On Monday, July 20, the NACD Board of Directors conducted a virtual board meeting in place of the 2020 Summer Conservation Forum and Tour, which was to be held this week in Bismarck, N.D., but was moved to a virtual format given the ongoing COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic. The organization’s governing body voted to amend the national association's bylaws to permit virtual board meetings in times of state or federal emergencies and conducted the business meeting over Zoom.

During the meeting, the NACD Board of Directors took up, voted on and approved a formal statement on diversity, equity and inclusion:

“The NACD Board of Directors formally denounces racism and discrimination in any form. We are committing to gain greater awareness and understanding of issues important to diverse communities, and we support actions to advance diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) in conservation. We are taking additional steps to encourage greater diversity in our national board, calling for the formation of a task force to examine DEI in our internal governance; and we call on conservation districts and state associations to examine their own programs, policies and procedures related to diversity, equity and inclusion as well, in order to make conservation delivery accessible and available for all Americans.

We also call on conservation districts to actively engage all members of their local communities to understand conservation issues important to diverse populations, to encourage greater diversity in local elections and to encourage even greater transparency and open dialogue in conservation district programs. NACD recognizes that if we do not fully embrace diversity, equity and inclusion in each and every local conservation district, then we cannot possibly be a diverse organization at the national level.

At our core, we are a grassroots organization representing every community in the United States – and we understand that expanding our commitment to DEI takes this same fundamental approach – a voice that starts in the thousands of local communities that we serve and grows emphatically, energetically and compassionately into a cohesive national transformation that takes root across the country. NACD is fully committed in its efforts of diversity, equity, and inclusivity to work with clients, conservation districts, partners, and others to achieve our fundamental goal of transforming how we reach and work with communities across the country.”

The statement is publicly available on NACD’s website. Yesterday’s meeting was the Board of Directors’ first meeting since the 2020 NACD Annual Meeting in February and marks the first time board members have met virtually. The Board of Directors is next scheduled to meet in February 2021.

NACD AWARDS

$6.5 MILLION TO

CONSERVATION DISTRICTS TO BOOST CAPACITY

Today, NACD announced the award of $6.5 million in new technical assistance grants to nearly 400 conservation districts in 36 states and territories.

These grants, made possible through an agreement with the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), complement the $8.5 million in technical assistance grants  awarded to previous grantees in March of this year.

“Since 2018, NACD and NRCS have worked together to increase staffing at the field level for conservation districts,”  NACD President Tim Palmer said. “This increased technical capacity helps to improve conservation services to farmers, ranchers and local communities across the nation.”

State conservation partnership leaders helped identify high priority locations and workloads to guide where the awards would best be placed. The funds announced today will support approximately 185 full- and part-time individuals, including over 12 full-time equivalent staff in tribe-related positions. More than $1.6 million of matching funds will be added to these awards, furthering the impact of these grants.

“The funds announced today will support resource technicians, conservation planners, program support specialists, foresters, cultural resource specialists, agronomists and other specialists, who will work with thousands of clients to increase their conservation practices and their access to contracts and conservation plans,”  Palmer said.

To date in 2020, NACD and NRCS have awarded $15 million in technical assistance grants. Since the program's inception, NACD has funded technical assistance in all 50 states and three U.S. territories.

Learn more about NACD's Technical Assistance grants on  NACD’s website.

MICHIGAN GOVERNOR ESTABLISHES JULY 17 AS MICHIGAN CONSERVATION DISTRICT DAY

Last Friday, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer established July 17 as Conservation District Day throughout Michigan.

The date commemorates the 83rd anniversary of Public Act 297 of 1937, Michigan’s first soil conservation district law, enacted as a locally-based response to the soil erosion catastrophe of the 1930s Dust Bowl, coupled with extreme drought nationwide.

Since 1937, the scope and responsibility of Michigan conservation districts has grown far beyond their original focus of agricultural soil quality, to include invasive species management, optimizing forestland habitat, safe-guarding water quality and quantity, providing conservation education, recycling support, farmland protections and more.

“The common mission of Michigan’s conservation districts is to protect and enhance the soil, water and habitat resources on working lands across the states’ 83 counties,” said Gerald Miller , president of the Michigan Association of Conservation Districts (MACD) and board chair of Kent Conservation District .

“Conservation districts have worked hand-in-hand with Michigan’s farmers and producers for 83 years to accomplish this mission,” he said.

“In their 83-year history, our conservation districts have addressed many significant conservation challenges by providing trusted, local assistance, working directly with land owners and managers to positively impact our natural resources, including the reduction of rain water runoff, soil erosion and nutrients into Michigan’s lakes, streams and rivers,“ said Lori Phalen , executive director of MACD.

To learn more and read the entire press release, visit MACD's website.

RCPP GRANT HELPS OREGON SWCD RESTORE OAK HABITAT

The Polk County Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) in Oregon is partnering with the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde to protect ancestral lands and implement forest management practices with a $1.7 million grant awarded through the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS)'s Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP).

The efforts aim to enhance and restore Oregon white oak habitat and associated wildlife species on private lands in Polk County, in part by creating habitat corridors and adding wildlife forage. The plan also includes acquiring three permanently conserved tribal ancestral lands through the Willamette Wildlife Mitigation Fund and teach private landowners the tribal practices for maintaining oak habitat.

