Welcome to the first NACD Southwest Region newsletter, delivering announcements and news to NACD Board Members, conservation districts, state associations and agency leadership across the Southwest. Please feel free to forward to anyone who might be interested - they can subscribe to the mailing list on the Southwest Region Webpage.
Please reach out to Rachel with questions and newsletter content ideas.
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Get to Know Your New
Southwest Region Representative
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I'm looking forward to getting out and meeting you all in-person soon, but in the meantime, I thought I'd tell you about myself.
I grew up in Northwest Montana, so close to the Canadian border that some claim they can hear a slight Canadian accent, and occasionally, I have to stop myself from saying “eh.” There are a lot of trees in that part of the world, so forestry and logging are the main forms of employment. My grandpa was a forester for Plum Creek Timber for nearly 50 years and would sometimes take me out with him before I was old enough to go to school. My job was attempting to tie flagging on the trees to save prior to the loggers getting there. Considering I could barely tie my own shoes at that point, I don’t know how good I was at this particular task. I was lucky enough to spend my middle and high school summers on a 1,200-acre cattle ranch in southern British Columbia, where I rode around on a 17-hand horse named Theodore, checking on cows and calves.
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I went to college at the University of Montana in Missoula, where I majored in communication studies. I built trail and fought fire for the U.S. Forest Service during the summers. I met my now husband in the middle of nowhere on a fire. He was a Smokejumper, and I was just a girl without a spark plug in her chainsaw, but that’s a story for another time. Preferably, over a cold beverage.
After college, I worked for the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation (RMEF). I grew up hunting and fishing just 20 miles east of where RMEF was born, so this was a dream gig for a recent grad. My husband is from Colorado, so we decided to see what opportunities awaited us there in 2013. My mother’s family actually homesteaded in Boulder in the 1800’s, so I wasn’t a complete newbie to Colorado either. We settled in Trinidad for a while, and I worked for the Purgatoire Watershed Partnership helping put together a watershed plan. The local conservation district served as the fiscal agent for that project, so that was my first introduction to the great work conservation districts do.
Following a brief stint in Alaska, we resettled in Colorado, eventually ending up where we are now, in Buena Vista. In 2015, I started working for the Colorado State Conservation Board, which provides guidance to the state’s 76 conservation districts. I supported 28 conservation districts in the southeast part of the state and eventually added communications coordinator to my list of duties. During my time with CSCB, I was privileged to serve as the National Association of State Conservation Agencies (NASCA) representative on NACD’s Forestry Resource Policy Group (RPG). I firmly believe conservation districts are in the best position to get conservation on the ground. Nothing beats ground-up conservation originating from folks who love and live on the ground they are trying to help.
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On my off time, you can usually find me hunting, fishing, hiking, canoeing or skiing with my husband and my three dogs. I’m a sucker for anything with peanut butter, and I like to listen to classic rock while imagining the 1969 Corvette Stingray I hope to own someday.
I’m sincerely looking forward to working with all of you on conservation issues facing the Southwest. I hope to meet most of you at the NACD summer meeting in Chicago, but I’m planning on getting out on the road to see your priorities and challenges firsthand (more info below). In the meantime, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me.
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Southwest Region Representation on Foundation Committees |
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Last month, President Michael Crowder announced the rosters for the NACD Foundation Committees. The Southwest Region is represented on these committees as follows:
Communications Committee
District Operations and Member Services Committee
Legislative Committee
Stewardship and Education Committee
Natural Resource Policy Committee
- New Mexico
- Arizona
- Nevada
Resource Policy Groups
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Forestry RPG - The Forestry RPG is currently lacking Southwest representation! Please contact Rachel if you or someone you know would be interested in serving on this RPG.
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Invasive Species RPG - Mark Kuechel, Arizona
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Tribal RPG - Thomas Mendez, New Mexico
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Public Lands - Chair: Jake Tibbitts, Nevada & Frank Krentz, Arizona
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Urban and Community - Karen Berry, Colorado
Thank you NACD Board Members and alternates for your leadership on these Committees!
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66th Annual Stewardship Week Starts April 25 |
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NACD encourages districts to celebrate trees and promote forest conservation with socially-distanced forest and state park tours and presentations, online forestry workshops and demonstrations, press releases to local media, proclamations and other virtual events.
NACD has developed four graphics to promote on social media using the hashtag #StewardshipWeek. Stay tuned to NACD's social media accounts throughout the week for short videos from around the country--including the Southwest Region--featuring trees and forests.
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2021 Technical Assistance Grants Program Update |
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Through an agreement with the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), the Technical Assistance (TA) Grants program enables NACD to provide funding to conservation districts to hire staff where additional capacity is needed to improve customer service and reduce workload pressure. |
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New Applicants: TA2021 Request for Proposals Open |
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The TA2021 Request for Proposals (RFP) for new applicants is now open, with $1.9 million in funding available. New applicants are encouraged to apply by June 6 for funding if their proposals are supported by their state and territory conservation partnership leaders.
For webinar details, additional information and to apply, visit this webpage.
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Current Grantees: TA2021 Priority Requests Announced |
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On April 2, NACD announced the TA2021 awards for current grantees (i.e., Priority Requests).
The Southwest Region was awarded nearly $1.3 million in TA2021 Priority Request funding! All six states in the region participated in the Priority Requests. View the full announcement here.
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Register Now! Western Winds, Water & Wildfires Summit
May 6, 2021
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On May 6, NACD will host a Western Winds, Water & Wildfires Summit. The one-day summit will focus on the National Cohesive Wildland Fire Management Strategy and ways conservation districts can engage. Registration is now open and can be found here.
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Save the Date! Southwest/Pacific Region Meeting |
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Southwest Traveling Roadshow |
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Hopefully, I'll be meeting all of you at the Summer Meeting in Chicago, or at the Pacific/Southwest Region meeting in Jackson in August. As great as it will be to get together for these meetings, nothing can make up for meeting out in the field and seeing your projects and priorities firsthand. That's why I'm planning what I'm calling the "Southwest Traveling Roadshow" this summer. I'm going to hit the road and come see TA projects, priorities and challenges throughout the Southwest. NACD travel is paused at least through May, but as soon as we're given the green light I'll be in contact with all six states to figure out what the "can't miss" areas are for all of you. More details coming soon, but if you have any ideas off the top of your head, feel free to shoot me an email or give me a call. Looking forward to seeing you all out on the range! |
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Thanks for Your Virtual Advocacy Efforts! |
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Thanks for your participation in Virtual Advocacy Week from March 22-26, 2021!
If your advocacy efforts are continuing, you can still visit NACD's Advocacy Week webpage to find issue papers, tips and a recording of the Virtual Advocacy Week briefing that addressed Fiscal Year 2022 appropriations requests, natural resource health and management and climate change.
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Southwest Districts At Work |
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New Mexico has two new NACD Soil Health Champions! Learn how Carl Struck and Johanne Riddick have improved forest soil health in this blog post.
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On March 31, NACD announced the awardees of the 2021 round of the Urban Agriculture Conservation Grant Initiative. Nationwide, 20 conservation districts across 14 states were awarded grants.
Congratulations to Colorado's Jefferson Conservation District!
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Arizona is developing a portal to assist conservation districts and the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) identify priority conservation needs, as well as develop conservation plans and track progress. Learn more about this innovative endeavor here.
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June 6, 2021 - Deadline to apply for NACD TA2021 grant funding
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