Today, Representatives Dan Newhouse (R-WA), Sanford Bishop (D-GA), Don Bacon (R-NE) and Bruce Westerman (R-AR), along with 25 original cosponsors, introduced a bipartisan, bicameral resolution recognizing and celebrating the 75th anniversary of the National Association of Conservation Districts to the House of Representatives. This resolution commemorates and highlights the work NACD has done and continues to do for our nation’s lands.

“Conservation districts are crucial for advancing natural resource conservation in their communities and across America’s landscapes,” NACD President Michael Crowder said. “For 75 years, NACD’s national leadership and representation have unified the locally-led conservation voice, promoting responsible management and conservation of natural resources on all lands through grassroots advocacy, education and partnerships.”

NACD is thankful to Representative Newhouse for his leadership and all the Senate and House cosponsors who have supported this resolution and NACD's mission.

Read the full text of the resolution here.

During the September Urban and Community (U&C) Conservation webinar, scheduled for Thursday, Sept. 16, at 12 p.m. Eastern, hear from Laura Meyer, Communications Manager for the Washington State Conservation Commission, about their CD Marketing Toolkit. The toolkit provides a number of easily adaptable resources to help CDs tell their story to the media, the general public, policymakers and more. 

Learn more about this webinar, view recordings of past U&C webinars, and submit a webinar proposal on our website.

On Sept. 9-10, Florida’s conservation districts and partners met in Daytona Beach for the Association of Florida Conservation Districts (AFCD) Annual Meeting. Kicking off with an AFCD business meeting, attendees also participated in training on audits, compliance and sunshine laws. Ian Cunningham, NACD’s Second Vice President, attended the meeting and shared news, updates and an overview of NACD. Attendees also heard from partners, including Florida’s Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services, the Florida Farm Bureau and Florida’s Water Management Districts.

The Florida Conservation District Employees Association (FCDEA) met the day before the AFCD Annual Meeting. Speakers addressed topics on corporate charitable giving and fundraising. NACD Southeast Region Representative Candice Abinanti provided a summary of NACD’s educational resources and NACD Pacific Region Representative Ariel Rivers, Ph.D. provided an overview of NACD’s Urban Agriculture Conservation (UAC) Grant Initiative and webinars.

NACD welcomes new Friends of NACD Lifetime Member Barbara Bleiweis! Bleiweis is the chair of the Mecklenburg Soil and Water Conservation District in North Carolina and a member of the National Conservation Foundation’s inaugural 2020 Next Generation Leadership Institute cohort. Bleiweis’ investment in the nation’s conservation districts puts NACD on track to be able to award at least seven Friends of NACD District Grants in 2022!

Help us award another grant as we prepare to launch the 2022 Friends of NACD District Grants Program application period later this fall. Donations at the $75 or above level will receive a free 75th NACD Anniversary cap with the “Diamonds Out of the Dust” logo embroidered on the front and “Friends of NACD” embroidered on the back. Donations can also be made in honor or memory of a colleague, friend, family member or loved one by completing a memorial or honorarium membership form.

NACD membership at any level is required for a conservation district to be eligible to apply for a Friends of NACD District Grant. If your conservation district is considering applying for a grant through this program and is not a current member of NACD, you can pay dues here before NACD’s 2021 fiscal year closes on Sept. 30, 2021.

NACD and the NACD Auxiliary are excited to announce that starting with 2022, in addition to the traditional hand drawn posters, we will accept digital posters from students in grades 7-9 and 10-12. Any platform used for digital projects such as Canva, Photoshop, InDesign, etc, will be allowed to create digital posters. The posters will have to be submitted in jpeg or png format and will have to be size 8.5 X 11 inch, landscape or portrait. All posters must be the contestant's original creation and may not be traced from photographs or other artists' published works. No trademarked or copyrighted images or phrases should be used, except for the NACD S&E logo, if applicable.

The top three posters in the two available categories (7-9 grade and 10-12 grade) of the national contest will receive national recognition and monetary prizes. First-place winners will receive $200; second place winners will receive $150; and third place winners will receive $100. Rules, entry forms and other resources for the 2022 NACD Poster Contest will be available later this month.

Many conservation districts that find success through the joint NACD and Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Urban Agriculture Conservation (UAC) Grant Initiative can leverage existing or new partnerships to achieve their goals through their UAC grants. The Genesee Conservation District (GCD), a 2020 UAC grantee, is one such district: they leveraged several projects and aligned them with the goals of their UAC grant.