“They were maintaining this kind of habitat for over 400 years before anyone else got here,"  said Karin Stutzman, Polk County SWCD district manager. "Their management techniques were accomplished without using chemicals or machines. That’s a very valuable set of knowledge to know.”

About 1,900 acres total will be impacted by the RCPP project, including 740 acres of privately-owned land. Enhancements include creating habitat corridors that provide unobstructed travel for wildlife throughout the county and connecting to other similar corridors in neighboring counties. Restoration of the privately-owned land includes acreage in the Grand Ronde Community, the county and the Airlie-Haybeck Oaks Conservation Opportunity Area.

Nearly $2 million in contributions from partners will support permanently protected conservation easements, and state grant funding will complement oak restoration work. There also will be technical assistance and outreach activities.

“There’s a desire by constituents in the county that want to preserve that ecology,” Stutzman said. “It’s unique, it’s historical, and it’s greatly in decline.”

The Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde will provide education on their traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) in managing oak habitat conditions and uses. Modern techniques modeling TEK will include the use of fire crews and brush burns.

“Tribal people are the best stewards of the land,” Stutzman said. “The tribal elders and members will provide valuable information about historical oak habitat conditions and uses. Workshops will be held to train anyone who wants to know about this. It will help landowners manage savanna and oak habitat by building skills to implement another option to increase sustainability and create ecologically-based practices.

“If there are less invasive and less harmful ways to improve habitat, then everyone needs to know that,” Stutzman said.

To read the rest of this story, visit NACD's blog.

NACD Celebrates

74th Anniversary

This Saturday, July 25, NACD will celebrate its 74th anniversary.

On July 25, 1946, at the Statler Hotel in Chicago, 18 representatives from 17 states created the National Association of Soil Conservation District Governing Officials. This was in response to the devastation of the Dust Bowl in the 1930s, when President Franklin Delano Roosevelt recommended the Standard State Soil Conservation Districts Act be signed into law by all state governors, which gave states a step-by-step guide in creating conservation districts.

74 years later, conservation districts have a more powerful national voice than ever. NACD represents nearly 3,000 districts in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. territories of American Samoa, the Federated States of Micronesia, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, Palau, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.

To learn more about NACD's history and founding members, visit NACD's website .

Deadline Approaching:

Submission for NACD's 2021 Annual Meeting Theme Due Friday

The deadline to submit a theme idea for next year's 75th Annual Meeting is this Friday, July 24 .

Help us come up with a theme that embodies NACD's legacy as we celebrate 75 years in New Orleans, La., scheduled to be held from Feb. 6-10, 2021.

The winning submission will also earn a complimentary full registration to the 2021 Annual Meeting. To submit your theme idea, please click the button below or fill out the form here.

Call for NACD U&C Webinar Proposals

The deadline to submit proposals for NACD's FY2021 Urban and Community (U&C) Conservation Webinars is less than two weeks away!

NACD's Urban and Community Resource Policy Group (RPG) invites member districts and partners to submit presentation proposals by sending a brief paragraph describing the program/project to NACD Senior Advisor Deb Bogar by Aug. 1, 2020 .

Topic suggestions are wide-ranging, including, but not limited to, stormwater management and low impact development; green infrastructure and urban forestry; urban agriculture and small acreage; soil health; community outreach and engagement; and technology. To view a f ull list of the past webinars, visit  NACD's website .

Apply Now:

NACD 2021

Annual Meeting

Breakout Sessions

NACD is soliciting applications for breakout sessions  for the 2021 Annual Meeting, which is currently being planned as an in-person meeting. Applications must be submitted by  Friday, Sept. 4, 2020.

NACD’s 75th Annual Meeting will put heavy emphasis on NACD’s legacy and focus on where the conservation movement is headed. We encourage proposals that explore the legacy of conservation districts.

NACD seeks proposals that fit within five themes: District Operations and Partnerships; Natural Resources Policy and Protection; Stewardship and Education; Communications and Outreach; and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in Conservation.

Proposals will be evaluated based on the innovation and quality of the proposal; its relevance to one of the themes; and the applicability to other conservation districts across the country. Preference will be given to proposals submitted by a conservation district, state/territory association or partner.

If your company or organization would like time at the meeting to present to NACD members about your products or services that support conservation district work, please contact  [email protected] .

To learn more and submit a proposal, visit  NACD's Breakout Sessions webpage . If you have any questions, please contact NACD Government Affairs Manager  Eric Hansen  at

[email protected] .

SHP Releases 2019 Cover Crop Report

Earlier this month, the Soil Health Partnership (SHP) released its 2019 Cover Crop Planting Report. SHP conducted a cover crop survey with SHP farmer partners about their cover crop use on trial sites in the fall of 2019.

SHP's report shows that farmers are using diverse strategies to plant cover crops and a variety of plant species to accomplish their soil health goals.

The objective is to do this annually and use the data to further analyze how cover

crops impact soil health, agronomic outcomes and farmer profitability.

To read the report, click here.

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