Newsletter Highlights:
- Coronado Nat Forest has reopened comment period on Biological Assessment for Grazing
- 2019 Gun "Plus" Raffle Winners
- BOR Funding Opportunities
- Volunteers sought to help plant monarch butterfly habitat at wildlife areas
- Soil Health Films
- Beginning Farmer and Rancher Program
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Arizona Association of Conservation Districts
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Coronado Nat Forest has reopened comment period on biological assessment for grazing
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Natural Resource Conservation Districts,
Attached is a letter with a link to the professional comment submissions on the Coronado National Forest Biological Assessment for Livestock Grazing, which were coordinated by the University of Arizona Natural Resource Law and Policy Center and by the Pima NRCD's Pima Center for Conservation Education. A link to various comments written by expert professionals is included.
The comment period has been reopened, so now, any Coronado grazing applicant can download any of the professional comments linked in the letter and attach them to their own letterhead as submitted in their own name. If nothing else, they can just state that they agree with or wish to be represented in those comments.
The combined expert commentaries linked in the letter cover grazing utilization, the interaction between livestock and endangered species including warm-water fish in general, the Gila topminnow, Sonora chub, Sonoran tiger salamander, Northern Mexican garter snake, Ridge-nosed rattlesnake, Pima Pineapple cactus, Huachuca water umbel, and Canelo Hills ladies’ tresses.
We are extremely grateful for the generous donations received so far from the Santa Cruz NRCD, Hereford NRCD and the Winkelman NRCD. We are still trying to raise $6,500 to cover the cost of Robert Schmalzel's comments, so that our generous benefactor --who is referenced in the letter-- does not get too severely punished for his good deed! Please consider, and ask your local ranching organizations and NRCDs to consider also making a very generous donation to the NRULPC, who has been critical in the success of this commenting effort.
Sincerely,
Cindy Coping
Cindy Coping, Supervisor
Pima Natural Resource Conservation District
Pima Center for Conservation Education
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June 2019 Guns "Plus" Raffle Winners
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Congratulations to all of our 1st Annual Guns "Plus" Raffle Winners! Thank you to everyone who bought and sold tickets to support the Arizona Association of Conservation Districts! Tickets for the 2020 Guns "Plus" Raffle will go on sale January 2020! Be sure to contact your local Natural Resource Conservation District for tickets!
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June 1
st
Duncan Fisher – Taurus spectrum Yeti Cooler Prize Pack
June 2
nd
Kyle Kuechel- AR 556 Robins Egg Blue Rifle
June 3
rd
Anita Waite – Ruger 10/22 Takedown Magpul Package
June 4
th
Brad Hamner – Glock 19 Gen 5 Package
June 5
th
Richard Sims – Marlin 30/30 Lever Action Rifle
June 6
th
Dane Palmer – Benelli Nova 12 gauge package
June 7
th
Richard Tanaka – Savage Axis II 25 – 06 Rifle Package & Two boxes of Hornady American Whitetail Ammo and an Allen Rifle bag.
June 8
th
Wiley “Gene” Moreman – ATN Binos and Simmons Laser Rangefinder
June 9
th
Alisha Phipps – 12 gauge Pointer Side by Side Shotgun
June 10
th
Dan Hicks – Smith & Wesson M & P .380 Shield EZ and Lockdown Handgun Vault.
June 11
th
Jeff Byrd – Ruger 22-250 Rifle 3 boxes of Fiocchi Ammo a Plano Ammo Can and an Otis Cleaning Tool
June 12
th
Frances Perkins – Glock 19 Gen5 9mm pistol
June 13
th
Matt Kile – 20 gauge Mossberg Shotgun with a Pistol Grip, 10 boxes of Buckshot, 2 boxes of Heavy Game Load, an Otis Patriot Series Cleaning Kit and a Plano Ammo Can.
June 14
th
Ted Haas – Ruger AR 556 Robins Egg Blue Cerakote Rifle
June 15
th
Anderson Angus – Ruger American 308 Rifle with an Alen Tactical Rifle Bag and 2 boxes of Hornady Whitetail Ammo.
June 16
th
Patty Knight – Vortex Viper HS 4-16 X 50 Rifle Scope
June 17
th
Ted Brunner – Yeti Roadie 20 Cooler, Ruger LCPII .380 Pistol, and two boxes of Fiocchi 380 ammo.
