October 2012 - Last week, NACD's Pacific and Southwest Regions met in Boise, Idaho for their annual joint region meeting. The meeting kicked off with a welcome from Idaho Association President Kit Tillotson and Idaho Agriculture Director Celia Gould. NRCS Assistant Chief James Gore also addressed attendees, answering districts' questions about the partnership. Wednesday focused on Idaho, with several presentations on local conservation activities. In the afternoon, participants toured a vineyard, a hops farm, and a local wetlands project completed by private landowner and NRCS. Thursday's presentation topics included the Endangered Species Act, energy conservation, urban conservation, and the Colorado River Compact. Both regions had individual business meetings, as well as a robust joint discussion on policies and priorities for the upcoming year. Pictured: NACD Secretary/Treasurer Steve Miller of Fairfield, Idaho, who also spoke at the meeting.
September 2012 - NACD President Gene Schmidt was a speaker at this week's "Farm Bill Now!" rally on the National Mall. The event brought together legislative representatives, agriculture and conservation leaders, and hundreds of farmers and ranchers to bring a unified message to Congress that we need a comprehensive, five-year farm bill before current farm programs expire at the end of the month. "As our nation deals with the worst drought we've seen in more than 50 years, the passage of a Farm Bill could not be more important," Schmidt said.
September 2012 - On September 11, the National Ground Water Association (NGWA) will launch its annual "Protect Your Groundwater Day." The event will focus solely on groundwater protection, emphasizing contamination prevention and water conservation. With drought gripping our nation, NACD acknowledges that protecting groundwater through conservation is more important than ever. From the southwest to the southeast and the Great Plains to the Midwest, drought has put a strain on many household water wells–sometimes resulting in a reduction or loss of water flow as the water table drops. On Protect Your Groundwater Day, NACD and NGWA urge conservationists to act by acknowledging the causes of preventable groundwater contamination, considering which hazards apply to you and taking action to prevent groundwater contamination. To learn more about how you can protect our groundwater, visit ngwa.org or wellowner.org.
August 2012 - Registration is now open for the 2013 NACD Annual Meeting. This event is set for January 27-30 at the Marriott Rivercenter Hotel, right on the popular river walk, in San Antonio, Texas. Based on the theme, "Proud Past, Positive Future," the event will highlight the work of districts and their partners in getting conservation on the ground, showcasing accomplishments as well as growing opportunities. For registration information (online and print), click here. Click here for preliminary details, including hotel information, call for presentation proposals, the Live Auction, Conservation Expo, and sponsor opportunities. Learn some of what San Antonio has to offer on the visit page. To register online, visit the registration page and follow the links to our online system. This service is available for credit card purchases only. If you have questions about the registration process, please contact Jamii Roberson.
August 2012 - NACD CEO John Larson visited Safari Club International (SCI) on Tuesday, August 14 in Washington, D.C. SCI is an organization that works to protect hunters' rights and promote wildlife conservation. Larson spoke to a delegation from the Ninxia region of China, explaining the role of conservation districts in the U.S. The delegation visited on behalf of Triway International Group. For more information about Safari Club International, click here.
August 2012 - The NACD Forest Resource Policy Group (RPG) gathered in Missoula, Mont. last week for a joint meeting with the National Association of State Foresters' (NASF) Forest Resources Management Committee. The meeting also included numerous federal and state agencies and non-governmental organizations Attendees were treated to a welcome reception at Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation headquarters. The group also toured the Darby School District's Fuels For Schools facility, viewed a small-diameter roundwood demonstration project at the Darby Community Library, and were able to see how local Forest Service leaders are tackling wildfire and bark beetle concerns in the wildland urban interface.
August 2012 - For the second year, NACD will be a conservation partner at the Bass Pro Shops Land and Wildlife Expo on August 9-11 at the Gaylord Opryland Hotel and Convention Center in Nashville, Tenn. Don't forget to stop by the NACD booth (#921) and say hi! The expo offers an opportunity for corporate, non-profit and government agencies to come together to educate landowners, land managers and hunters on land conservation practices, conservation products, and wildlife habitat protection. NACD will be exhibiting alongside NRCS, educating attendees about the valuable resource of conservation districts and USDA Service Centers that exist within local communities. For more information on attending the Land and Wildlife Expo, becoming an exhibitor, or attending the seminar series, visit landandwildlifeexpo.com.
