Today, NACD launched registration for the 2021 Summer Meeting, scheduled to be held July 24-27 in Chicago, Ill.

On July 25, 1946 at the Morrison Hotel in Chicago, Ill., 18 representatives from 17 states created the National Association of Soil Conservation District Governing Officials. In 1970, during the annual convention in San Francisco, the association’s name was shortened to the National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD). As part of our 75th Anniversary celebration, the 2021 NACD Summer Meeting is returning to where our association was born in Chicago!

As the second-largest NACD event of the year, the gathering brings together hundreds of conservation district leaders from across the nation, including tribal representatives and representatives from the U.S. territories.

NACD's Summer Meeting will be held at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Chicago - Magnificent Mile. Hotel rates are $185 per night. To book your hotel room, click here and use the group name "NACD Conserv Districts". Early-bird registration is $275 and includes access to all meetings and events.

Don’t delay, the deadline for early-bird registration and hotel reservations is Friday, July 2.

Attendees must agree to follow all local protocols, including but not limited to: mask mandates, social distancing and other protocols in effect in Chicago. In addition, NACD is requiring a face covering for all attendees entering any meeting room being utilized for the meeting. Those not following the NACD guidelines will not be allowed entry to meetings or events. An NACD mask will be provided to each registered attendee.

To learn more, book your hotel and view the agenda, visit NACD's Summer Meeting webpage. We can't wait to see you all in Chicago!

66TH ANNUAL

NACD also celebrated this year’s theme by providing 14 educational forestry videos on its website and social media, which highlighted some unique forests from all over the country and conservation districts’ work in forest conservation.

You can continue to promote the importance of trees and forest conservation by visiting our Conservation Education Hub and downloading our educational resources, promotional materials and curricula.

Even though Congressional buildings are still closed to the public due to COVID-19 (coronavirus), this hasn't slowed down Congress’s focus on climate change and the role the agricultural and forestry industry can to do reduce emissions or sequester carbon. In addition to President Biden’s Executive Order and the subsequent public comment period that just ended on April 29, new legislation is being introduced on an almost daily basis, and NACD’s Government Affairs team has been working hard to stay on top of it all.

The one piece of legislation that is getting the most attention is the Growing Climate Solutions Act. This legislation, introduced in this Congress as well as last Congress, was introduced by Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Chairwoman of the Senate Agriculture Committee and Senator Mike Braun (R-IN), as well as Congresswoman Abigail Spanberger (D-VA), Chairwoman of the House Agriculture Committee’s Conservation and Forestry Subcommittee and Congressman Don Bacon (R-NE). This legislation’s stated purpose is to help producers overcome barriers they face to access the financial and conservation opportunities that private carbon markets could provide. If passed, USDA would be required to publish a list of recognized protocols for voluntary environmental credit markets and set up a certification process that third party technical assistance and verification providers could follow to self-certify that they have expertise in these protocols. The legislation would also require the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to create an Advisory Committee for the Secretary to consult during the creation of the protocol list and certification process.

The Senate Agriculture Committee passed the legislation on April 22, 2021, though the future of the legislation is much more uncertain on the House side. House Agriculture Chairman David Scott (D-GA) has not endorsed the bill and Ranking Member GT Thompson (R-PA) has indicated he’s opposed. While NACD is excited about the opportunities private carbon markets could provide to further natural resource protection and address climate change, NACD has not endorsed the path this legislation would take to support private carbon markets and continues to promote the role of the locally-led conservation delivery system and the importance of adequate Conservation Technical Assistance funding regardless of any opportunities the private sector could provide.

Read the full recap on NACD's blog.

NACD President Michael Crowder has called for the creation of a Groundwater and Aquifer Task Force, which will help promote water conservation across the country. NACD recently sat down with Harold Crose, a retired area conservationist now with the Grant County Conservation District in Washington State. Crose, a member of the Task Force, shared with us his latest work in groundwater conservation in central Washington and why this Task Force is needed. For those interested in joining NACD’s Groundwater and Aquifer Task Force, contact us at info@nacdnet.org.

I worked for the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) for over 40 years, primarily in irrigated agriculture and water. I retired as area conservationist in central Washington State, where I now work with the Grant County Conservation District.

Read the full interview in NACD's blog. 

Aaron Johnson and his wife Kirstin live in Madison, S.D., located in the eastern part of the state, with their three children. Johnson is a third-generation farmer and manages Johnson Organic Farm with his cousins, working the land their parents and grandparents have farmed since 1939.

