Happy Pollinator Week! In honor of National Pollinator Week, NACD has launched a new Pollinators webpage, full of resources on how to implement pollinator conservation practices in your backyard, national recognition programs for producers who utilize pollinator conservation practices on their operations, as well as links to pollinator partner organizations and informative webinars. The Pollinators webpage also contains stories about conservation districts at the forefront of pollinator conservation.

Each year, NACD celebrates  National Pollinator Week, facilitated by  Pollinator Partnership, held in mid-June. This year, from June 17-23, 2019, NACD is celebrating the vital role pollinators play in our ecosystems. NACD is committed to promoting the health of the animals and invertebrates that make our ecosystems function by pollination.

Check out NACD's Pollinators webpage for pollinator resources, curriculum, webinars and more. Download NACD's free Pollinator Week graphics on our Flickr page to feature on your own social media channels, newsletters and webpages.

CONSERVATION IN THE CARIBBEAN: LEADERS MEET IN USVI

On June 17, NACD First Vice President Michael Crowder , Southeast Region Executive Board Member Gary Blair , NACD U.S. Virgin Islands (USVI) Board Member Benita Martin and Southeast Region Representative Candice Abinanti met with the U.S. Virgin Islands Department of Agriculture Commissioner Positive Nelson (pictured above, center, with Blair and Crowder). Together, they discussed steps to reinstate the USVI Conservation District and learned about conservation and agriculture needs in USVI . The group was joined by Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Caribbean staff members, including St. Croix District Conservationist Rudy O'Reilly , Program Analyst and Acting Public Affairs Specialist Julie Wright and USVI Agriculture Advisory Group Member Dale Browne .

Commissioner Nelson shared his vision to increase food production, distribution and security on the islands; increase the availability and quality of water; and educate the next generation of farmers. The group also exchanged ideas about how NACD, NRCS and other conservation partners can work together to help realize this vision.

NASDA PRESIDENT

JEFF WITTE TO SPEAK AT SUMMER MEETING

NASDA President and New Mexico Secretary of Agriculture Jeff Witte will provide a keynote address during the NACD Conservation Forum held Monday, Aug. 5 in Santa Fe, N.M.

Witte was named the director/secretary of the New Mexico Department of Agriculture (NMDA) beginning May 16, 2011. In that capacity, he is also the cabinet secretary for NMDA under Governor Susana Martinez. Witte comes from a ranching family in northern New Mexico.

Registration closes in less than a month! To learn more and register for the summer conservation forum and tour, visit NACD's summer meeting webpage . Single-day registration is now available for meeting participants seeking to attend programs only on Monday, Aug. 5.

FIRST NACD LISTENING SESSION HELD IN NEBRASKA

On Wednesday, June 12, conservation district leaders and partners gathered in the Cornhusker State for the first in a series of NACD listening sessions.

Attendees at the event in Gothenburg, Neb., provided valuable feedback on NACD's programs and activities, including the Soil Health Champions Network, Urban Agriculture Conservation Grants, Conservation Planning Boot Camp, policy activities and communications. District participants shared their thoughts on NACD's current work and how it has benefited them, while also providing feedback on how NACD can improve.

NACD Secretary-Treasurer Ian Cunningham , Executive Board Northern Plains Representative Bevin Law , Northern Plains Region Chair Orval Gigstad and NACD Northern Plains Region Representative Sunni Heikes-Knapton facilitated the session, which had active participation from the attendees. Additional listening sessions are planned throughout this summer and fall, held across NACD's regions. 

These member-focused listening sessions give our members the opportunity to learn more about NACD and its services while expressing their views to NACD’s leadership and staff. To learn more, visit the NACD Listening Sessions webpage or contact your region representative .

NORTHERN PLAINS REGION LEADERS GATHER IN NEBRASKA

Conservation district leaders from Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota and South Dakota gathered under sunny skies and periodic rainbows in Gothenburg, Neb., from June 12-14. 

Co-hosted by the Nebraska Association of Natural Resources Districts (NRDs) and held at the Bayer Learning Center, attendees learned from local Soil Health Champion Dean Krull , gained inspiration from state Senator Matt Williams , witnessed the impacts and responses to the 2019 flooding from the Nebraska Department of Agriculture and several of Nebraska’s Natural Resources Districts, and heard updates from state leadership and agency partners.

Tours included field visits to controlled burn sites, irrigation canals, water efficiency efforts and a property that hosts youth conservation education outreach. Attendees also heard updates from individual states, the National Association of State Chief Administrators (NASCA), the National Conservation District Employees Association ( NCDEA) and the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). Together, the groups discussed the importance of district engagement with elected officials, with focus on the NACD August Grassroots advocacy efforts . 

WASHINGTON STATE DISTRICT EMPLOYEES GATHER FOR ANNUAL MEETING

Each year, more than 250 of Washington State’s approximately 400 district staff gather in beautiful Leavenworth, Wash., for the Washington Association District Employees (WADE) annual meeting.

This year, employees met on June 10-12 and participated in trainings across seven different tracks: administration and finance; climate and energy; education, communications and outreach; farms and field; forestry; information technology (IT); and riparian restoration. The trainings varied from using remote sensing and managing riparian buffers to forest fire prevention and conservation of cultural resources. Attendees were also able to learn about the over 600 bees native to the state of Washington.

During the event, attendees celebrated contenders for the conservation employee of the year award, with the honor going to Kristen McCune of King Conservation District. As a former NCF-Envirothon competitor, McCune was honored and surprised to receive the award.

