January is finally over! I always felt like it was a month that dragged on, but I assumed I was the only one dogged by its perpetuity. Thanks to some hilarious memes circulating on social media, I know better now.

I am so looking forward to seeing many of you soon at the NACD Annual Meeting in Salt Lake City. It's so advantageous to have it in our region this year, and we're going to have a great showing from the Southwest! The folks in Utah have been working hard to ensure it's a fantastic meeting. I particularly want to thank UACD's Executive Director, Kristy Davis, and President Mike Larson for putting so much effort into this event. Please also extend your thanks when you see them in SLC (and I may be speaking for myself when I say this, but cookies always seem to make a thank you go even further).

In other news, we are accepting applications for the 2025 Urban and Communities grant! Applications are open until April 1. There are two changes to this year's program. Firstly, the limit on implementation grants has been raised from $60,000 to $75,000. Secondly, state associations are eligible to apply! I may be biased since I manage this program, but it is an excellent opportunity to try innovative projects. And I want to emphasize the "Communities" in the title rather than the "Urban." There isn't a minimum population requirement for these grants; in fact, the smallest grantee last year was from NE Wyoming. The grants just need to have a community focus, regardless of the size of the district. You can find more information below, and feel free to reach out to me if you have any questions.

I know that the recent movement from the White House has folks wondering what this could mean for our conservation work. It's a rapidly fluctuating situation, and sometimes clear answers aren't immediately available. Still, please rest assured that NACD is committed to advocating the importance of conservation districts' incredible work, both in our region and around the country. We're all in this together, and any information we receive will be shared with all of you.

As always, I'm here to help. See you soon! - Rachel

Urban and Community Grants

Open for Applications!

We are again accepting applications for up to $75,000 to support projects that promote the delivery of conservation technical assistance in urban and community-oriented settings, including projects that serve rural populations. See the full RFP online, with applications due April 1, 2025, by 11:59 p.m. PT.  

With over 200 example projects already completed or active in 40 states (see NACD’s UAC Story Map), conservation districts have provided technical assistance to urban and smallholder farmers on soil health, pollinators, biodiversity conservation, native plants, irrigation and water management, and a variety of other technical topics.  

For example, the Hood River SWCD in Oregon is providing pesticide safety education to Spanish-speaking farmworkers. Likewise, Racine County in Wisconsin is using its grant to install a micro-nursery and vegetable garden within a secured youth detention center. 

 Questions related to the UAC grant may be directed to Rachel Theler.  

Southwest Region Outreach Training Recordings

Thank you to everyone who joined us for our five-part Southwest Region Outreach Training Series!

All sessions can be viewed here, in case you missed one or want to revisit the great information.

We partnered with KR Creative Strategies to bring this training to the region. They designed a 5-part outreach series geared toward delivering the unique conservation district message. Each one-hour training provided actionable tips specifically designed for CD audiences, considering various priorities and board/staff capacities across districts. The topics covered were:

• Turning Best Management Practices Into Meaningful Stories
• Communicating Your Unique Value
• Effective Communication with Decision and Policy-Makers
• Capturing Video on Your Phone
• Leveraging Social Media

New Water-Saving Commodities Partnerships to Enhance Acequias

The Colorado Association of Conservation Districts and the New Mexico Association of Conservation Districts have been preliminarily selected to receive $15 million in funding to improve community-operated irrigation systems called acequias. Acequias are vital to irrigation, wetland, and groundwater replenishment. You can read more about the partnership here.

Sharing Session Recording

Thank you to all who tuned in for our most recent sharing session! NACD leadership joined us for a discussion about issues facing the Southwest Region. It was an excellent opportunity to have an open-format conversation with our leadership. Thank you, NACD President Kim LaFleur, CEO Jeremy Peters, and Director of Government Affairs Chris Young, for joining! The recording of the session can be viewed here. Please let me know if you found this session valuable, and I can talk to leadership about making this an annual event!

Congratulations to Sadie Lister!

Sadie Lister of Arizona has been selected for the 2025 NCF Next Generation Leadership Institute (NGLI) Cohort!

Sadie is the Arizona Association of Conservation Districts (AACD) Secretary and a Little Colorado River SWCD board member. She is a 7th-generation rancher who raises cattle and sheep. She became a Little Colorado River Soil and Water Conservation District/Navajo Nation member in 2010. As well as Tribal District Liaison to the AACD, Sadie is an elected representative for the Community of Indian Wells.

The goals of NGLI are to equip conservation district leaders:

• To become tomorrow's national leaders through personal, civic, and organizational leadership development to meet the future needs of natural resources management.
• By increasing their capacity to navigate and manage complex current and future conservation challenges at the national level, which impact conservation districts across the United States.

NGLI was officially launched in 2019 and provides conservation district leaders with the tools to become national leaders through personal, civic, and organizational leadership development. This year-long training equips the cohort with the skills to build a better tomorrow. Congratulations Sadie!

Stewardship with Vision - Jim Berlier

I was perusing the Western Landowners Association webpage a few weeks ago and stumbled across this gem! Our very own Jim Berlier talking about the conservation practices he's implemented. While the video isn't exactly breaking news (it's from six year ago) the message still rings true today. I encourage you to give it a watch when you have the chance.

Press Releases

01-21-25 - NACD Announces Application Period for Urban and Community Conservation Grants

01-14-25 - Working Lands Conservation Corps Partners Announce Request for Proposals for Host Organizations 

12-21-24 - NACD Laments Conservation Funding Not Included in End-of-Year Bill

12-15-24 - NACD Urges Congress to Include Producer Assistance and IRA Conservation Provisions in End-of-Year Bill

11-26-24 - NACD Applauds USDA Launch of Water-Saving Initiative to Support Acequias and Conservation Districts in the Southwest 

Letters and Comments

01-30-25 - NACD Requests Exception to Pause on Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) Financial Assistance Funds

12-23-24 - NACD Comments on the Natural Resources Conservation Services’ Conservation Practice Standards

12-02-24 - NACD Letter to Congress Urging Disaster Relief Legislation

11-18-24 - NACD Transition Letter to President-Elect Trump

09-17-24 - NACD Comments on USDA Implementation of the SUSTAINS Act

• February 8-12, 2024 - NACD Annual Meeting | Salt Lake City, UT
• March 26, 2025 - NACD Spring Fly-In | Washington, D.C.
• April 27 – May 4, 2025 - Stewardship Week: “Home is Where the Habitat is”
• July 20 – 26, 2025 - NCF-Envirothon Annual Competition | Calgary, Alberta
• July 25 – 30, 2025 - NACD Summer Conservation Forum and Tour | Milwaukee, WI
• February 14 – 19, 2026 - NACD Annual Meeting | San Antonio, TX
• July 17 – 22, 2026 - NACD Summer Conservation Forum and Tour | Grand Rapids, MI
• July 19 – 25, 2026 - NCF-Envirothon Annual Competition | Starkville, Mississippi
• February 6 – 10, 2027 - NACD Annual Meeting | Las Vegas, NV