In 2009, when Johnson came back to the farm to be a part of the operation, his cousin introduced him to Dakota Rural Action (DRA). Through DRA, Johnson took the Farm Beginnings course for an education on farm planning, learning business strategies and financial planning. Johnson credits this program with challenging him to ask questions and have conversations he and his wife wouldn’t have had otherwise. Now Johnson helps teach some of the financial courses which take beginning farmers through a more in-depth financial analysis, preparing the next generation of farmers to meet the challenges of running a successful operation today.

To read more about Johnson’s operation and how they manage their organic operation for soil health, visit the NACD website and read his Soil Health Champion profile. If you or someone you know would like to join the NACD Soil Health Champions Network, please visit the NACD website or contact Beth Mason, NACD North Central Region Representative, at beth-mason@nacdnet.org.  

The next NACD Urban and Community (U&C) Conservation webinar, scheduled for 12:00 p.m.-1:00 p.m. Eastern on May 20, 2021, will feature information on engaging with tribal communities.

In this joint webinar with NACD’s Tribal Outreach and Partnerships Resource Policy Group (RPG), join Dr. Carol Crouch of the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) as she provides a brief introduction to working with tribes and their members.

As the NRCS Oklahoma State Tribal Liaison, Dr. Crouch - pictured above with Governor Bill Anoatubby of the Chickasaw Nation - often leads trainings on this topic and will help conservation districts understand how to start their outreach conversations and key considerations for working with tribal communities.

To register, click here. If you have difficulty, please contact NACD Pacific Region Representative Ariel Rivers, Ph.D.

Join NACD for the upcoming Winds, Water and Wildfires Virtual Summits throughout the month of May, where we’ll host speakers discussing how disasters such as high winds, wildfires and flooding cause significant damage to natural resources in the South, North, East and West.

Conservation districts are uniquely positioned to assist communities with planning and preparedness before, during and after disasters. These sessions will demonstrate how conservation districts are working together with all community members to conquer the challenges facing private landowners. Success happens when landowners and agencies come together to meet the needs of our local communities.

These needs are identified in the three goals of the National Cohesive Wildland Fire Management Strategy. The virtual sessions will be held over the month of May, and session dates coordinate with specific regions (West, Southeast and Northeast). Visit NACD's events webpage to register.

For questions, please contact NACD's Natural Resource Policy Specialist Mary Scott at

mary-scott@nacdnet.org.

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!

Click here to submit your theme. The winning submission will earn a complimentary full registration to the 2022 Annual Meeting.

The goal of NGLI is to equip conservation district leaders with the tools to become national leaders through personal, civic and organizational leadership development. Currently-appointed conservation district officials are eligible to apply, as well as district officials with current or potential for a statewide leadership position.

More information on NGLI can be found at NGLI's webpage or by contacting Ray Ledgerwood.

The directory, which is on the Farm State of Mind website at farmstateofmind.org, features listings for crisis hotlines and support lines, counseling services, training opportunities, podcasts, videos, published articles and other resources in every U.S. state and Puerto Rico.

Listings for crisis support, counseling and behavioral health resources that are available nationwide are also included. To learn more, visit the website here.

To learn more about NACD's membership incentives and levels of discounts, please visit NACD's Membership webpage or email us at stewardship@nacdnet.org.

Savings Species Book Wins Independent

The book, Savings Species on Private Lands: Unlocking Incentives to Conserve Wildlife and Their Habitats, by Lowell E. Baker with Christopher Segal, was recently recognized by the Independent Press Award.

Whether engaged in farming, ranching, forestry, mining, energy development or other businesses, private working lands all have value as wildlife habitat with the proper management and financial support. This book provides landowners and their partners with a roadmap to achieve conservation compatible with their financial and personal goals. This guide is a great resource for private landowners who want to conserve fish and wildlife on their lands.

To learn more and purchase the book, click here.

The Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) is currently seeking a farm bill coordinator to be based in Olympia, Wash.

This position serves as a senior planner within WDFW who works at national, state and local levels to collaboratively identify, prioritize, develop and support the implementation of agricultural incentive programs that conserve and restore fish, wildlife and ecosystems throughout Washington State.

This is an opportunity to represent WDFW in national and state forums focused on conserving fish and wildlife through incentive programs , including the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies’ Agricultural Conservation Committee, the State Technical Advisory Committee of the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), and the NRCS State Wildlife Subcommittee.

The anticipated start date is June 1, 2021. To learn more and apply, click here.

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