NACD LISTENING SESSIONS APPROACH
May 28, 2019
Across the U.S., NACD leadership and region representatives are planning listening sessions to provide conservation district members an opportunity to learn more about NACD’s various programs, while providing personalized information about how we can serve our members.

During the sessions, NACD officers, board members and staff will introduce and provide updates on our programs and activities. However, the main objective of the listening sessions is to hear from our conservation district membership.

Through anonymous live polling as well as a discussion-based format, listening session attendees can provide valuable feedback about our programs. Results from the sessions will help guide NACD’s work, such as our outreach activities, while identifying ways we can continue to serve our members. Attendees will also have the opportunity to win door prizes from NACD’s Marketplace .

Each region will host at least one listening session with the following dates and locations confirmed:

  • JUNE 12: Gothenburg, Neb.
  • JULY 23: Thackerville, Okla.
  • AUGUST 4: Santa Fe, N.M.
  • AUGUST 10: Gatlinburg, Tenn.
  • AUGUST 20: Ames, Iowa
  • OCTOBER 23: Flatwoods, W. Va.

Additional opportunities for listening sessions in the Pacific Region, held in conjunction with upcoming state association meetings, are pending. To learn more about each listening session's schedule, and to RSVP to your preferred listening session, visit NACD’s website.

Additional opportunities may be available for your region. Please contact your region representative if you have specific questions or would like to participate but are unable to attend any of the above sessions.

Please share information widely so we can capture the perspective of a broad audience. Additional information will be posted on the Listening Session webpage as it becomes available.
NACD SUMMER MEETING OFFERS A JOURNEY THROUGH TIME TOUR
NACD's Summer Conservation Forum and Tour will feature three conservation-themed tours on Tuesday, Aug. 6, from 9:00 a.m.- 5:00 p.m.

One of the three tours, A Journey Through Time , will begin with a guided tour of the Puye Cliff Dwellings.

The ancestral home of the Santa Clara Pueblo atop the breathtaking Pajarito Plateau, Puye overlooks northern New Mexico's spectacular mountains and valleys, sources of everyday sustenance and spiritual fulfillment for generations. Around 900 A.D., early pueblo people descended from Chaco Canyon and Mesa Verde in the Four Corners region to the Pajarito Plateau, and ancestors of the Santa Clara Pueblo settled at the Puye Cliff Dwellings.

Tour-goers will also learn about the region's acequias and visit the Santa Clara Pueblo Forest and the Los Fresquez Diversion Dam, as they explore New Mexico's unique natural resources concerns and mitigation strategies.

Learn more about this tour and the other two tours on NACD’s summer meeting webpage and select your preferred tour when you register .
NOMINATE YOUR CONSERVATION LEADERS TODAY
Do you have an outstanding conservation leader in your community? Take this opportunity to show your appreciation for their work and dedication by sending in a nomination for one of NACD’s national conservation awards.

The NACD Friend of Conservation Award recognizes an individual, business, organization or agency outside the association for outstanding contributions to the conservation of our nation’s natural resources. The award recipient will be honored at the 2020 NACD Annual Meeting in Las Vegas, Nev., this coming February. Nominations are due Aug. 31 .

The NACD Distinguished Service Award honors an individual within the association, a conservation district or a state association who has made significant contributions to the conservation and proper management of our nation’s natural resources. The award recipient will be recognized at the 2020 NACD Annual Meeting in Las Vegas, Nev. Nominations are due Aug. 31 .

All nominations will receive an honorable mention certificate from NACD President Tim Palmer in appreciation for their service to conservation. Winning nominations will receive a complimentary meeting registration for the 2020 NACD Annual Meeting, a complimentary Appreciation Banquet ticket, a plaque, and national recognition online and in NACD’s publications.

To learn more and submit your nomination, visit NACD's Awards webpage .
JUNE U&C WEBINAR FOCUSES ON REACHING AND ENGAGING DIVERSE AUDIENCES
The next NACD Urban and Community (U&C) Conservation webinar, scheduled for  Thursday, June 20,  at 12:00 p.m. Eastern , will explore ways to reach and engage diverse audiences.
 
With a total population of 1.3 million and a minority population of 36.4 percent in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, it is important that the Cuyahoga SWCD provide services benefiting diverse stakeholders. There are opportunities and challenges in developing partnerships and implementing conservation outreach programs that are inclusive and meaningful. SWCD staff will explore perceptions and barriers, both proven and theorized, impeding diverse participation in programs, as well as the actions taken to help serve a more diverse audience.
 
The Hillsborough SWCD in Florida holds an annual ‘Hillsborough 100 Conservation Challenge’ involving inner-city, urban, suburban and rural communities. Unique and effective conservation projects are hosted by youth organizations (4-H, FFA, Scouts, Key Clubs, Leos, Interact, science clubs, ESE classes and others); civic clubs (Kiwanis, Lions, Civitan, Rotary, etc.), chambers of commerce, churches, corporations, government entities, as well as families and individuals. As part of this challenge, the SWCD is an active participant in events such as the Florida State Fair, Florida Strawberry Festival, Hillsborough County Fair, GS Fest, Florida Ag Expo, Clean Air Fair, Unity in the Community, Taste of Brandon and many others. 
 
