As winter blankets the landscape, it offers us a season of quiet beauty and reflection—a time to rest, plan, and prepare for the growth to come. At HHCD, we embrace this magical season as an opportunity to nurture our roots and sow the seeds of new possibilities.

In this edition, we’re excited to share updates and opportunities to inspire and connect with our community. Explore our list of winter workshops through the Native Plant Program, learn strategies for sustainable farming in "Growing Resilience: Harnessing Crop Diversity to Build Sustainable Farms", and meet our newly hired Healthy Soils Program Assistant, who brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to support our mission. Finally, a grant from NACD is providing funding necessary to build staff capacity and we are now recruiting a Communications and Outreach Coordinator to join our team—could it be you or someone you know? Check below for the full job description.



As you rest and plan for the seasons ahead, we hope these updates inspire growth and collaboration within our shared efforts to steward the land.

Since I began working with HHCD, annual grants from the National Association of Conservation District (NACD) have been a crucial source of funding that supports HHCD's staff. This year, I asked for a bit more money in our NACD grant proposal with the goal of building staff capacity, submitted the proposal, and anxiously awaited their decision (while on holiday with family and friends!). Needless to say, I was overjoyed when I opened my email on December 30th to see a positive decision from NACD in my inbox - what a perfect way to close out 2024!

HHCD has successfully launched and grown two new programs in the past three years, the Healthy Soils Program and Native Plant Program. But as 2024 drew to a close, it became increasingly apparent that we need to grow our staff if we want to sustain the success of these programs into the future. For this reason, it is very exciting to announce the addition of two part-time positions - a Communications and Outreach Coordinator and an Equipment Manager.

Earlier this year, I met a farmer who has experience as a mechanic and a welder and we began contracting with him to assist with the equipment rental program. He was of particular value when, upon delivering the Esch 5605 no-till seed drill to a farm in Franklin county, we discovered the equipment was not functioning properly, but couldn't figure out what the issue was! Our new Equipment Manager, Adam, came to the field, quickly diagnosed the issue, and later that day welded the broken part. The very next day the Esch seed drill was back on the farm sowing many acres of winter cover crop. Having the knowledge and expertise of a farm mechanic and welder is a tremendous asset to our Healthy Soils Program!!

We have already recruited our new Equipment Manager, but we are just beginning the search for a Communications and Outreach Coordinator (COC)!

The COC will play a vital role in promoting HHCD’s mission, with a focus on supporting environmental conservation and local food systems. The COC will develop and implement outreach strategies, create engaging content, and plan events that connect the community with HHCD’s programs. Additionally, the COC will organize and lead HHCD’s first Local Working Group meeting, an initiative aimed at fostering community-led conservation.

Read the full position description here.

While we are grateful for the grants that support our staff and programming, being dependent upon grants is not without challenges. If you believe in the work that HHCD performs, please consider making a donation here. Money donated by the public directly supports our staff and programs, with no strings attached! It is money well spent and greatly appreciated!

"My name is Lily Gigante and I am a junior Plant and Soil Science student at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. As a part of the Stockbridge School of Agriculture, I have been able to learn from the best, both in the classroom, on the farm, in the research lab, and even the rainforests of Costa Rica, to gain a true love for our land and the people working to protect it. I am beyond excited to share my passion for local agriculture as a part of this organization and support the mission of promoting healthy soils and the community that builds them!" 

Lily is starting a six-month internship with HHCD as a part-time Program Assistant. Lily will help plan and coordinate outreach events, conduct soil analysis, provide technical assistance to farmers and other community members, and assist with other Healthy Soils Program needs. We are excited to have her join the team!

Our Winter Workshop Series Returns with more great Native Plants programs!

Please register here.

Transform Your Yard to Support Pollinators: A 12 Step Program with Heidi Dollard

Many people now realize the importance of pollinators and other essential wildlife. They want to make their yard pollinator-friendly, but don’t know where to start. This talk will step you through the process of evaluation, planning, and implementation, with many options for large and small changes.

Gardening for Biodiversity with Native Plants with Heidi Dollard

The “little things that run the world” are in big trouble: Insect populations are plummeting, and many species are headed for extinction. This spells disaster for our food supply, our ecology, and indeed, life on earth. The good news is that we can turn this around, starting in our own yards. By planting native plants, and other simple steps, we can restore vital insect populations. Come learn what you can do, and be inspired!

How to Maintain a Native Plant Garden: managing the changes that occur over time with Amy Meltzer 

You have chosen and planted your native plant garden or meadow, and a few years later, whatever design you planned is no longer in place. Some plants have spread, others seem crowded, some are turning brown in summer, others are thriving. Unexpected plants have popped up as birds, squirrels and the plants themselves have put seeds into your garden. Your growing conditions may have shifted due to climate change. You will learn the choices you have for managing the changes in your garden, depending on your preferences and your site conditions. 

