NACD's 76th Annual Meeting, hosted in partnership with the Association of Florida Conservation Districts, will be held in Orlando, Fla., from Feb. 12-16, 2022, at the Hilton Orlando Lake Buena Vista at Disney Springs Resort. The theme for next year's meeting is "Conservation Defined For All," which will be integrated into sessions and activities at the event!

Conference registration is now open and includes entry into the Conservation Expo, NACD General and Concurrent Sessions, Monday’s Leadership Lunch and Live Auction, and NACD Training Sessions and Workshops. Early bird registration for the discounted price of $470 is open from now until Dec. 16, 2021.

The group hotel room rate at the Hilton is $222 per night plus tax. To reserve your room, click here, or call 407-827-4000 and say you’re with NACD. Room reservations must be booked by Friday, Jan. 21, 2022.

Visit NACD’s Annual Meeting webpage to learn more, view the agenda, register and reserve your room.

Since 2016, NACD has partnered with the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) on a very successful Urban Agriculture Conservation (UAC) grant initiative, awarding over $5.6 million dollars to 102 conservation districts in 35 states.

In fiscal year 2022, NACD will again award up to $900,000 through the UAC program. New to this year, districts may apply for up to $10,000 for a UAC planning grant, to begin early-stage program development. Districts may also apply for up to $50,000 for the traditional UAC grants, now called UAC implementation grants.

Interested applicants may review NACD’s Urban and Community Conservation webpage for the full request for proposals (RFP) and examples of projects from previous grantees. Many have completed projects like targeting outreach programs to underrepresented smallholder farmers, conducting activities related to urban soil health and partnering with schools to expand learning gardens.

The online application portal is now open, with a deadline of 11:59 p.m. local time on January 31, 2022.

Interested districts should save the date for an information session on Dec. 14, 2021, at 4 p.m. Eastern. Please review all application materials before the session and register online to receive the link to attend.

“NACD has diligently advocated for the inclusion of conservation measures in the bill. We are pleased that Congress has voted to make significant investments in the environment and green infrastructure,” NACD President Michael Crowder said. “We applaud the provisions that serve to strengthen climate resilience and address inequities in climate impacted communities across the country.”

Read the full press release in NACD's newsroom.

Last week, NACD staff gathered virtually for the association’s annual staff retreat. During the two-day virtual meeting, staff members had an opportunity to update each other on ongoing and upcoming projects, brainstorm new ideas, and strengthen relationships with each other.

On Thursday, Nov. 4, staff members reviewed grant deliverables and planning documents for Fiscal Year 2022. Teams were given time to meet and converse with others for cross-team collaboration on projects and programs.

On Friday, Nov. 5, staff received updates from each team and discussed NACD's upcoming Annual Meeting in Orlando, Florida.

From discussing the organization's grants planning strategy to brainstorming ways to collaborate with other team members, staff members left the virtual retreat with a strengthened sense of their work and commitment to advocating for locally-led conservation districts and their associations moving forward.

Last week, the Utah Association of Conservation Districts (UACD) held its annual meeting in St. George, Utah. UACD President Allen Henrie opened the two-day meeting, which was packed with great speakers and information. Keynote speaker Lane Nordlund, a professional agricultural broadcaster, speaker and podcaster, shared a timely message about being good ambassadors of agriculture in communities, reminding listeners that patiently and politely taking the time to explain the importance of agriculture to others is usually the most effective form of outreach. 

Attendees had the opportunity to ask questions of their state legislatures during the legislative panel. Representative Carl Albrecht and Representative Christine Watkins attended the meeting in person and fielded a variety of questions from the increasing cost of ag land to the expansion of housing developments. NACD’s Southwest Region Representative Rachel Theler also attended the meeting and shared information about NACD’s new insurance benefit available to Gold+ members. 

UACD raised money for its scholarship program through its successful live auction, and the meeting was closed out with the musical stylings of The Band ANA. 

To learn more about UACD and the meeting, visit their website.

NACD's offices will be closed on Thursday, Nov. 11, in recognition of Veterans Day.

On this day we would like to thank all who have served for our country and give a special thank you to all veteran farmers, ranchers and foresters.

South Central Region Representative: NACD is seeking a full-time South Central Region Representative that will be responsible for providing assistance to NACD members and board of directors to advance conservation and resource development, and assist in the implementation of NACD’s policies related to the South Central Region (AR, LA, OK, TX). This is a service-oriented position with a focus on creating and maintaining relationships and increasing the effectiveness of NACD in supporting conservation districts and their state associations.

Stewardship and Education Coordinator: NACD is seeking a full-time Stewardship and Education Coordinator to assist with the management of a national outreach program and online marketplace in support of NACD’s national conservation education objectives. This position also supports a growing portfolio of conservation education resources as well as other duties that accomplish NACD’s goals.

This position is located at NACD’s headquarters office in Washington, D.C., and reports to the Director of Education.

Apply by Friday, Nov. 12 for priority interview consideration for both positions. Learn more about these and all open positions and how to apply here.

Applications for NACD’s District Officials State Training Recognition Program are now being accepted through December 12.

To apply, visit this web page. Recognition will take place during the 2022 NACD Annual Meeting.

 Call for NACD Hall of Distinction Nominations

To make an induction, state and territory associations are asked to send NACD information via this online form by Dec. 12. Learn more about the Hall of Distinction, including eligibility criteria, here.

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