The GCD transformed three vacant city lots into public greenspaces. With assistance from a local tree service, an invasive species treatment company, and the General Motors (GM) Cares group of volunteers, GCD removed unwanted trees, trimmed overgrown vegetation, and treated or removed invasive plants and trees, making way for a new installation. Seven park-grade trees were planted, and the GCD and GM planted over 1,000 wildflower plugs, plants and grasses. While the transformative nature of the greenspaces is the attraction, tree stumps and park benches were installed to invite people to best utilize the spaces.

The district also used their UAC grant to address the need for greater natural resource education primarily geared toward urban conservation and community forestry. The district developed three videos, as well as brochures and updated outreach materials, which are available through their website. Additionally, they reached out directly to the community through presentations.

Finally, GCD planted trees with the Michigan State University Alumni Group of Genesee County and Genesee Eyewear to promote Arbor Day and the City of Flint’s Tree City USA status.

The district also identified two pathways to assist in fortifying their local food system. They managed the Hurley Hospital’s Garden, which supplies fresh produce to its Hurley Foundation Food FARMacy. They also identified ways to address issues on the supply side of our local food system by consulting faculty and staff from Michigan State University’s Department of Community Sustainability. Together, they developed a survey to gather information from local growers participating in various state and federal agriculture programs. Since GCD has a USDA high-tunnel initiative, the survey looked at farmers using high tunnels compared to those not using high tunnels. The report gives GCD and its partners information to further improve the local food system. 

Read more about all grantees through NACD’s Urban Agriculture Conservation Initiative online in our ArcGIS Story Map. 

On Monday, September 13, Annica McGuirk joined NACD as the national association’s northeast region representative.

Most recently, McGuirk worked for the American Forest Foundation, where she supported the American Tree Farm System (ATFS) as the network and information manager, building the operational capacity of ATFS. She comes from a rich background of conservation work at local, regional and national levels and is strongly interested in building community as part of our collective work. McGuirk holds a B.S. in ecology from Unity College and is a Maine Master Naturalist. 

McGuirk serves the network of conservation districts from her home in Lisbon Falls, Maine, and can be contacted at annica-mcguirk@nacdnet.org

On Monday, September 13, Mariah MacKenzie joined NACD as the national association’s government affairs associate.

Mackenzie comes to NACD from Environment Maryland, where she served as a campaign associate. During her time in that role, she worked on environmental policy and advocacy at the state level. Mariah has also worked as a legislative intern with the D.C. office of Congressman William Keating of Massachusetts, as a research intern with Restore America’s Estuaries, and was an intern with NACD in the fall of 2019. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from George Washington University with minors in Spanish and psychology. In her free time, Mariah enjoys running and hiking with friends and family. 

MacKenzie will be based in the Washington, D.C. office and can be contacted at mariah-mackenzie@nacdnet.org.

NACD is seeking candidates for a full-time Chief Program Officer, based in the Washington, D.C. headquarters. This position will be tasked with advancing conservation, resource development, and providing leadership in the implementation of the association's soil and water conservation programs. Apply by Wednesday, September 15, 2021 for priority interview consideration.

NACD is seeking candidates for a full-time Membership Director that will be responsible for providing valuable customer service and coordination to membership through annual membership campaigns, timely communications to members on membership activities and invoices, coordinating effective meeting and events planning, and delivering quality membership services, reports and data management. This position is based in the Washington, D.C. headquarters. Apply by Friday, September 24, 2021 for priority interview consideration.

NACD is seeking candidates for a full-time Director of Education. This position will be responsible for providing assistance to member conservation districts and NACD Board of Directors to advance the association’s conservation education programs. This position can be remote or based out of the NACD’s headquarters office in Washington, D.C. Apply by Friday, September 24, 2021 for priority interview consideration.

Learn more about these and all open positions and how to apply on our website.

NACD is excited to announce a new partnership with Mercer to offer the all new NACD benefits program. With a Gold Level or higher NACD membership, you will have access to this new benefits platform, which will provide you with a comprehensive range of important benefits including medical, dental and vision, as well as auto/home and cyber coverage. You will be able to shop, customize your benefits, and receive multiple quotes for coverage on an easy-to-use online platform. Once you’ve selected your benefits, you can easily enroll online.

Be on the lookout for more information! This new program will launch on Monday, October 4. More details will be sent to you in October about how to access this new platform and obtain customized quotes just for you.  

The Washington State Conservation Commission is currently seeking a new executive director. This position will lead the agency in working with its governing Board of Commissioners, agency staff, the state’s 45 conservation districts and their state and federal partners to carry out the vision and mission of the Conservation Commission consistent with their values.

Learn more about the position and how to apply on NACD's job board.

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