Gardening for Biodiversity with Native Plants: providing habitat for pollinators, birds and other essential wildlife with Amy Meltzer

In this talk, Amy will focus on the current biodiversity crisis; the evolutionary history among native plants, insects, birds and fungi, and how these interdependent relationships among diverse species are necessary for their survival. She will show how growing native plants and using ecological landscape practices can simultaneously reverse biodiversity loss, increase resilience in our landscapes, and slow climate change – all while creating a beautiful garden!

Beyond Flowering Plants: Helping Pollinators Thrive Year Round with Amy Meltzer

This talk includes a brief introduction to the biodiversity crisis, explaining why providing habitat for pollinators is essential for maintaining a sustainable ecosystem. Amy will show that pollinators not only need flowering native plants as food for adults, but also need specialized native plants that provide food for their young. You will learn about the kinds of shelter needed year round for pollinator health and reproduction, and how to manage your landscape to provide it. Amy will also discuss the need for water and the importance of minimizing night light. She will share extensive resources on choosing and sourcing native plants and managing our landscapes to support biodiversity.

Designing with Native Plants with Heidi Dollard

Do you want to use native plants in your yard, but don’t know how to find, choose, and place them in your landscape? This talk will cover how to use them in your garden to best effect for both humans and biodiversity, with examples from historic styles and current garden trends. We’ll also discuss how to purchase and propagate native plants, and suggest native substitutions for common non-native plants, and highlight the most garden-worthy native flowers, trees, and shrubs.

Environmentally Friendly Lawns and Lawn Alternatives with Heidi Dollard

Lawns are ecological dead zones. 40 million acres are devoted to lawn in this country; the largest irrigated crop. Mowers emit at least 16 million tons of CO2 per year. At the same time millions of species are headed for extinction, in large part due to habitat loss. So, changing the way we manage lawns and/or reducing their size presents a huge opportunity both to save species and address global warming- right in your own yard! This talk covers many ideas on how to convert your lawn to an ecological benefit.

Managing Invasive Plants – the Why and How with Heidi Dollard 

Invasive plants are one cause of declining pollinator populations, loss of native plants, and are hastening the extinction of many animal species. Learn which plants are invasive and how to manage them to preserve and enhance wildlife habitat.

Register for all workshops here

Now more than ever, it is essential to build resilience sustainably in our food production systems. Protecting the soil and its surrounding ecosystem is how we can protect the next harvest. One of the most powerful tools in creating a sustainable and efficient system is incorporating crop diversity into the agricultural process. When you diversify the plants you grow, it provides the opportunity to utilize ecosystem services and reduce inputs needed for a successful harvest. 

Picture each farm as an expansive web of interconnected systems. Each plant you grow provides a new line on the web, which makes it more strong and resilient. In nature, ecosystems very rarely rely on one species to keep them living, but rather they thrive on the diversity and the interactions of each organism. Managed systems can still mimic nature in this way. 

Plants aside from the main harvest can serve a large variety of roles that contribute to the overall health of the agricultural ecosystem. Here are some of the key strategies:

• Nitrogen Fixation
• Planting legumes, such as peas, introduces nitrogen to the soil, limiting the need for heavy fertilizer inputs.
• Pest Control
• Plant crops as traps to draw pests away from the main crop. While this may mean you will be sacrificing your dill to slugs, your tomatoes will be thanking you. 
• Alternatively, some direct deterrents of pests are the fragrants: onion and garlic.
• Water Management
• The roots from ground covers can break up compacted soil to increase the area where water can seep in.
• Planting trees or shrubs towards the end can limit the amount of water leaving the system. 
• Weed Suppression
• Living mulches are able to outcompete the weeds while still allowing the main crop to flourish. 
• One strategy with white clover involves direct seeding after mowing the clover. This provides the benefits of a conventional mulch that is able to adapt with the system.

We encourage you to experiment with new crop combinations and explore the benefits of utilizing ecosystem services. The best way to combat nature's many challenges is by first allowing it to take an active role in our systems.

The Hampden-Hampshire Conservation District is seeking to add

new District Supervisors in 2025.

Why you should join us:

• Take an active role to identify conservation needs and guide projects that improve environmental health in your community.
• Connect with other farmers and learn about opportunities available to farmers and landowners.
• Learn about and work with our partner organizations that are driving sustainable agriculture and conservation issues in the Pioneer Valley.
• Great resume builder for folks who are looking to pursue a career in conservation.

CLICK HERE to learn more

Contact us at hampdenhampshireconservation@gmail.com for more information.

Please consider making a tax-deductible donation so we can continue to provide community members with technical and financial assistance, educational programs, and community engagement.

Thank you for supporting our work to conserve the natural resources of Hampden and Hampshire counties! We are able to maintain our work conserving natural resources due to generous community donors like you!