June 18
th
Ted Haas – Ruger Precision Rimfire 22LR, a brick of Blazer Ammo, a tasco 3-9X40 MM Scope Simons Scope Mounts and a Plano Ammo Can
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June 19
th
Donald Tanaka – Sig Sauer p938 9mm Pistol
June 20
th
Jamie Dykstra – Savage A17 17 HMR Rifle, Tasco Scope Simons Scope mounts 5 boxes of 50 round Hornady Ammo, and a Plano Ammo can.
June 21
st
Andrew McGibbon – Vortex Holographic Optics
June 22
nd
Steven Lackey – Yeti Roadie 20, a Taurus Spectrum, and two boxes of Fiocchi Ammo.
June 23
rd
Patricia Brown – Ruger 6.5 Creedmoor, 2 boxes of Hornady American Whitetail Ammo, and a Allen Tactical Rifle Bag.
June 24
th
Sydney Tanaka – Mossberg 12 guage Pistol Grip Shotgun, 100 Rounds of Ammo, and a Otis Gun Cleaning Kit
June 25
th
Noel Phillips – Kimber Micro9 Pistol
June 26
th
Brian Compton – Rossi Model 92 357/38Spcl Rifle
June 27
th
S teven Lackey – Taurus Tracker 44 Magnum Revolver, two boxes of Hornady Ammo, a Blackhawk hip holster, and an Allen Pistol Pouch.
June 28
th
Tony Campbell – Bighorn Ultimate Access Gun Safe
June 29
th
Emmett Sturgill - .556 AR Pistol made by IO, and Otis Cleaning Kit, an Ammo Crate, and magazine.
June 30
th
Tony Campbell – Ruger MPR AR15 556 Rifle
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Funding Opportunities from Bureau of Reclamation
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Bureau of Reclamation has 5 funding opportunities open. They start closing as soon as September 23 and as late as October 16, 2019.
Click to download the grants below.
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Volunteers sought to help plant monarch butterfly habitat at wildlife areas
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PHOENIX — In an effort to support and reverse declining monarch butterfly populations, the Arizona Game and Fish Department is seeking volunteers to help plant milkweed this fall and winter at wildlife areas statewide.
Over the last two decades, populations of the iconic monarch butterfly have declined 80 percent throughout its historical range in the Western U.S. To help stem the losses, AZGFD plans to enhance butterfly habitat at wildlife areas statewide under the
Western Monarch Butterfly Conservation Plan
.
AZGFD staff and volunteers will plant native milkweed — a critical food source for caterpillars — and other flowering plants that are sources of nectar for adult monarchs. The locations are known as “monarch waystations,” where monarchs receive the necessary food and resources to produce successive generations and sustain their migration from Canada, to North America and into central Mexico.
Opportunities for the public to help plant milkweed at the wildlife areas will be available in the coming weeks and months. Planting will be timed to take advantage of monsoon and winter rainfall, so the schedule of events is tentative. The following tentative locations and dates include:
The waystations are being developed through AZGFD's collaboration with
Southwest Monarch Study
and the
Gila Watershed Partnership
. Southwest Monarch Study is a non-profit agency focused on monarch conservation that is providing materials and expertise for the waystations through a grant from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation. The Gila Watershed Partnership is a local non-profit focused on watershed conservation that is growing the milkweed plugs to be planted.
For additional details or to reserve a spot to volunteer, complete the
sign-up form
. Those with questions should email
[email protected]
.
To learn more about how AZGFD works to conserve and protect the state’s wildlife visit
www.azgfd.gov
. To provide a contribution to support the department’s on-the-ground conservation efforts, visit
www.azwildlifehero.com
.
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Soil Health Films Document Conservation Work of Southwestern Farmers and Conservationists
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"
News from SWCS
Contact:
Clare Lindahl, CEO
Soil and Water Conservation Society
515-289-2331 ext. 113
Soil Health Films Document Conservation Work of Southwestern Farmers and Conservationists
(Ankeny, Iowa – July 26, 2019) The Soil and Water Conservation Society (SWCS) has released
two short films
that showcase the efforts of farmers and conservationists in the San Luis Valley of Colorado to address agricultural challenges through improved soil health.
