Welcome to the NACD Southwest Region newsletter, delivering announcements and news to NACD Board Members, conservation districts, state associations and agency leadership across the Southwest. Please feel free to forward this to anyone who might be interested - they can subscribe to the mailing list on the Southwest Region Webpage.
Josh Smith, Vice Chair of the Southwest Region, NM
Jim Berlier, Executive Board Member of the Southwest Region, NM
Please reach out to Rachel with questions and newsletter content ideas.
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Hello to the Southwest Region! As most of you are experiencing temps hotter than a $2 pistol (I’m obsessed with Corvettes, remember?) here in Buena Vista, I’m enjoying mid-sixties and more rain than I’ve seen in the last two Junes put together. I'll try my best to send it your way.
The Request for Proposals (RFP) for the 2021 Technical Assistance Grants closed on June 6th. Announcements will be made in the coming weeks. I want to reiterate again the appreciation I feel for letting me assist you with this process. I’m learning this all as we go along, and it was a great experience.
A few weeks ago, I ventured out of my home office for my first in-person work interaction in 15 months. It was such a treat to drive to neighboring Utah and meet a lot of the folks doing great conservation work in the state. My first stop was to tour the awe-inspiring work that’s being done by the Wasatch Conservation District in the Wallsburg Watershed. My tour guide was the passionate and extremely knowledgeable Daniel Gunnell. It was fantastic to get out in the field and see the remarkable work that’s been done over the past seven years in that area.
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Next, I traveled to Lehi to take part in the Utah Association of Conservation Districts’ annual partner meeting. I want to thank the UACD for the warm welcome I received and the chance to introduce myself as well as share what NACD has been up to lately. The meeting boasted a great showing of UACD’s partner organizations, who were provided a chance to talk about the year’s activities as well as discuss partnership possibilities between UACD and the conservation districts.
If there are any meetings you’d like me to attend in your state, please let me know! In the meantime, I’m looking forward to seeing many of you in Chicago for NACD’s Summer Meeting.
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Last Call! Register Now for the 2021 NACD Summer Meeting |
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Registration for the 2021 NACD Summer Conservation Forum and Tour closes July 2!
To celebrate NACD's 75th Anniversary, the 2021 NACD Summer Meeting will be held in Chicago, where NACD was born in 1946.
Register now to take advantage of the early full registration rate of $275. Visit this webpage for the online registration link, hotel reservation information, the agenda and COVID-19 (coronavirus) guidelines. See you in Chicago!
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What Did the Fire Say to his Friends When He Fell in Love? |
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"I've found the perfect match".
NACD's Forestry Resource Policy Group (RPG) is also hoping to find the perfect match in the form of a representative from the Southwest Region! With forest health and wildfire mitigation and rehabilitation being foremost issues for the Southwest Region, it's imperative that we have a delegate on this important RPG. The potential candidate needs to be a current conservation district supervisor in any of the six Southwest states, and have an interest in forest health or wildfire issues.
If you or someone you know is interested in representing the Southwest Region on the Forestry RPG, please reach out to Rachel Theler, Southwest Region Rep.
In the meantime, check out the recordings from the NACD-NSF webinar series last week:
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Help Recruit for the 2022 NGLI Cohort |
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The National Conservation Foundation (NCF) will announce the application period for the 2022 cohort of the Next Generation Leadership Institute (NGLI) in July.
Help us recruit for the Next Generation Leadership Candidate from your state and encourage them to explore applying for NGLI. Currently-appointed conservation district officials are eligible to apply, as well as district officials with current or potential for a statewide leadership position.
An informational webinar is scheduled for July 14th at 8 AM MDT, which you can register here. Learn more about NGLI here.
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Call for Nominations:
Friend of Conservation and Distinguished Service Awards
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NACD's Annual Awards Program recognizes individuals and organizations for their outstanding work and leadership in soil and water conservation.
Nominations for the Friend of Conservation Award and the Distinguished Service Award are now open until Aug. 31.
The 2021 awardees will be recognized at a ceremony held in their honor at NACD's 2022 Annual Meeting.
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Believe it or not, the end of NACD's fiscal year is coming up! A sincere thank you to all the districts and associations that have contributed to NACD so far this year.
Here's a snapshot of where each region stands. As you can see, the Southwest Region is a bit behind FY 2020, and the Pacific Region is edging up on us!
So keep up the hard work in reminding your fellow districts that we're stronger together. Their dues directly help support the development of valuable advocacy and partnership activities that support district capacity.
Remember to regularly check the Southwest Region Webpage for dues updates, as well as outreach tools to help sell the value of NACD.
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Register Now for the Next Urban and Community Webinar! |
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On July 15th at 10 AM MST, the Urban and Community Conservation Webinar will focus on Conservation Assistance Programs (CAPs). CAPs are an emerging opportunity for conservation districts to support landowners with nonpoint source pollution.
As cost-share programs, CAPs typically provide financial, technical and educational assistance to property owners installing eligible practices with the support of their local conservation district.
During the July webinar, learn from three conservation district state associations about their CAPs.
These webinars are offered free via Zoom, but registration is still required.
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Save the Date! Southwest/Pacific Region Meeting |
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A Cool Hat and a Good Cause?! |
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Shade your eyes in style this summer with a cap featuring NACD's 75th Anniversary logo, a "Diamond out of the Dust."
If you donate $75 or more to Friends of NACD, you'll receive a cap, with "Friends of NACD" custom embroidered on the back, for free. We'll even have some caps on hand in Chicago!
Donations help NACD provide grant funding opportunities through the Friends of NACD District Grants Program. Since 2020, this program has awarded $20,000 in grant funding to support innovative conservation district projects across the country.
Last year, the Sierra Soil and Water Conservation District in Truth or Consequences, New Mexico received a Friends of NACD District Grant to help fund their first-ever Conservation Days summer camp this past July. Learn more about the camp here.
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Submit Your Ideas: NACD 2022 Annual Meeting Theme |
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NACD's 76th Annual Meeting is scheduled to be held Feb. 12-16, 2022 in Orlando, Fla.
Help us come up with a theme that celebrates conservation in the Sunshine State! The winning submission will earn a complimentary full registration to the 2022 Annual Meeting.
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Recent Press Releases and Blog Posts
NACD Seeks Input on 30x30 Proposal
To gain a stronger understanding of how 30x30 will impact our conservation district membership, NACD is seeking member feedback. Please provide your feedback on the 30x30 program here or by clicking the button below.
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Southwest Districts at Work |
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Checking In with One of New Mexico's Soil Health Champions
As one of the first Soil Health Champions in New Mexico, Christina Allday-Bondy is leading by example on her five-acre farm in the eastern foothills of the Sandia Mountains. Read more about her recent efforts on page 14 of NACD's Spring Issue of The Resource.
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Wyoming District Addresses Local Water Challenges
Learn how the Popo Agie Conservation District is leveraging partnerships to address the districts water challenges on page 20 of NACD's Spring Issue of The Resource.
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Sep. 27-30, 2021 - State Association Executive Directors' Conference | Asheville, N.C.
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