This year's Stewardship Week 2022 is April 24 through May 1 focusing on the theme of "Healthy Soil: Healthy Life." A Stewardship Week proclamations template for state and territory use is now available on the NACD Conservation Education Hub.

The NACD Education Team is currently planning activities and daily social media posts for the 2022 Stewardship Week. For more information, contact Rachel Edwards, NACD Stewardship and Education Coordinator at rachel-edwards@nacdnet.org. 

“Effective conservation begins at the grassroots level, putting boots on the ground in local communities to advance locally-led conservation efforts where they’re needed most,” said NACD President Michael Crowder. “This spending package is a testament to the importance of collaborative conservation at the federal, state, and local levels, and solidifies the dedication NACD and its partners have toward advancing that mission.”

“The nation’s nearly 3,000 diverse conservation districts and their local communities will no doubt benefit from the increased investment to conservation and environmental programs included in this spending package,” said NACD CEO Jeremy Peters. “NACD will continue to do its part to advocate for the advancement of conservation on all landscapes.”

Read the full press release in NACD's Newsroom.

NACD and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) are hosting a webinar for NACD members on March 16 at 4 p.m. ET to assist in navigating its new Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities program. The program will finance pilot projects that create market opportunities for U.S. agricultural and forestry products that use climate-smart practices and include innovative, cost-effective ways to measure and verify greenhouse gas benefits. More information about the Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities can be found on the USDA Climate-Smart Commodities Website.

To access the webinar, use the Zoom link below. We kindly ask that you submit any questions you may have ahead of the webinar to give speakers time to prepare. You can submit your questions here.

If you have any questions surrounding the event, please contact Jennifer Nelligan, NACD Chief Program Officer, at jen-nelligan@nacdnet.org.

The current Farm Bill reauthorization is set to expire September 30, 2023. Congressional committees have already begun oversight hearings on various programs including conservation title programs to hear how implementation is going. 

Following NACD's 2022 Annual Meeting, NACD President Michael Crowder formed NACD's Farm Bill Task Force, which will guide and develop principles, priorities, and recommendations for the upcoming farm bill reauthorization. Task force members will include the following leaders and partner advisers:

NACD encourages members to reach out to the offices of their congressional representatives to schedule virtual fly-in meetings, beginning Tuesday, March 22. Though traveling to Washington, D.C. is not possible this spring due to ongoing concerns with COVID-19 and restrictions on Capitol Hill, it is still incredibly important that you meet with the offices of your federal representatives to share your priorities and the great work conservation districts are doing in your state. As you begin to schedule meetings with your legislators, please let our Government Affairs Team know via email or by filling out our meeting information form.

NACD’s Government Affairs Team hosted two advocacy trainings via Zoom last week for members and partners participating in the Virtual Fly-In. In addition to reviewing federal policy priorities, the advocacy training provided tips on meeting with legislators and their staffs. A recording of the training is available for those who missed last week’s sessions. To view NACD’s Issue Papers and other resources, please visit the Spring Fly-In Event page on NACD’s website.

Please contact NACD’s Director of Government Affairs, Chris Young, at chris-young@nacdnet.org if you have any questions about NACD’s Virtual Fly-In, the Zoom training, or if you need additional information.

Last week, NACD attended the 2022 Commodity Classic in New Orleans, LA. The event, held March 10 – 12, surrounded the theme of “The Future is in your Hands.”

The Commodity Classic is America's largest farmer-led, farmer-focused agricultural and educational event, where thousands of farmers and agricultural innovators convene to discuss the challenges of today's agricultural landscape.

NACD had a space at the trade show to talk all things conservation – from our soil health portfolio and technical assistance grants, to the role of conservation districts, our farm bill priorities, and more. NACD was represented at the event by President Michael Crowder, CEO Jeremy Peters, COO Karla Maldonado-Mitchell, CPO Jennifer Nelligan, South Central Region Representative Wesley Gibson, Projects and Partnerships Coordinator Meg Leader, Communications Coordinator Katrina Stacey, 2020 Next Generation Leadership Institute (NGLI) Cohort Member Phil Campbell, and 2022 NGLI Cohort Member Grant Victor. Campbell and Victor are also both NACD Soil Health Champions.

The event’s general session on Friday, March 11 featured a keynote by U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack who announced the extension of deadlines to apply for Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities funding opportunities.

NACD looks forward to participating in the 2023 Commodity Classic in Orlando, FL. Learn more about the event on their website.