These popular webinars, held on the third Thursday of each month, are sponsored by The Scotts Miracle-Gro Foundation in partnership with the NACD Urban and Community RPG. There is no cost to participate, but space is limited. Registration will be accepted on a first-come, first-serve basis. To register, email NACD Senior Advisor  Debra Bogar  at  deb-bogar@nacdnet.org with your name, title, district or business name, state and email address. Information to access the webinar will be sent by email.
MISSISSIPPI DISTRICTS, NWTF HELP EDUCATE THE NEXT GENERATION
Mississippi conservation districts are working with the National Wild Turkey Federation (NWTF) to educate youth and encourage conservation measures and interest in wildlife habitat management.

NWTF has helped conservation districts organize conservation and hunting field days geared toward youth in Stone, Jackson, George, Harrison, Hancock and Pearl River Counties.

“This gives us a good opportunity to work with youth, but it also helps develop relationships with conservation district board members so they know we’re here and what we do,” NWTF District Biologist-Mississippi  Kacie Bauman said . “If they’re talking to someone who needs a habitat plan or technical assistance or a wide range of things dealing with conservation, they can reach out to us to provide help.

“For the youth, it is key to have that connection with conservation districts, because we don’t have the potential for that type of outreach,”  she said .

Bauman also attends conservation district board meetings. She caters field days based on age groups and the needs of the individual district, focusing on the connection between hunting and the taxes that get re-invested into the soil and water conservation districts for management purposes on all levels.

“We talk about how conservation is funded through hunting and shooting sports, why turkeys need prescribed fire and active habitat management, and we get them excited about it,”  Bauman said . “And what is good habitat for turkeys benefits other species of wildlife, so if you’re not in it for turkeys, know you’re still making a positive impact on other wildlife.”

NWTF participated in a speaker series event related to turkey habitat management for  Hancock  and  Pearl River SWCDs  geared toward adults to educate them on the management techniques they could implement and the cost-share opportunities available to them.

"Without the SWCDs’ facilitation, NWTF would not be able to reach out to as many landowners and youth about how important turkey conservation and habitat management is, not just for turkeys, but because the benefits positively affect other wildlife fowl, animals and the health of the forest," she said .

“We have definitely gotten calls from people interested in learning more and wanting field visits and possibly giving a private presentation to a classroom or on other smaller scales,”  Bauman said . “We get a lot of positive feedback by giving these talks and spending time with the SWCDs.

“The conservation districts are really important in building those landowner relationships, and we value the partnership,”  she said .

To read more of this blog and read similar stories, check out  NACD's Foresty Notes.
NACD Welcomes New Summer Intern
On Tuesday, May 28, Sadie Marks joined NACD as the association's summer intern.

Marks is a senior at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, majoring in agriculture and consumer economics with a concentration in public policy and law.

Growing up on a fourth- generation family grain farm in southern Illinois created a strong passion of agriculture, grassroots involvement and environmental sustainability.

Through her studies, Marks has been able to expand on these passions through the classroom and experiential learning opportunities, including a recent study abroad semester in Kenya, Africa, where she focused on international development and environmental governance.

Marks is most looking forward to collaborating with and learning from the government affairs team, identifying conservation’s role in the policy sector, and expanding her knowledge of state-to-state conservation issues.

Marks will be based in Washington, D.C. and can be reached at  intern@nacdnet.org .
Mark Your Calendar: Farm Bill Implementation Program Deadlines
As USDA begins implementing the 2018 Farm Bill, multiple program application and comment deadlines are approaching:

June 3, 2019 –  Continuous Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) applications and one-year extensions open

June 14, 2019 –  Wetland Reserve Easement Partnership (WREP) proposals due

July 5, 2019 – Deadline to  submit comments to NRCS on miscellaneous 2018 Farm Bill conservation provisions


As USDA continues to implement the 2018 Farm Bill, please visit NACD’s farm bill webpage to stay up-to-date on 2018 Farm Bill implementation, deadlines, sign-ups and more.
NACD Marketplace
Now Offers Promotional Hat Package
From May 28 to Sept. 1, 2019 , NACD's Marketplace will be offering a special promotional hat package.

The package will include 12 hats, with your choice of colors and styles and your conservation district’s logo professionally embroidered on the front.

This limited special of $83.88 includes a discount on the headwear, free embroidery, free logo set-up and free shipping. The Promotional Hat Package must be ordered in multiples of 12. To order, visit NACD's Marketplace.

To create your custom district logo, please contact NACD Stewardship and Education Coordinator Diana Blackwood at diana-blackwood@nacdnet.org .
NACD Welcomes
New Friend
NACD would like to welcome our new Friend of NACD, Darrell Harrison.

Harrison is a Commissioner with the Greenville County Soil and Water Conservation District in South Carolina.

Interested in becoming a Friend of NACD? Learn more on  NACD’s website.
EPA Seeks Pesticide Program Dialogue Committee Nominations
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)'s Office of Pesticide Programs is seeking nominations for membership on the Pesticide Program Dialogue Committee (PPDC), a stakeholder-comprised committee that advises the EPA on pesticide-related issues.

The due date for nominations is June 27. To learn more and submit a nomination, visit PPDC's website or contact PPDC Designated Federal Officer Shannon Jewell at jewell.shannon@epa.gov.
DOI Seeks Resource Advisory Council Nominations

The Department of the Interior (DOI) published in the Federal Register requesting public nominations for the Bureau of Land Management (BLM)’s  31 statewide and regional Resource Advisory Councils located throughout the West.

DOI published a second notice requesting nominations on more  site-specific BLM advisory councils. The deadline for submissions is  June 30, 2019.
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