As he is set to retire from the Washington State Conservation Commission (WSCC) in June, longtime NACD partner Ray Ledgerwood was recognized for his years of service and dedication to the commission. During the NCF-Envirothon trivia night, participants helped raise over $1,000 to help support the Washington State Envirothon program.

Participants received important partner updates from the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), the Washington Association of Conservation Districts (WACD) and the Washington State Conservation Commission (WSCC), all of whom thanked the districts for their important efforts in conserving natural resources in the state.

NACD First Vice President Michael Crowder reminded the audience of the work NACD does throughout the state and nation to support conservation districts, and NACD Pacific Region Representative Ariel Rivers highlighted opportunities for districts to engage through NACD’s policy, education and partnership activities.

GRANT HELPS CONSERVATION DISTRICT IMPROVE WATER QUALITY

Pennsylvania’s  Centre County Conservation District  (CCCD) is using a Growing Greener grant through the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection to establish forest buffers and protect thousands of feet of streambank, which will improve water quality and agriculture practices throughout seven watersheds.

CCCD was awarded just under $1.7 million to conduct 10 projects in nine townships, including six agricultural best management practices (BMP) implementation plans and four streambank stabilization efforts.

Streambank stabilization efforts will include installing riparian buffers in order to keep cattle away from streams that they currently are decimating and polluting through feeding, travel and manure.

“There’s no vegetation to hold anything back, so when it rains, it just goes straight to the creek,” said CCCD agricultural conservation technician  John Wataha . “We want to put a buffer between where the livestock are and the streams. The best way to do that is designate an area where the livestock will not congregate, and we want to have a good vegetative filter in between the fence and the streambank, so we’ll plant trees.”

About 10 acres will be controlled and more than 20 acres will have established riparian forest buffers. Manure storage, grass waterways, diversions and repairing denuded areas are also among the projects.

Read the full story on NACD's blog.

NACD Welcomes New Communications Coordinator

On Monday, June 17,  Katrina Vaitkus joined NACD as one of the association’s communications coordinators.

Vaitkus is a graduate from the University of Maryland (UMD), where she earned a Bachelor of Science degree in environmental science and policy with a concentration in agriculture. Vaitkus was an Agriculture Future of America student delegate for two years, a former 2018 summer intern at NACD and a participant in the 2019 NACD Conservation Careers Workshop.

Growing up by the water in Edgewater, Md., greatly influenced Vaitkus's love for the environment and shaped her career goals. At UMD, she interned at the Beltsville Agriculture Research Center and the U.S. Department of Justice’s Environmental Crimes Section.

Vaitkus is excited to be back at NACD and looks forward to working further with the organization. She is based in Washington, D.C., and can be reached at  katrina-vaitkus@nacdnet.org . 

Final 2019 Conservation Planning Boot Camp Session Added

Due to the high demand for NACD's Conservation Planning Boot Camp, a final session for 2019 has been added for Oct. 7 - Nov. 7 . Space is limited, so register today!

NRCS Conservation Planning Boot Camp is a three-week, intensive training course for technical employees that covers current conservation planning policy, procedures and guidelines as outlined in the National Planning Procedures Handbook. 

For more information, visit NACD's website or contact NACD Director of Membership Kimberly Uldricks at kimberly-uldricks@nacdnet.org .

Don't Miss Out: 2019 Bottom Line Conference

The Kearny County Conservation District will be hosting the 2019 Bottom Line Conference at the Kearny County Fairgrounds in Lakin, Kan., from Aug. 14-15, 2019 .

The main focus of the annual conference is to give High Plains producers actionable advice and expertise for improving soil health, as well as to provide every farmer and rancher who attends the conference the latest tools and information they need to improve their profitability, regardless of challenges in the future.

To learn more, view the conference schedule, and register, visit the Bottom Line Conference's webpage .

Deadline Approaches: NAPPC Seeks Nominations for 2019 Awards

NACD and Pollinator Partnership are currently seeking nominations for the 2019 Farmer-Rancher Pollinator Conservation Award .

The award recognizes an individual or family in the farm and ranch community who has contributed significantly to pollinator species protection and conservation.

The winner(s) of the 2019 Farmer-Rancher Pollinator Conservation Award will be recognized at a VIP reception during the 19th Annual North American Pollinator Protection Campaign (NAPPC) Conference hosted at the US Botanic Garden in Washington, D.C.

2019 nominations are due Friday, July 5 . To learn more about the award and make a nomination, visit the Pollinator Partnership's Award webpage .

Mark Your Calendar: Farm Bill Implementation Program Deadlines

As USDA continues implementing the 2018 Farm Bill, multiple program application and comment deadlines are approaching:

Please visit  NACD’s farm bill webpage to stay up-to-date on 2018 Farm Bill implementation, deadlines, sign-ups and more.

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.

Invite NACD to Speak At Your Next Meeting

Looking to invite a representative from NACD's leadership or staff to your upcoming state or district meeting?

NACD recently launched an online form for districts, state associations and organizations to request NACD staff or officers to speak at their meetings. If you have a preferred officer or staff member in mind, you can indicate in the form.

For questions or assistance, please contact NACD Executive Assistant Diya Ram at diya-ram@nacdnet.org .

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

Would you like your district or state association's upcoming webinar, field day or event spotlighted in a future edition of the NACD eResource? Fill out the form below with details about your event, and your submission could be included in the next edition!

Show us the faces of your district! Whether it's your district board, staff or friendly faces from the local community, upload photos using the form below to celebrate the people who make your district or state/territory association successful.

Disclaimer: Photos may be used by NACD for publications or promotional materials.