Last week Rhode Island signed a state-level Memorandum of Agreement (MOA). The agreement was signed by the Rhode Island State Conservation Committee, Eastern RI Conservation District, Northern RI Conservation District, Southern RI Conservation District, RI Association of Conservation Districts, RI Resource Conservation and Development Area Council and the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS).
The purpose of the MOA is “to encourage strong partnerships,” which will lead to “coordinated interagency delivery of conservation assistance” and thereby provide landowners and operators an increased ability to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of Rhode Island’s natural resources. The agencies’ mutual goal is to establish locally-led conservation efforts that address local, State, national and Tribal natural resource priorities at the highest levels of efficiency and effectiveness.
The signing of this state-level MOA was spurred by a national MOA signed at the 2015 NACD Annual Meeting in New Orleans by the National Conservation Partnership: National Association of Conservation Districts, the National Association of Resource Conservation & Development Councils, the National Association of State Conservation Agencies, the National Conservation District Employees Association, and the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service. The national MOA is an agreement by the core National Conservation Partnership members to encourage strong national, regional, state, and local partnerships as well as to strengthen the cooperation between the core partners in the delivery of conservation assistance to private landowners.
Pictured: From left to right Harriet Powell- chair RC&D Maria Mack- chair RI State Conservation Committee Carke Collins- Chair Southern District Dick Went- President RIACD, Vice Chair Northern District, and NACD 2nd Vice President Phou Vongkhamdy- State Conservationist- RI Emerson Wildes- Eastern District