NACD's latest edition of The Resource has arrived! In this summer's edition, you'll find updates from our team in D.C. and stories from conservation districts across the country that are making an impact on natural resource management in their communities.

On behalf of all of us at NACD, we are proud to be your national voice and showcase the conservation work being accomplished across the country. We hope you will enjoy this edition and be inspired by your peers in the conservation district family. 

Browse past editions of The Resource on NACD's website and please let us know if you have any questions or comments about this edition.

NACD ANNOUNCES URBAN AND COMMUNITY CONSERVATION GRANT RECIPIENTS

On Friday, June 30, 2023, NACD announced the 2023 Urban and Community Conservation (UAC) grant initiative recipients. Twenty-nine conservation districts and tribes representing all seven of NACD’s regions were awarded $1,295,735 in funding.

Examples of this year’s projects include developing agricultural programs for special-needs children and young adults, establishing community food banks, an education program for small-acreage and subdivision residents, an outreach and education program that provides translation services to non-English speaking farmers and outreach support to veterans, as well as school and community garden projects.

Since 2016, NACD has led the efforts of this successful grant program in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) to help conservation districts build technical capacity within nontraditional agricultural systems.

Through the partnership, NACD has awarded over $7.75 million to 140 conservation districts and tribes in 39 states and Puerto Rico. As part of an ongoing effort to build capacity in the community-oriented agricultural space, NACD started offering UAC planning grants, for up to $10,000, in 2022.

“The Urban and Community Conservation grants are an integral part of our efforts to get conservation on the ground, and reach historically underserved communities,” said Kim LaFleur, NACD President. “These projects enable grant recipients and their partners to address multiple resource concerns and important issues like local food access and security.”

More information about the program, including this year's and past grantees, is available on NACD’s Urban and Community Conservation webpage.

NACD & NCPP OPEN NOMINATIONS FOR

HHB CONSERVATION EXCELLENCE AWARDS

On July 3, NACD and the National Conservation Planning Partnership (NCPP) launched the nomination form for the 2023 Hugh Hammond Bennett (HHB) Award for Conservation Excellence! The deadline to submit nominations is September 1, 2023.

Nominations are sought from all of NACD's regions for the Producer and Planner award categories. Those interested in making a nomination should coordinate their nomination with their respective NCPP state or territory partnership leaders; Natural Resources Conservation Service state conservationist, conservation district state association, state resource conservation and development council association, state conservation district employees' association, and state conservation agency leadership.

More information can be found on the NCPP website. We encourage you to work with your state partners and nominate conservation leaders in your community to be recognized for their work!

WHAT'S UP IN WASHINGTON? GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS UPDATE

The House and Senate are continuing to develop and negotiate appropriations bills to fund federal agencies in fiscal year 2024. Last week, NACD sent a follow-up letter to the House and Senate Appropriations Subcommittees on Agriculture supporting strong funding for NRCS Conservation Operations in the final spending agreement. NACD will continue working with Congress to support conservation operations and other priorities as the appropriations process moves forward. 



On Thursday, July 13, NACD’s Government Affairs Team will participate in a 2023 Farm Bill Roundtable hosted by the House Democratic Task Force on Agriculture and Nutrition in the 21^st Century, which is chaired by Congressman Bennie G. Thompson (MS-02). The Task Force intends to identify priorities for the House Democratic Caucus in the 2023 Farm Bill.  

On July 5, 2023 NACD submitted comments in response to the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) proposed rule “Conservation and Landscape Health”. As of July 5, there were over a million comments in response. The rule proposes to add conservation as a “use” on public lands, elevating it to the same status as other uses within the Federal Land Policy and Management Act (FLPMA) multi-use framework, i.e. grazing, recreation, mining, etc. NACD generally supports BLM’s efforts to encourage conservation practices on public lands but raised certain concerns with the potential impact this addition of conservation as a use may have on current production and uses on public lands.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced that in light of the recent decision in Sackett v. EPA it will be releasing an amended definition of “waters of the United States” by September 1, 2023. The decision in the Sackett matter removed the premise of a hydrologic connection found by a significant nexus and relies on the plurality opinion of Justice Scalia to determine that a continuous surface connection of a relatively permanent water is required to support a finding of jurisdiction. In response to a question at the Western Governors Association’s annual meeting, Administrator Michael Regan acknowledged that the Supreme Court decision is the most prescriptive guidance provided by the Court on this issue and EPA will make the necessary changes in order to ensure that implementation remains consistent across the country. 

NGLI GRADUATE APPOINTED TO CONSERVATION COMMISSION

On Monday, June 5, NCF's Next Generation Leadership Institute (NGLI) alumnus Samuel Grant Victor III was sworn in as the Area III Commissioner for the Oklahoma Conservation Commission (OCC). Victor was nominated by Governor Kevin Stitt in a hearing earlier this year and approved by the Senate Committee on Agriculture and Rural Affairs on May 8. Following this hearing, his appointment was put to vote by the full Oklahoma Senate for approval. Grant will now serve his five year term along with four other OCC commissioners to guide state policy and advise the Governor on matters concerning the wise use of Oklahoma’s natural resources.

Grant is a fourth generation rancher from Afton, Oklahoma. Prior to his appointment to the Conservation Commission he served on the Oklahoma Association of Conservation Districts (OACD) board and as a mentor for their Conservation & Agriculture Reach Everyone (CARE) program, designed to increase participation in conservation planning and programs with an emphasis on assisting socially disadvantaged and veteran farmers and ranchers. Grant is a member of the Cherokee Nation and volunteers his time there as well as with the Grand Lake of the Cherokees watershed coalition. He has also been a very active and involved supervisor for the Ottawa County Conservation District for over 20 years.

Grant considers himself a helper and a lifelong learner, and among his many accomplishments he is a graduate of the National Conservation Foundation’s Next Generation Leadership Institute. During his year with the program he exemplified the qualities that the program looks for in a conservation leader, and quickly became a unifying voice of the cohort. Grant always seeks first to understand, then to resolve, and is an invaluable resource to all who know him. He graduated from the NGLI program in February 2023 at the NACD Annual Meeting in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Since his graduation Grant has continued to excel and progress in his leadership journey. Along with his recent appointment to the OCC by Governor Stitt, Grant has been appointed to the new Outreach subcommittee for NACD and continues his conservation district, tribal, and coalition duties.

Grant Victor is the perfect example of a success story for the NGLI program and conservation districts overall. Both NCF and NACD are proud of his appointment to Oklahoma Conservation Commissioner, and extend heartfelt congratulations on this next step in his leadership journey!