NACD is excited to unveil the official 2027 Stewardship Week theme, From Source to Sea: Every Drop Has a Journey. 

Water is one of our most valuable natural resources, and every drop has a story to tell. Whether it begins as rain from the clouds, snow in the mountains, bubbles up from a spring, or flows through a neighborhood stream, water is constantly moving across our landscapes. Along its journey, it supports forests, farms, grasslands, wildlife, communities, and ultimately the oceans that connect us all. 

The 2027 theme reminds us that water does not exist in isolation. What happens upstream affects everything downstream. The choices we make to protect soil, reduce erosion, plant trees, restore habitats, and use water wisely all influence the quality of the water that continues its journey. 

Conservation districts see this connection every day. Working alongside farmers, ranchers, landowners, schools, and communities, districts help protect local watersheds through voluntary, locally led conservation. Their efforts improve water quality, reduce runoff, restore streambanks and wetlands, and keep our natural resources healthy. 

For students, this theme offers an opportunity to discover the incredible path water takes through the water cycle and across the landscape. From mountain streams and rivers to wetlands, lakes, estuaries, and the sea, every lesson explores another step along the way while demonstrating the important role each of us plays in protecting our water resources. 

The 2027 Stewardship Week educational materials will explore watersheds, the water cycle, and the connections between healthy soils, forests, agriculture, wildlife habitat, urban conservation, and the many ways conservation districts help safeguard our nation's water resources. Stay tuned through the fall as our educational materials are released as downloads and printables.

No matter where you call home, water connects us all. From the smallest headwater stream to the open sea, every action we take helps shape its journey, because From Source to Sea, Every Drop Has a Journey. 

LEARN ABOUT WOOD UTILIZATION PROJECTS

Join NACD's next U&C Webinar – Turning Local Wood into Local Value: A Playbook for Conservation Districts – on August 5 at 4:00 p.m. ET.

Every year, thousands of tons of urban and forest wood are undervalued as a resource. Conservation districts are uniquely positioned to change that. In this webinar, Unified Wood Economy’s Chief Operations Officer, Jennifer Judd, and Project Manager, Leana Mauricette, will present two regional wood utilization projects, from city centers to national forests, and introduce the Urban Wood Utilization Guide: A Municipal Playbook for establishing a wood utilization program in your community.

The webinar will cover how districts can get started, what funding pathways exist, and how to align this work with your existing conservation mission. Come ready to ask questions because the presenters will save time for a full discussion!

Learn more and register here.

JOIN CONSERVATION

COFFEE ON CATTLE TICKS

Join NACD's upcoming Conservation Coffee webinar on August 13 at 3 p.m. ET to hear about the Potential Impact of the Asian Longhorned Tick and Theileriosis on Cattle.

The Asian Longhorned Tick is capable of reproducing rapidly and transmitting disease to cattle. It has been detected in 27 states across the US since its first detection in New Jersey in 2017 and is moving west. Early detection is increasingly important for livestock producers.

Presented by Dr. Cassandra Olds from Kansas State University's Department of Entomology, participants will learn about prevention and treatment options as well as what beef producers and conservation professionals can do now and what to expect next.

Learn more and register here.

WHAT'S UP IN WASHINGTON?

GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS UPDATE

Senate Farm Bill Markup Scheduled for August 6

Over the weekend, NACD’s Government Affairs team met with senior Senate Agriculture Committee staff and other stakeholders to discuss changes made to the Senate Farm Bill draft. Some changes intended to encourage more bipartisan support include delaying implementation of state SNAP cost-sharing and authorizing year-round sales of E15. The draft also includes some changes to the Conservation Title, including allowing certain Grasslands CRP contracts supporting wildlife corridors to receive assistance through EQIP and enroll in CSP and adding wildlife habitat connectivity and migration corridors as priorities under RCPP’s critical conservation area provisions. Negotiations and amendments are ongoing.

The Senate Agriculture Committee is scheduled to mark up the bill on Thursday, August 6, at 9:30 a.m. ET. Watch the hearing here. The current goal is to advance the bill out of committee before the August recess and move to the Senate floor for consideration in September.

Senate Advances Stopgap Funding Bill

The Senate released a bipartisan stopgap funding bill that would generally maintain current federal funding levels through December 11. The proposal would also temporarily block implementation of an Office of Management and Budget proposal that would give political appointees a greater role in approving and terminating federal grants.

On August 3, the Senate voted 89–4 to invoke cloture on the motion to proceed to the legislation. This was a procedural vote, allowing the Senate to begin consideration of the bill rather than a vote on final passage. Additional Senate action is expected on August 4. Because the Senate proposal differs from the House-passed stopgap bill, the two chambers will still need to agree on a final measure.

Reclamation Releases Final Colorado River Operations Analysis

The Bureau of Reclamation released its Final Environmental Impact Statement for post-2026 operations of Lake Powell and Lake Mead. The preferred alternative establishes a 10-year decision-making framework through 2036 to replace the current operating guidelines, which expire at the end of this year.

Rather than establishing one fixed set of water allocations for the entire period, the framework would guide operating decisions in approximately two-year intervals, with annual and midyear adjustments based on reservoir levels and hydrologic conditions. Under the preferred alternative, Lower Basin reductions could reach up to 3 million acre-feet during the driest conditions. Additional details are expected as Reclamation moves toward final operating decisions and implementation.

HANS HUNT BRINGS FIELD PERSPECTIVE TO NRCS LEADERSHIP

Hans Hunt has spent much of his first several months as NRCS Assistant Chief for the Western Region traveling throughout the West, meeting with producers, field offices, and conservation leaders. 

“The most important part of it is being out on the road and meeting with people,” said Hunt during a recent interview conducted by NACD Southwest Region Representative Desiree Van Dyke. 

Hunt said one of his main priorities in the role is understanding how conservation delivery is functioning across the region and where improvements are needed. He described the position as a “conduit” between producers, field offices, and NRCS leadership in Washington. The role was created specifically to strengthen communication between the field and national leadership, with regional leaders expected to spend roughly 70% of their time traveling and meeting directly with local staff and producers. 

“We want to hear the good, the bad, and the ugly,” said Hunt. “What’s working really great that we might want to replicate somewhere else, and then what are some of the hiccups? What isn’t going well? What do we need to fix?” 

The region Hunt oversees stretches from Montana to New Mexico and west through Alaska, Hawaii, and the Pacific Islands; areas with very different agricultural systems, resource concerns, and wildlife priorities. Whether discussing drought, grazing systems, water issues, wildlife habitat, or typhoon recovery efforts in Pacific territories, Hunt said understanding regional differences is critical to improving conservation delivery. 

Hunt also spoke about the importance of conservation districts as part of the broader conservation delivery system across the West. During the interview, he repeatedly emphasized the value of hearing directly from people working in local communities and understanding conservation challenges at the ground level. 

“The people on the ground know their communities best,” said Hunt. 

As Hunt continues traveling throughout the West, he said those conversations with producers, conservation districts, and local conservation leaders are helping NRCS leadership better understand what is working on the ground and where improvements are needed. Read more from the interview on NACD's blog.