The Friends of NACD District Grants Program is now accepting applications for grants up to $2,500! Now in its fourth round of funding, the Friends of NACD District Grants Program is an initiative of the NACD District Operations and Member Services (DOMS) Committee. The 2023 program will award eight grants, up to $2,500 each, to conservation districts to conduct new activities or test novel approaches to their operations. Awards will be announced at the 2023 NACD Annual Meeting in New Orleans, Louisiana.

“Thanks to the generous donations to Friends of NACD, we are able to once again award eight grants to conservation districts in 2023,” said Franklin Williams, chair of the NACD DOMS Committee. “NACD is excited to help conservation districts fund new, locally-led conservation activities to support their communities.”

Conservation districts may view the complete request for proposals (RFP) and application instructions on the Friends of NACD District Grants webpage, and apply through the online application form by 11:59 p.m., local time on Nov. 29, 2022.

Questions may be directed to NACD Southeast Region Representative Candice Abinanti at candice-abinanti@nacdnet.org.

50 YEARS OF THE

CLEAN WATER ACT:

OXFORD COUNTY SWCD WATER QUALITY PROJECTS IN THE ANDROSCOGGIN RIVER WATERSHED

October 2022 marks the 50th Anniversary of the Clean Water Act. The Androscoggin River’s declining water quality in the 1960s and 70s was the inspiration for Ed Muskie to draft the Clean Water Act in 1972. The river was a receptacle for paper mill waste, sewage, and stormwater runoff from uncontrolled development for most of its length from New Hampshire to the Atlantic Ocean. Not only was it unhealthy for drinking, but also fishing and swimming. A large portion of the Androscoggin River runs through Oxford County Maine. Since 1972, the water quality has steady and vastly improved due to the Clean Water Act. Oxford County Soil & Water Conservation District (OCSWCD) is doing its part to continue improving water quality in the watershed through 319 Projects, which are funded by the Clean Water Act.

Currently OCSWCD has been working on two projects that protect water quality sub-watersheds of the river. The Lake Pennesseewassee and Anasagunticook Watershed Protection Projects are 2-year 319 projects which are both in their final year. These projects have brought over $128,000 in federal grant funds to Oxford County and have been matched locally by over $118,000 of in-kind and cash contributions to get this important work done. That’s $246,000 of conservation work put on the ground that directly benefits Oxford County, its towns and citizens, as well as the health of the Androscoggin River. These two projects address non-point source (NPS) pollution, primarily caused by stormwater runoff and soil erosion, that has adverse effects on the water quality of our lakes; lakes that are focal points of our local economy.

Text by Michele Windsor, Oxford County SWCD. Read the full article on NACD's blog. 

DONATE ITEMS TO THE

2023 NCF LIVE AUCTION

The National Conservation Foundation (NCF) is now accepting item donations for the 2023 Live Auction! The auction is a great opportunity to support the Foundation’s conservation programs including the NCF-Envirothon program and the Next Generation Leadership Institute. 

During the 2023 NACD Annual Meeting in New Orleans, LA, NCF will host their annual Live Auction on February 13, 2023, beneffiting the foundation's conservation education programs. The mission of the NCF is to identify and advance strategic programs and partnerships to deliver conservation solutions through locally led conservation and to develop the next generation of conservation leaders. The vision of the NCF is to support delivery of locally led conservation and to create future conservation leaders.

Individuals, conservation districts, state associations, and partner organizations are encouraged to donate unique items for the NCF Live Auction. Items can feature local artists, a special product made only in your state or territory, or interesting items with a conservation theme. Successful items in past auctions include pottery, jewelry, and "made in" agriculture products. Since the NCF is returning to the live only auction format, after completing the Auction Donation Form donors will be provided the shipping information for the meeting hotel and a date window. Smaller items can be brought along by NACD Annual Meeting attendees but will still need an Auction Donation Form entry. As they are received, all items will get an entry on the NACD Annual Meeting webpage's NCF Live Auction tab with a description, photo, and credit to the item donor. Please have all donations forms submitted by January 31, 2023. 

If you have questions, please contact Keith Owen, NACD Director of Education at keith-owen@nacdnet.org. The 2023 NCF Auction is a great opportunity to support the NCF and its conservation programs!

STATE/TERRITORY LEADERS MEET TO ESTABLISH ASSOC. OF CONSERVATION EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS

Last month, the State/Territory Associations’ Executive Directors held their annual conference in Lewes, DE. At the meeting the Association of Conservation Executive Directors (ACED) was formally created as an NACD Affiliated Organization and passed their bylaws by unanimous consensus.

The conference was attended (in person and virtually) by nearly two dozen Executive Directors as well as the NACD liaison and NACD Projects and Partnerships Coordinator, Meg Leader. NACD CEO Jeremy Peters also joined for the kick-off dinner on the first night. While the bulk of the time was spent developing the bylaws, Chris Young, NACD Director of Government Affairs, lead a discussion the next morning of the upcoming FarmBill followed by Mark Hudson, Executive Director of the Ag Container Recycling Council, presenting information on ACRC’s mission. After the bylaws were passed, the meeting concluded with a tour of University of Delaware’s Marine Research Complex and a visit with NACD Soil Health Champion Brad Ritter.

ACED will hold its first Annual Meeting during NACD’s 2023 Annual Meeting in New Orleans. During the meeting, ACED will elect their first set of officers. All state/territory association Executive Directors are encouraged to participate. To lead ACED until the election, the conference attendees elected by consensus Bryan Evans, North Carolina Association of SWCD, as interim President; Sarah Blaney, Oklahoma Association of Conservation Districts, as interim Vice-President and Janelle Mead, Ohio Federation of SWCD as interim Secretary/Treasurer.

SHARING KNOWLEDGE: A SOIL HEALTH FIELD TRAINING

One of the current challenges facing the ag industry is training new staff in the field. On August 23, 2022, thirteen conservation planning staff from the North Central Zone of Oklahoma met at Kay County Conservation District Board Member Rick Jeans' property to learn more about soil health, communicating with landowners, and the Slake Test.  

Jeans, a landowner from Kay County, OK, and NACD soil health champion, has fields where he has been implementing a no-till rotation for up to 30 years. Jeans discussed his fields but also gave some insight on communicating with landowners who may be interested in soil health practices or conservation opportunities. One of the no-till fields the attendees visited showcased the diversity of plants present. There were soybeans planted into wheat stubble and even old milo stalks were standing.  

It was a great place to run the soil health assessment and take a closer look at the soil. Conservation planning staff evaluated the soil for resource concerns such as soil compaction, soil temperature, organic matter depletion, aggregate instability, and soil organism habitat loss or degradation. To evaluate aggregate instability they used the Slake Test. This is a test to see how well soil holds together when submerged in water. A healthy soil system has microorganisms that create biological glues that builds soil structure and can stay connected even in water, whereas an unhealthy soil that is only clumped due to compaction will fall apart in water. 

Viewing several fields throughout the day gave the group opportunities to evaluate different levels of soil heath and management practices as well as a chance to communicate with landowners in the field to determine how resource concerns can be addressed. It was emphasized to all attendees of the importance of getting into the field, walking with and talking to landowners, and showing them the tools NRCS uses. Ultimately, utilizing the producers input to develop possible plans will provide both the planner and the landowner with a clear path to success.