The first General Session of the NACD 2022 Annual Meeting opened on Monday, February 14. Immediate Past President Tim Palmer presided over the session, welcoming members, partners, and all attendees to Orlando. Each state and territory was welcomed with the Parade of States. This procession is our tribute to the 50 states, seven territories, and the District of Columbia in which our conservation districts and state and territory association members serve in year-round. The Association of Florida Conservation Districts President Jeff Moore then gave the Florida welcome.

NACD President Michael Crowder spoke to guests about the progress NACD has made and where the association is looking to go in the future in his President's address. This was followed by NACD CEO Jeremy Peters' address, where he discussed the meeting's theme of "Conservation Defined for All," and what it means.

Ducks Unlimited CEO Adam Putnam gave the keynote address, highlighting the importance of partnerships. "We are all in this together," said Putnam. "We are better off for the passion and the sacrifice and the dedication that you have for the districts - that we have for conservation collectively - and at the same time doing it in a way that maintains America's food security."

Watch the recording of the full session here.

During the 2022 Leadership Luncheon on Monday, February 14, attendees heard from Toni Stanger-McLaughlin, Native American Agriculture Fund (NAAF) Chief Executive Officer. Stanger-McLaughlin spoke about NAAF's initiative and work in conservation.

"You are the boots to the ground," said Stanger-McLaughlin. "Any policy that's put forth in this space needs to be put forth through the lens of those that are administering it every single day - and that's producers, our farmers, and our ranchers.

After lunch was served, NACD Secretary-Treasurer Gary Blair announced states and territories who achieved 100 percent district participation in Fiscal Year (FY) 2021. He also recognized the top 10 contributing states in FY 2021.

Three new individuals were inducted into the NACD Hall of Distinction during this session as well. Those new inductees are:

The inaugural cohort of the Next Generation Leadership Institute (NGLI) also graduated at today's luncheon. Following their graduation, the cohort presented a check for $8,400 to National Conservation Foundation Chair Brent Van Dyke to help fund the next cohort of conservation leaders.

Watch the full recording of the luncheon here.

The 2022 National Conservation Foundation (NCF) Virtual/LIVE Auction was held on Monday night to support Envirothon, the Next Generation Leadership Institute, and other conservation education programs.

The auction, hosted thanks to sponsorship from Prince George's Soil Conservation District, was held both live and virtually.

The auction raised a total of $51,410 in support of NCF's mission. Thank you to all who participated both in person and online!

Additional information can be found on NACD's Annual Meeting agenda or on the Sched App.

If you aren't with us in Orlando, join us virtually by watching the livestream. Access streams by using the password NACD2022.

During Monday's Leadership Luncheon, NACD Auxiliary/ Partners President Karen Smart announced the 2021 NACD Poster and Photo Contest winners. The theme for this year's contest was, "Healthy Forests, Healthy Communities."

Read more about this year's winners in NACD's newsroom and view the winning posters and videos on NACD's Flickr page.

NACD District Operations and Member Services (DOMS) Committee Chairman Franklin Williams announced the 2022 Friends of NACD District Grant Recipients during today's Leadership Luncheon.

The Friends of NACD Program was established in 2009 as an initiative of the DOMS Committee to support the nation’s nearly 3,000 conservation districts through cash donations to NACD. Now in its third round of funding, the Friends of NACD District Grants Program enables a portion of funds raised through individual donations in support of locally led conservation to be awarded to eight conservation district projects of up to $2,500 each. That number has doubled from the amount of grants issued last year as a result of the generous donations NAC has received.

Read about the recipients in NACD's newsroom.

Don't miss the new mobile Annual Meeting app hosted by Sched! The app allows you to see the full event schedule, session descriptions, speaker profiles, and more. After you've set up a public profile, you will be able to create a personalized schedule and you can message and network with other attendees right from the app.

To download it, you can scan or click the QR code, or download the Sched app (Apple) (Android) and search NACD to join the event.

Have you been taking photos during the 2022 NACD Annual Meeting? We want to see them!

Email them to us at nacdnews@nacdnet.org, tag us at @NACDConserve, or use #NACD2022 on social media to submit your photos to our Smiling Faces Reel. Some photos will be displayed during Tuesday evening's Appreciation Banquet!

Check out all of our photos from the week here.

The registration desk is open in the Grand Foyer from 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. today. Stop by for questions, tickets, and more!