July 2012 - Pennsylvania hosted the 25th anniversary Envirothon this week, where students competed for $125,000 in scholarships sponsored by Canon. This year's winner? The Missouri Envirothon team from Pembroke High School. Missouri beat 54 teams from across the U.S. and Canada. Each team participated in tests on soils, aquatics, forestry, wildlife and the current event topic of low-impact development. NACD CEO John Larson was one of the seven final judges, along with Tim Reich from the National Conservation Foundation. NACD Stewardship and Education project manager Susan Schultz served as a preliminary judge. Thank you to Pennsylvania for hosting this year's Envirothon. Congratulations to all the winners, advisors and sponsors!
July 2012 - Last week, conservation leaders from across the country participated in lively debates and discussions related to natural resource policy at the 2012 NACD Summer Board Meeting and Legislative Conference. The conference included a conservation briefing at the Eisenhower Executive Office building. Participants also enjoyed a tour of DuPont's Chesapeake Farms in Chestertown, Maryland, where they learned some of the new agricultural and conservation techniques being practiced in that area. NACD would like to extend our thanks to all who journeyed to Washington, D.C. for the event, as well as to DuPont for making our tour possible. We hope you found it enjoyable, informative, and productive. Pictured, NACD President Gene Schmidt (left) with Chesapeake Farms manager Marc Conner (middle) and John Chrosniak, DuPont Crop Protection regional director (right).
July 2012 - NACD's officer team gathered in Washington, D.C. days before the annual Summer Legislative Conference and Board Meeting. This year's event, July 13-17, includes meetings of the board, executive board, foundation committees, and regions, as well as a tour of the Chesapeake Bay region. Attendees will hear from influential policymakers and land conservation professionals at a White House briefing at the Old Executive Office Building on Monday, July 16. Pictured, from top left: Secretary/Treasurer Steve Miller, CEO John Larson, Second Vice President Jack Majeres, President Gene Schmidt, and Past President Steve Robinson. Not pictured: President Elect Earl Garber.
July 2012 - Last month, the New Mexico Association of Soil and Water Conservation Districts hosted their 2012 Summer Meeting in Ruidoso, NM. Attendees included conservation district representatives and partners throughout New Mexico, as well as representation from NACD. NACD Southeast Region Chair and Mississippi Board Member Jim Harreld, Director of Government Affairs Laura Wood, and Western Issues Specialist Mark Truax attended and presented at the meeting. Wood presented on the current legislative climate in D.C., including the status of the Farm Bill and the upcoming 2012 election. Truax spoke to the ongoing legislative activities facing the Western states, including Equal Access to Justice Act, the Endangered Species Act, and public lands issues. Harreld conducted a breakout session on training district supervisors in Mississippi.
June 2012 - Pam Wright, Education/Community Outreach Technician of the West Greeley Conservation District in Colorado, presented a riparian/stream trailer at the recent national Ag In the Classroom conference in Loveland, Colorado. Stewardship, Education and Marketplace project manager Susan Schultz represented NACD at the event, conducting a session on "Soil to Spoon" and exhibiting NACD's education materials. Conservation Districts across the country are involved with their local Ag In The Classroom, be sure to check out information for their June 2013 conference in Minnesota. They are accepting applications for workshop presenters until October 1st.
June 2012 - NACD Field Representative Beth Mason, joined the Indiana Association of Soil and Water Conservation Districts on June 15 for their monthly board meeting. The IASWCD board typically meets monthly in Indianapolis for their board meeting, but once a year, the board travels to a location within the state to conduct business, network, and tour the area. The IASWCD board and conservation partners traveled to Geneva, IN where they discussed the current status of the Farm Bill, issues affecting conservation districts, the Field Office of the Future, and reports from the various conservation partners. Afterward, the board toured Limberlost Territory Nature Preserve which included the homestead of author, Gene Stratton-Porter and the Loblolly Marsh Wetland Preserve. Pictured: Beth Mason, NACD North Central Field Representative and Jennifer Boyle Warner, IASWCD Executive Director
June 2012 - NACD President Gene Schmidt and President-elect Earl Garber participated in a conference call with NACD staff and members of the NACD Legislative Committee while in Washington, D.C. Schmidt and Garber were in D.C. for several days as Farm Bill debate picked up on Capitol Hill. While in town, they met with members of the House and Senate Agriculture Committee staff to discuss conservation priorities for the Farm Bill and with White House staff to discuss plans for the White House briefings and tour as part of NACD's upcoming Legislative Conference.
