NACD is so excited to announce that the Stewardship Week 2025 theme is "Home is Where the Habitat is!"

An annual program since 1955, Stewardship Week is one of the nation’s largest initiatives dedicated to promoting the conservation of natural resources. This week-long event serves as a powerful reminder of our personal responsibilities to safeguard our precious natural resources. The 70th Annual Stewardship Week will be celebrated April 27 - May 4, 2025 and will study the topic of habitats.

Next year's theme highlights the vital role native habitats play in sustaining biodiversity, storing carbon, and protecting soil and water resources. When animals, plants, and aquatic life have healthy habitats, it benefits us all by ensuring ecosystem stability, enhancing natural beauty, supporting clean air and water, and creating a resilient and sustainable environment.

This message is exemplified by the bird habitats depicted in our logo and branding. The bird nests represent natural habitats in need of our protection, while the bird houses represent the hands-on efforts we can make in our own backyards to provide safe habitats for our wildlife friends.

Stay tuned as we share new education guides, activity sheets, promotional materials, and more this fall to help you share the word about protecting habitats with the next generation of conservationists. Free downloadable materials will be available in August. Printed materials will be available for purchase in October. Both will be on NACD's marketplace.

If you have any questions about Stewardship Week, NACD's educational programs, or the poster and photo contests, please reach out to stewardship@nacdnet.org.

FINAL CHANCE TO REGISTER ONLINE AND RESERVE HOTEL ROOMS FOR SUMMER MEETING

This week is your FINAL CHANCE to register online and reserve a hotel room for NACD's 2024 Summer Conservation Forum & Tours. Hosted this year in conjunction with the Northeast Region Meeting, the NACD Summer Meeting will be held in Boston, Massachusetts this August 9-14.

Online registration closes, THIS FRIDAY, July 19! Limited registrations are available onsite, but spots on tours and at certain events will likely be full, so register online now to secure your spot.

Friday is also the deadline to reserve hotel rooms in the NACD room block at the Renaissance Boston Waterfront Hotel. Room rates start at $255/night. Rooms in NACD’s room block are first come, first served and there may be limited or no availability as the deadline for the room block nears. Any remaining rooms will be released from the block after July 19 and will return to market rate.

Experience Boston with us by joining the tours! Included in the cost of registration are an Urban Agriculture and Conservation Tour on Monday that will explore urban ag in downtown Boston and an Agriculture Conservation Tour on Tuesday that will explore agricultural education, aquaculture, and more in Plymouth County.

Learn more about the Summer Meeting, see the agenda, and reserve your spot amongst the action before it is too late!

WHAT'S UP IN WASHINGTON?GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS UPDATE

Last week, the Senate Appropriations Committee unanimously passed legislation to fund USDA in Fiscal Year 2025. The bill includes increased funding for several NACD priorities within NRCS, including Conservation Operations, Watershed Protection and Flood Prevention, and Watershed Rehabilitation. Earlier this month, the House Appropriations Committee passed their version of the bill, which would reduce funding for several NACD priorities. The full House and Senate must negotiate and pass appropriations bills before they can be enacted.

A continuing resolution to extend Fiscal Year 2024 funding levels is expected to be required to prevent a government shutdown at the end of the current fiscal year on September 30.

REGISTER FOR VIRTUAL AGROFORESTRY TRAININGS

In partnership with the USDA Forest Service National Agroforestry Center, NACD is excited to debut virtual agroforestry training sessions for conservation districts and partners!

Demand for trained agroforesters is expected to increase as agroforestry-related Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities projects and Inflation Reduction Act-funded projects are implemented. Two upcoming virtual regional trainings will introduce agroforestry and provide an educational foundation to help conservation districts and partners provide agroforestry technical assistance to landowners. The two trainings will be held on the following dates.

• August 27, 2024 from 12:00 – 400 p.m. CT for the North Central, Northern Plains, and South Central Regions | Register here

• October 22, 2024 from 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. PT for the Southwest and Pacific Regions | Register here

These virtual trainings will include an overview of geographically relevant agroforestry practices, soil and water conservation and management, funding opportunities and federal program navigation, and planning and design considerations. They are designed for conservation districts and their partners and will include case study examples on incorporating agroforestry into existing conservation district program offerings. The trainings will also include navigation of state and federal programs to support land managers in accessing agroforestry financial assistance.

Questions? Want to attend but can't make it to your region's session? Contact Annica McGuirk, NACD Forestry Program Manager.

This work is made possible by a grant from the USDA Forest Service, National Agroforestry Center, under the authority of the Cooperative Forestry Assistance Act of 1978.