“There are a lot of resources regarding soil health in the midwestern and eastern regions, but we identified an opportunity to share the unique challenges that farmers in the West face in improving their soils and the important role the conservation professional plays in creating a path forward for soil health in the region,” says Clare Lindahl, CEO of SWCS.
“We realize the benefits of soil health in the extremes much more than when everything is just right for growing conditions,” adds Patrick O’Neill, a soil scientist and agronomist with Soil Health Services in Alamosa, Colorado.
Soil Health in the West: The San Luis Valley
features the work of farmers Lyle and Erin Nissen, ranchers George Whitten and Julie Sullivan, and their conservationist partners to efficiently use lim
ited water resources and reduce soil erosion through crop rotations, increased biodiversity, and innovative rangeland management practices.
Conservation Professionals: Inspiring a Movement
highlights the essential role of conservation professionals in the soil health movement by documenting the lasting impact that one conservationist—Mike Collins, USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service—had on the landscape and his community. Collins, a soil health advocate within the region and SWCS Board of Directors member, passed away in 2016, but left behind an active conservation network.
“A lot of what we're doing now with soil health is because of him [Mike Collins]. I don't think we'd have the strong group that we have in the San Luis Valley if it wasn't for Mike,” says San Luis Valley rancher George Whitten.
The films were funded in part through contributions to the Mike Collins Memorial Fund, directed by Jody Thompson, and produced by SWCS. Both are available online at
swcs.org/watch
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Southwestern Grasslands Research & Management Workshop
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Save the Date!
Southwestern Grasslands Research & Management Workshop
Thursday, November 7th, 2019
(all day)
University of Arizona
(Tucson)
To receive workshop details and help prioritize grassland restoration workshop topics
Please participate in this important workshop to
: 1) advance the success of grassland restoration, and 2) identify opportunities for collaboration to help scale-up grassland restoration in the Southwest. This workshop will result in increased communication among, and between, researchers and practitioners and provide a forum to identify high-priority research needs and methods for increasing the scope and scale of grassland restoration. Please forward this invitation to your colleagues
.
Workshop Organizers
This workshop is organized by the Arizona Cross-Watershed Network (AZ XWN), with support from UA Cooperative Extension, US Fish and Wildlife Service, AZ Department of Forestry and Fire Management, AZ Game and Fish Department, and Pima County.
Agenda
The workshop will include:
- Expert presentations on the “state of the practice” of grassland restoration
- Lightning talks by restoration practitioners, including non-profit organizations, private landowners, and state and federal wildlife and land managers
- Lightning talks by researchers on low cost emerging technologies for restoration
- Break-out discussions to identify opportunities to address pressing grassland restoration challenges
- Large-group discussions on emerging opportunities for scaling up grassland restoration in the Southwest
Location
Environmental & Natural Resources 2 Building at the University of Arizona in Tucson.
Registration
A minimal registration fee will cover lunch and refreshments. Space will be limited!
Please RSVP here
and help the organizers prioritize workshop topics! Additional information and registration link will be sent to those who RSVP.
SER Southwest Conference
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Beginning Farmer and Rancher Program
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Beginning Farmer (Cropland) Workshop September 3rd - Florence, AZ
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Beginning Rancher Workshop, August 27th - Payson, AZ
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Bill Dunn, Past President of the Arizona Association of Conservation District presenting on the conservation efforts happening in Arizona and why it is important for Beginning Farmers and Ranchers to get involved with their Natural Resource Conservation District.
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THANK YOU FOR YOUR MEMBERSHIP SUPPORT!
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Contact:
Billy Thompson
(520) 384-4688
email: maidritefeeds.com
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Contact:
Lamar Smith
(830) 719-5978
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Contact:
Bill Dunn
(520) 384-4688
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Contact:
Daric Knight
(928) 521-9897
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Arizona Association
of Conservation Districts
P.O. Box 50518
Phoenix, AZ 85076
www.aacd1944.com
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Have a story you would like to share in our next newsletter?
Contact: Brooke Gladden (Phelps)
(520) 668-3348
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"To support Conservation Districts in providing conservation leadership and education to address local conservation priorities in partnership with landowners, federal and state agencies, tribal & local governments and other partners"
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