May 2012 - NACD Board Member Charles Holmes of Alabama testified at a recent House Subcommittee on Conservation, Energy, and Forestry hearing, titled, "Formulation of the 2012 Farm Bill: Energy and Forestry Programs." A cow-calf and tree farmer, Holmes has served as Chairman of the NACD Forest Resource Policy Group since 1999 -- playing a key advisory role in recent years on longleaf pine restoration efforts in the South. To read Holmes's testimony, click here.
April 2012 - The annual New England Leadership Meeting for districts was held in Portsmouth, NH last month. NACD Board Members, state association execs, and other officials addressed current conservation challenges in the two-day meeting. The meeting included a presentation by Maine Congresswoman Chellie Pingree, who highlighted the 2012 Farm Bill, her proposed local foods bill and the changing nature of agriculture in the New England states. Each state also provided a written update on its individual activities. Additional agenda items included plans for partnering on a number of watershed initiatives, with a special focus on the districts' role in the aftermath of extreme weather events such as Hurricane Irene.
April 2012 - The 57th NACD Soil and Water Stewardship Week is April 29-May 6! McHenry Conservation District in Illinois was featured in their local paper for events held to promote Stewardship Week and natural resources with students in their community. Goodhue SWCD in Minnesota partnered with the Goodhue County Commissioners and adopted a Soil Stewardship proclamation and are participating in several radio interviews. Orangeburg SWCD in South Carolina has developed a banner to place at their local library for the next month. Second Grade Students worked with the Grundy SWCD in Missouri to develop a banner using the Soil to Spoon logo for their Annual Customer Appreciation Day and it will also be displayed at their school during Stewardship Week.
April 2012 - NACD and host state representatives recently met in San Antonio, TX to begin plans for NACD's 2013 Annual Meeting. While in San Antonio, NACD staff participated in a site visit of the conference facilities at the Marriott Rivercenter. The hotel is conveniently located directly off the famous San Antonio River Walk, and within walking distance of a variety of historic sites, attractions, and dining, including the Alamo, the Rivercenter Mall and the San Antonio Museum of Art. While in town, representatives from NACD, the Association of Texas Soil and Water Conservation Districts, Alamo SWCD, and the Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board discussed initial plans for the meeting to be held Jan. 27 - 30, 2013. Stay tuned for more details coming soon!
March 2012 - March 19-20, NACD held a Spring Fly-In in Washington, D.C. The event was attended by approximately 85 members from 30 states and territories. Participants started the day with a breakfast meeting where Chairman of the House Agriculture Committee Frank Lucas (R-Okla.) discussed the 2012 Farm Bill. They spent the rest of the day on Capitol Hill meeting with their Representatives and staff to discuss conservation appropriations for Fiscal Year 2013. Members also spoke out in support of Title II, the conservation title, of the 2012 Farm Bill. On the evening of March 20, NACD hosted a reception for our members, partners, members of Congress, congressional staffers and agency staff in our effort to strengthen the voice of conservation. Approximately 400 people attended the reception.
March 2012 - Last week, In celebration of Dr. Seuss's birthday (March 2) and the opening of the movie "The Lorax," NACD Stewardship, Education and Marketplace Project Manager Susan Schultz shared NACD's forestry education materials with first graders from Maple Ridge Elementary in Indiana. Students learned the importance of trees and forest products that help us in everyday life. They also learned about forest management, tree farmers, and planting new trees. For additional activities to celebrate "The Lorax" and forestry, visit Project Learning Tree. Forestry Notes is also a great resource. Pictured: students made "Lorax" whiskers as part of their activities.