Each year, thousands of students from across the U.S., Canada, and China participate in the National Conservation Foundation's (NCF) Envirothon program. Through NCF-Envirothon, students are introduced to a wide array of career opportunities in environmental, natural resource, and conservation fields – finding a passion they want to turn into a career.

To help Envirothon students navigate the next steps in their journey, the NCF-Envirothon is partnering with the University of Delaware (UD) College of Agriculture and Natural Resources on a College and Career Showcase on Wednesday, March 16, 2022, at 7:00 p.m. ET. The Showcase will introduce students to a variety of possibilities and opportunities that will enable them to take their Envirothon knowledge to the next level.

All high school students are invited to attend to learn how to turn their passion for the environment and natural resources into action, education, and employment opportunities!

NACD is seeking candidates for a full-time Staff Accountant based in the Washington, D.C. office. The position will be responsible for managing general ledger accounting, financial reporting, grants management, and auditing. The Staff Accountant will report to the Chief Operating Officer.

See the full job description on NACD's website. For interested candidates, please send cover letter and resume to the attention of NACD HR with ‘Staff Accountant’ in the subject line to hr@nacdnet.org no later than Friday, April 1, 2022 to receive priority consideration.

On Wednesday, March 16 at 10:00am ET, the U.S. House of Representatives Agriculture Committee will hold another hearing in a series titled “A 2022 Review of the Farm Bill.” Four previous hearings in the series have been held this year as the committee begins its efforts leading up to the 2023 Farm Bill. This week’s hearing will focus on the role of USDA programs in addressing climate change and is set to include testimony from six witnesses on this topic. More information about the hearing, as well as the livestream, will be available on the committee’s website. 

Want to learn more about opportunities available for districts through the Coastal Resource Resiliency Fund? Join the upcoming Urban and Community (U&C) webinar! This webinar will feature speakers from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation’s (NFWF) National Coastal Resilience Fund (NCRF) to help participants navigate this grant opportunity.

NCRF’s Field Liaisons Joanne Throwe and Kyle Gray, from Throwe Environmental, will describe how conservation districts can help communities take advantage of NCRF funding to make long-term investments in coastal resilience and ecosystems. 

Please see NACD's Urban and Community Conservation webpage for additional information and the archive of the webinars, and contact Ariel Rivers, Ph.D., NACD Pacific Region Representative, at ariel-rivers@nacdnet.org with any questions.

The National Estuary Program (NEP) Coastal Watersheds Grant (CWG) program is a nationally competitive grants program to support projects that address urgent and challenging issues threatening the well-being of coastal and estuarine areas within determined estuaries of national significance. Restore America’s Estuaries (RAE) administers the NEP CWG Program in cooperation with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and recently announced the 2022 Request for Proposals (RFP).

Eligible applicants include state, interstate, tribal, inter-tribal consortia, and regional water pollution control agencies and entities, state coastal zone management agencies, and other public or nonprofit private agencies, institutions, and organizations, including county and local governments and conservation districts. Eligible projects must be within the geographic areas shown on this interactive map. Letters of Intent (LOIs) are due by Friday, May 27, 2022.

Approximately $1 million is available and subawards will range between $75,000 and $250,000, resulting in roughly three to ten total subawards per funding year. New this year, organizations may request a full or partial waiver from the non-federal match requirement. Learn more here and by joining an informational webinar on March 24 or March 30. View last year’s grantees here.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will host the first public meeting of the inaugural Federal Advisory Committee for Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production on March 23-24, 2022. The public, including urban producers, are encouraged to attend. 

USDA’s Office of Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production is coordinating the meeting, which runs from 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. ET on March 23 and 24, 2022. To attend, register by March 18, 2022.

Additional details can be found here.

The National Association of State Conservation Agencies (NASCA) seeks an outstanding individual with experience in organizational leadership to serve as Executive Director. They must possess excellent communication skills, with the ability to develop meaningful working relationships with a wide array of partnering organizations and individuals.

The role is responsible for implementing the strategic plan for the organization. While the Board of Directors sets strategic priorities for the organization, it is the responsibility of the Executive Director to direct all operations, manage all contracts and contractors, oversee all fiscal management, develop and maintain partnerships, and manage all internal and external communications on behalf of NASCA.

Statements of proposal will be received until 4:00 p.m. ET on April 1, 2022. These materials should be sent electronically via e-mail to Bill Smith, NASCA President, at bill.smith@nascanet.org.

More information about the request for proposals can be found here. 

Promote your conservation district or state association's tree sale, annual meeting, webinar, field day, or other events on NACD's Calendar of Events!