NACD ANNUAL MEETING STARTS MONDAY

NACD's 74th Annual Meeting begins next Monday! We are looking forward to an exciting week, from a great lineup of speakers to engaging breakout sessions and opportunities for networking and discussion.

This year's meeting program is now available to view online. You can check out the full agenda, read breakout session descriptions and more.

Want to make sure you don't miss a speaker? Check out who's speaking and when:

To learn more about each speaker, visit NACD's Annual Meeting Speaker webpage.

IASWCD HOLDS 77TH ANNUAL MEETING IN INDIANAPOLIS

Photo Credit: Amy Work , Communications and Member Programs Manager, Indiana Association of Soil and Water Conservation Districts

On Jan. 12-14, 2020, over 500 conservation district staff, supervisors and partners gathered for the Indiana Association of Soil and Water Conservation Districts' (IASWCD) Annual Meeting in Indianapolis. Celebrating this year's theme of "Our Future's So Bright," attendees arrived wearing sunglasses, including IASWCD President Roger Wenning (pictured above).

On Monday morning, the conference began with an opening keynote address from Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Chief Matt Lohr (pictured below). On Monday evening, Farm Credit Mid-America sponsored a welcome reception, which included giant games of Jenga and Connect Four.

During the two-day conference, IASWCD held 12 breakout sessions and six roundtables on a number of topics, including cover crop establishment challenges, re-energizing districts, herbicide resistance, climate change in Indiana and more.

Conveniently located across from the Indiana Statehouse, the conference also hosted a legislative breakfast, where legislators heard from their conservation district constituents and received updates on the conservation work being accomplished in their counties and across the state.

This year's meeting ended with the Indiana Conservation Awards Luncheon, where attendees distributed 2019 conservation awards to a variety of recipients, including the Indiana Conservation Farmer of the Year; Supervisor of the Year; Earth Team Volunteer Award; District Showcase and Friend of Conservation.

NCF-ENVIROTHON EXTENDS DIVERSITY GRANT APPLICATION DEADLINE

The National Conservation Foundation (NCF)-Envirothon is extending its application deadline for the 2020 Diversity Grants Program to Friday, Feb. 14, 2020 .

The Diversity Grants program is designed to help state and provincial Envirothon programs expand the diversity of student participation. This can be accomplished by reaching out to minority and underserved urban and/or rural students that lack access to natural resource and outdoor educational opportunities.

Last year, $11,500 in grants were awarded, thanks to funding in part by the U.S. Forest Service. Many of the projects provide students with exposure to the NCF-Envirothon competition, from upgrading state websites to securing educational materials and translating materials into non-English languages.

To learn more and apply, please visit NCF-Envirothon's Diversity Grants webpage .

FEBRUARY U&C WEBINAR FOCUSES ON URBAN OUTDOOR WATER USE

The next NACD Urban and Community (U&C) Conservation webinar is scheduled for 12:00 p.m.-1:00 p.m. Eastern on Thursday, Feb. 20, 2020. Entitled, "Evaluating the Potential for Water Savings in Urban Outdoor Irrigation," this webinar will provide conservation districts with best practices and outcomes for conserving urban outdoor water use.

The Alliance for Water Efficiency (AWE) has been conducting a number of studies over the past four years that explore ways to reduce urban outdoor water use. An AWE representative will present the results of three studies (Peak Demand Management, Landscape Transformation and Drought Restrictions), which will provide valuable information for conservation districts as they work with homeowners, land users and communities across the country.

These popular webinars, held on the third Thursday of each month, are sponsored by  The Scotts Miracle-Gro Foundation in partnership with the NACD Urban and Community Resource Policy Group. There is no cost to participate, but space is limited. Registration will be accepted on a first-come, first-serve basis.

To register, click  here . If you have difficulty, please contact NACD Senior Advisor Debra Bogar at deb-bogar@nacdnet.org .

Don’t Forget to Download the NACD App

With NACD’s annual meeting just around the corner, make sure to download NACD’s free mobile app!

Available in the Apple Store and Google Play Store, the NACD app contains links to the annual meeting program, speaker bios, breakout session descriptions, exhibitor booth information, live auction catalog and more.

Enable push notifications to get last minute alerts on room changes, reminders of upcoming events and the latest annual meeting information you need to know.

Apply Now:

NACD Seeks

Natural Resource

Policy Specialist

NACD is seeking qualified candidates to serve as the national association's natural resource policy specialist for the Washington, D.C. headquarters.

This position is responsible for working with members of the government affairs team and acts as a liaison with Congress, federal natural resource agencies, stakeholder groups and coalitions with interests in natural resource management issues.

Visit  NACD's Careers and Internships webpage to learn more about the position. All interested applicants should submit a resume, cover letter and two writing samples to  hr@nacdnet.org   no later than  Friday, Feb. 14, 2020 for priority consideration.

2020 NCF Live Auction Boasts Exciting Lineup

Get ready for an exciting Live Auction at this year's annual meeting, where buyers can bid on 149 hours of use on each of these four Case IH implements: Magnum™ 380 CVT Trac, Magnum™ 310, Maxxum® 150 and Utility Farmall® 120C (pictured above). A John Deere Gator XUV590M will also be available to bid on.

All auction proceeds will go toward supporting the National Conservation Foundation, NACD's sister organization that supports the delivery of locally-led conservation, and helps create and shape the future generation of conservation leaders. To learn more, visit NCF's 2020 Live Auction webpage .

NACD Welcomes Friend

Tom Christensen

NACD would like to welcome Tom Christensen of Leesburg, Va., as a Friend of NACD.

Christensen recently retired from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, where he dedicated over 40 years with the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), serving various leadership positions at both the national and state levels. He also served as state conservationist in Illinois, and in other field leadership positions such as Idaho and New York.

Interested in becoming a Friend of NACD? Learn more on  NACD’s website .

Apply Now:

Nevada District Seeks District Manager

The Northeast Elko Conservation District (NEECD) is seeking a district manager to be based in Northeast Elko County, Nev., and to work full-time with district staff.

The district manager will be responsible for managing day-to-day operations of the conservation district, including grant and project management; collaborating with external agencies; providing organizational leadership; and assisting the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and landowners in planning and implementing NRCS programs and initiatives.

Applications must be submitted by Monday, March 30, 2020. To learn more about the position and how to apply, visit NACD's District 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 !