NACD's website and download the nomination forms.
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CDI Holds Virtual Annual Business Meeting
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Yesterday, over 120 commissioners and partners attended the Conservation Districts of Iowa (CDI)’s Virtual Annual Business Meeting over Zoom.
NACD President Tim Palmer and NACD Executive Board Member North Central Region Representative Alex Schmidt were in attendance, where they gave a recap of NACD’s Virtual Summer Board Meeting and an update on NACD’s legislative work and programs, including Technical Assistance Grants and Service Awards.
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District Jobs Available on NACD Job Board
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Several conservation districts are seeking applications for the following positions:
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The Association of Illinois Soil and Water Conservation Districts (AISWCD) is seeking a S.T.A.R. Coordinator to help implement and grow the S.T.A.R. program in Illinois.
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The Maryland Association of Soil Conservation Districts (MASCD) is seeking an executive director to serve as the face of the organization and act as a bridge between the soil conservation districts (SCDs) and board of directors.
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The Massachusetts Association of Conservation Districts (MACD) is seeking an executive director to work as a part-time contractor, who will oversee all administration and operation of MACD and associated programs.
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FEMA Posts NOFO for New BRIC Pre-Disaster Mitigation Grant Program
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The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has released a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for its new Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) grant program.
Applications that build community resilience with nature-based solutions (e.g., green infrastructure and low-impact development) are encouraged. The application period runs from Sept. 30, 2020 through Jan. 29, 2021. Learn more here.
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Virtual Summer Board Meeting Recording
Now Available
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On Monday, July 20, the NACD Board of Directors conducted a virtual board meeting in place of the 2020 Summer Conservation Forum and Tour, which was to be held in Bismarck, N.D., but was moved to a virtual format given the ongoing COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic.
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NACD Marketplace Offers New
Fall Promotions
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NACD's Marketplace is now offering several fall promotions, including the Cabela's Hooded Sweatshirt (pictured above).These mid-weight hoodies surround you in total comfort, ensuring it will become one of your cold-weather favorites.
Platinum, Diamond and Gold level NACD members making purchases of $100 or more from the Marketplace can benefit from 20 percent, 15 percent and 10 percent discounts.
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Sign Up Now:
University of Illinois Extension Offers Educational Webinars
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The University of Illinois Extension is offering several free educational webinars on topics varying from commercial agriculture and local government and business to family health and safety and home gardening.
Tomorrow at 3:00 p.m. Eastern, there will be a webinar on "Inclusion and Green Infrastructure," which will focus on the importance of building social equity and environmental justice into the conversation around green infrastructure.
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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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