March 2012 - NACD President-Elect Earl Garber testified last week a Senate Agriculture Committee hearing: "Strengthening Conservation through the 2012 Farm Bill." Garber, a rice, soybean and hay farmer from Basile, La., highlighted NACD's Farm Bill conservation priorities, including Technical Assistance funding and support for program consolidation. To view Garber's full, written testimony, click here. To view a video of the hearing, click here. Other witnesses at the hearing included: Bruce Nelson, Administrator, USDA Farm Service Agency; David White, Chief, USDA NRCS; Jeff Trandahl, Executive Director and CEO, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation; Becky Humphries, Director of Great Lakes/Atlantic Regional Office, Ducks Unlimited, Inc.; Dean Stoskopf, Wheat Farmer, Stoskopf Farms; Carl Mattson, Farmer, Mattson Farms; and Darrel Mosel, Farmer, Darrel Mosel Farm.
February 2012 - The Spokane Conservation District of Washington, along with the Washington State Conservation Commission, worked together to bring the "DIG IT! The Secrets of Soil" exhibit to Northwest Museum of Arts & Culture, a Smithsonian Institution Affiliate. The exhibit is on loan from the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History from view February 4 - September 22. Over 5,000 students from local school classrooms are signed up to visit the exhibit. The museum held a panel discussion for the community on Saturday, February 4 with Mark Clark, Executive Director of the Washington State Conservation Commission and panel moderator; Pat Megonigal, Soil Ecologist, Smithsonian Environmental Research Center and "Dig It" curator; Judy Olsen, Executive Director of the Federal Farm Service Agency; Kevin Sullivan, Washington State Soil Scientist, Natural Resources Conservation Service; Ann Kennedy, WSU Professor of Soil Science; and Susan Schultz, NACD Stewardship and Education Coordinator. To see soils education material from NACD, click here
February 2012 - Conservation district representatives from across the country took the opportunity to tour some of the Nevada landscape following NACD's 2012 Annual Meeting. Last Wednesday, a group traveled to the Clark County Conservation District for a firsthand look at the issues surrounding wild horses and burros on public land. Throughout the United States, more than 38,000 horses and burros reside on public rangeland, managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) with an additional estimated 45,000 in off-range, short, or long-term holding facilities. To learn more about this issue, visit BLM's website
January 29, 2012 - The Clark County Children's Choir of Nevada provided a musical opening to the National Association of Conservation Districts 66th annual meeting in Las Vegas during Sunday's Inspirational Program. More than 800 conservationists are attending the four-day meeting titled, "Conservation: We're All In." Attendees heard from NACD Stewardship, Education and Marketplace Project Manager Susan Schultz, as well reflections on stewardship from Gina DeMarco, District Manager of the Northern Rhode Island Conservation District. Poster Contest winners were also announced. The 2012 NACD Annual Meeting is sponsored by the following partners: Monsanto; John Deere; Syngenta; The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company; Plum Creek; Pioneer; DuPont; U.S. Department of Defense; Bayer Crop Science; Association of Equipment Manufacturers; USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service; AgriDrain; Bob Warner; Case IH; and the USDA Forest Service.
January 2012 - Celebrate the sixth year of NACD's Pack-A-Book community outreach project! This project will leave a lasting impression on Las Vegas, NV following NACD's 66th Annual Meeting. You can participate by packing a book(s) to donate to the Mabel Hoggard Math & Science Magnet School in the Las Vegas area. Since the project's inception, over 800 books have been donated to schools. Drop off your books at the NACD Stewardship and Education Exhibit in the Conservation Expo. Monetary donations (toward the purchase of books) will also be accepted. This year's donations will benefit students at the Mabel Hoggard Math & Science Magnet School. At Hoggard, students participate in a rigorous academic curriculum with an emphasis on science, mathematics and technology. They are taught the art of scientific investigation and mathematical problem solving with the use of computer technology. The curriculum is highly motivational, with extensive hands-on math and science experiences. For more information, please contact Susan Schultz, NACD Stewardship, Education and Marketplace Project Manager at susan-schultz@nacdnet.org or 317-326-2952.