The South Central Region Conservation Partnership met August 12-13, 2021, in Eureka Springs, Ark. The first day of the meeting included virtual presentations from Mike Sullivan, Arkansas NRCS State Conservationist; Wes Ward, Secretary of Agriculture for Arkansas; and Dr. Vic Ford, University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture. NACD President Michael Crowder also provided an in-person presentation and update on NACD programs and activities. Later in the day, Adam Chappell with the Arkansas Soil Health Alliance talked about his own regenerative agriculture experience and how soil health practices saved his family's farm.

Following the Conservation Partnership Luncheon and a virtual update from James Tillman, NRCS Southeast Regional Conservationist, meeting participants toured Osage Creek Farms near Green Forest, Ark. Owner and producer Brent Fry described how their regenerative ranching practices and farm-to-consumer marketing strategy provides a quality food product. Through intensive rotational grazing, Osage Creek Farms is protecting water quality and restoring the vitality of their pastures.

The second day of the meeting featured Dr. Mike Daniels, University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture, speaking on the Arkansas Discovery Farms program along with Jeff Marley of Marley Farms, who is a program participant. Marley has extensive conservation practices on his operation, where data is collected to aid in the research to improve soil and water conservation efforts. The Arkansas Feral Hog Eradication Program was outlined by J.P. Fairhead, feral hog coordinator with the Arkansas Department of Agriculture; Robert Byrd, state director of the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service; and Ryan Farney, feral hog coordinator with the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission. The meeting closed with a detailed virtual presentation by Harrison Pittman, director of the National Agriculture Law Center on Legal Issues and Agriculture.

The South Central Region meeting is held each summer by one of the four member states. The 2022 meeting will be in Louisiana.

The National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD), in cooperation with the Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS), funds technical assistance (TA) grants to local conservation districts and other district partners, including more than a dozen Native American Tribes, Tribal districts and other Tribal organizations.

The TA Grant program allows the recipients to build capacity and provide increased conservation planning and technical assistance to their clients. With the support of state and territory conservation leadership, program recipients are chosen to focus the funds on high-priority workload locations. Since the program began in 2018, nearly $50 million has been provided to projects across all 50 states and three territories.

Project impacts to date include nearly 14,000 new Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) contracts obligated, of which a third are with historically underserved populations. Projects range from paying salaries to have an additional pair of boots on the ground to state/territory/regional organizations building the support needed to make the existing staff more productive.

In NACD’s new StoryMap Shortlist, you can get a taste of who the grantees are and what they are doing by toggling through each grant year’s recipients. In the Shortlist, you’ll even find some grantee photos and links to local news articles featuring their grant.

Entitled "Diamonds Out of the Dust: 75 Years of Conservation District Success Stories," this monthly newsletter features stories submitted by conservation districts and state/territory associations across the nation.

In the August edition, we highlighted the Wasatch Conservation District's water quality improvement project in the Wallburg watershed, Sussex Conservation District's cooperators' webpage and NACD's 75th Anniversary celebration.

You'll also hear from Lee McDaniel, an NACD Past President and the Harford Soil Conservation District's chairman of the board. He shares his thoughts on why NACD matters and the importance of being involved with conservation efforts.

Learn more about our 75th Anniversary campaign and view all past newsletters here. To be featured in the newsletter, share your district's success story by submitting this online form.

Tanya Spann Roche (pictured) 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.” Roche is an Emmy Award winning producer/editor with over 20 years of production experience, and her work has received numerous Emmy Award nominations, Telly Awards, CINE Awards, Communicator Awards and TIVA-DC PEER Awards. Roche has served as adjunct faculty at both American University and The George Washington University Documentary Center, teaching graduate students camera, audio, lighting and editing, and she earned a BA in film theory from UF and an MFA in film and video production from FSU. Roche led production of NACD’s promotional videos and mini-documentary and is assisting with NACD’s soil health economics project, which consists of producer testimonials.

The first webinar will be held Thursday, September 30 from 2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. Eastern; register here for free. The second installment will be held Thursday, October 28 from 2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. Eastern; register here for free. Both webinars will be recorded and archived online at a later date.

NACD’s Urban and Community (U&C) Resource Policy Group (RPG) is seeking ideas for the monthly urban and community conservation webinar series! We are seeking presentation proposals for Fiscal Year 2022 on urban and community resource conservation issues, like soil health, water quantity/quality, pollinators, forestry, community-focused initiatives and outreach to underrepresented clients in conservation.

Submit your webinar idea online, share the web link with others who may be interested, and reach out to NACD Pacific Region Representative Ariel Rivers, Ph.D. with any questions. NACD is proud to offer this program in collaboration with The Scotts MiracleGro Foundation!

There is only one week left to send in your nominations for the 2021 NACD Service Awards. This opportunity offers national recognition to outstanding individuals and organizations for their work and leadership in soil and water conservation.

The 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.

The NACD Distinguished Service Award recognizes 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.

Visit the NACD website to nominate your conservation leaders now through August 31, and to view previous award winners, visit the NACD Awards Archives.

The 2021 Living Shorelines Tech Transfer Workshop will be held Oct. 19-20, 2021 in Cape May, New Jersey. Topics covered during this two-day workshop will include adoption of living shorelines, regulation, engaging your community, new techniques and more.

Learn more, view the agenda, and register by Aug. 31 for Early Bird Admission here.

The workshop is hosted by Restore America's Estuaries, American Littoral Society, New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection and the Chesapeake Bay and New Jersey field offices of the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service.

The National Association of State Foresters (NASF) is now accepting nominations for the 2022 Smokey Bear Awards. The awards honor organizations or individuals who have provided the most outstanding service to their communities through impactful wildfire prevention.

Learn more and submit nominations by Dec. 15, 2021 at the NASF website.

Final nomination submissions are required by 5:00 p.m. Eastern on September 28, 2021, to the American Society of Agronomy here.

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