Last week, NACD announced that its Northeast Mid-Atlantic Forests and Water Partnership project was awarded a $585,824 grant from the USDA Forest Service’s Landscape Scale Restoration (LSR) program. This grant will enable the Partnership to continue to advance its mission to create a collaborative network that leverages resources to manage, restore, and conserve forests and protect water resources. The vision of resilient and well-managed forests that improve water resources and create healthy watersheds will guide this effort. 

The Northeast Mid-Atlantic Forests and Water Partnership is an interagency, multi-partner collaboration dedicated to enhancing forest and water priorities across a 13-state footprint, from Maine to West Virginia and Ohio. Established in 2023, this partnership leverages the expertise of the U.S. Forest Service (USFS), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), state agencies, non-governmental organizations, and conservation districts. 

Read more in this NACD press release.

BE A CONSERVATION LEADER WITH THE 2025 NGLI COHORT

In 2019, NACD’s sister organization, the National Conservation Foundation, (NCF) launched the Next Generation Leadership institute (NGLI) to equip conservation district leaders with the tools to become national, state, and local leaders through personal, civic, and organizational leadership development. The program was created in response to a high demand for leadership instruction for conservation district leaders facing the challenges of a changing world.

Starting next month, NGLI will begin recruiting members for the 2025 cohort! Ideal candidates are elected or appointed district officials currently serving a conservation district who have exhibited strong leadership and would like to carry that leadership further into service of conservation districts. In these changing times, we need strong leaders that can adapt and carry us through change to allow conservation districts to emerge stronger on the other side.

Applications open July 1 and close September 30.

If you have identified a candidate, or think you may be one yourself, check out our website to see if NGLI might be the next step in your leadership journey. 

REGISTER FOR CONSERVATION PLANNING TRAINING!

NRCS is offering Conservation Planning Part Two training in partnership with the National Conservation Planning Partnership (NCPP) this July, August, and September. This course meets the requirement for conservation planning procedures core competency as a conservation planner for all states and U.S. territories. There is no registration fee, but all meal, travel and incidental costs are incumbent of the participant or participant's employer. 

This training will be offered in four locations across the U.S. Participants can attend any location regardless of the state(s) in which they seek certification. Participants only need to attend one event but must complete all five days of one event to successfully complete the course.

The dates and locations offered are:

• July 16-19, 2024, Raleigh, NC - Cropland/Forestland/Pasture
• Starts at 12:30PM on July 16
• Ends at 1:00PM on July 19
• August 13-16, 2024, Columbus, OH - Cropland/Pasture
• Starts at 12:30PM on August 13
• Ends at 1:00PM on August 16
• September 24-27, 2024, Columbia, MO - Animal Headquarters/Cropland/Wildlife
• Starts at 12:30PM on September 24
• Ends at 1:00PM on September 27
• September 23-26, 2024, Ponderay, ID - Forestland/Pasture
• Starts at 12:30PM on September 23
• Ends at 1:00PM on September 26

The demand is expected to be high, so please register at your earliest convenience to ensure your spot in the course. Each session is limited to 30 participants. Registration for this event must be completed no less than 35 days prior to each session using the provided link.

Find more information in this informational two-pager and register here.

HHB AWARD NOMINATIONS OPEN JULY 1

The Hugh Hammond Bennett 2024 Award nominations open July 1!

Invoking the leadership and dedication of Hugh Hammond Bennett, the father of the modern soil conservation movement and the first chief of the Soil Conservation Service (now Natural Resources Conservation Service), the Hugh Hammond Bennett Award for Conservation Excellence recognizes a producer and a conservation planner from within the NCPP who have exemplified outstanding service through development and implementation of sound conservation planning and other conservation techniques.

The producer award recognizes any producer working with NCPP partner organizations on conservation planning or implementation of a conservation plan. The conservation planner award recognizes any NCPP partnership employees. Partner organizations are those recognized by NCPP at the national, state, or local level.

The national producer and conservation planner 2024 award winners will be formally recognized at the NACD Annual Meeting Appreciation Banquet in February of 2025. 

These awards are sponsored by the NCPP whose members include NACD, NRCS, National Association of State Conservation Agencies (NASCA), National Conservation District Employees Association (NCDEA) and the National Association of Resource Conservation and Development Councils (NARC&DC).

More information about the award and how to apply can be found on NCPP’s website.

WHAT'S UP IN WASHINGTON:

GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS UPDATE

The Senate Committee on Agriculture’s Ranking Member John Boozman released a farm bill framework today. This follows the Senate Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow introducing a framework and the House Agriculture Committee voting to advance a full farm bill. The Senate Agriculture Committee has not yet introduced a full bill and the committee-passed bill in the House is not yet scheduled to be considered by the full chamber.

This evening, the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture will consider a newly introduced bill to fund USDA and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in Fiscal Year 2025. Similar to the bill introduced in the House last year, this bill would marginally decrease funding for NRCS Conservation Operations, a top NACD priority. It would also decrease funding for NRCS watershed programs. The Senate must also release and consider their own appropriations bills before a final agreement can be passed into law. NACD is continuing to advocate for our appropriations priorities.

GREENE COUNTY CD INCREASES REACH WITH POLLINATOR PROGRAM

In 2023, the Greene County Conservation District (CD) in western Alabama was awarded a Friends of NACD District Grant to construct an educational “Bee Friendly” Garden Project at their field office. In partnership with the Alabama Conservation District Employees Association, local USDA agency partners, local extension offices, gardening clubs/organizations, and others, the Greene County CD hosted several educational opportunities featuring the district’s new “Bee Friendly” Garden. The results continue to be bountiful, reaching new community members and partners while stimulating more local interest in pollinator habitat.  

Designed with ease and local applicability in mind, the “Bee Friendly” Garden at Green County CD’s office has been a model project for urban and rural landowners alike throughout the district’s service area. While featuring important native pollinator plants, the garden also acts as a small-scale honey production site, further inspiring cooperators, clients, workshop participants, and passersby in the community to learn more about the processes behind pollinators and beekeeping. The project has also increased the district’s reach throughout the community and led to partnerships with local clubs, the public library, and many community members who had no former knowledge of conservation districts. 

Since the rollout of the “Bee Friendly” Garden Project at the annual Greene County Soil & Water Outdoor Science School, students of all ages have become more engaged and familiar with the science of pollination. Increased foot traffic has allowed the district to sell more books and maps and advertise their conservation services more broadly. Greene County CD plans to expand its pollinator education program over time and will continue to feature the “Bee Friendly” Garden project in ongoing events. District Administrative Coordinator Lorena Wilson now has landowners approaching her with interest in improving pollinator habitat for their fruit trees, crops, and native grasses.

“This is exactly what our conservation district wanted to happen!” said Wilson.

Read more about Greene County CD's success with a Friends of NACD District Grant in this NACD blog post.