NACD recently announced the 2024 Urban and Community Conservation (UAC) grant initiative recipients. These grants are open to any conservation district or tribe within the U.S. and its territories.

Since 2016, NACD has led the efforts of this successful grant program in collaboration with NRCS to help conservation districts and tribes build capacity for urban technical assistance and small-scale conservation, while addressing community needs in both rural and urban areas.

Through the partnership, over $9.2 million has been awarded to 168 conservation districts and tribes in 42 states and Puerto Rico. As part of an ongoing effort to build capacity in the community-oriented agricultural space, NACD started offering UAC planning grants for up to $10,000 in 2022.

“The Urban and Community Conservation grants generate innovative ideas for conservation and are an integral part of our efforts to get conservation on the ground and reach historically underserved communities,” said Kim LaFleur, NACD President. “The practices employed serve as a model for future conservation efforts.”

Examples of this year’s projects include installing a micro-nursery and vegetable garden within a secured youth detention center, providing Spanish-speaking farmworkers with pesticide safety education, developing a workshop series for immigrant and refugee farmers, and soil remediation in public spaces to plant public orchards that will eventually provide free food for residents.

This year, 35 conservation districts representing all seven of NACD’s regions have been awarded $1,468,157 in funding. The full list of 2024 UAC grant recipients can be found here.

BROCHURE TEMPLATE FOR DISTRICTS NOW AVAILABLE

In the summer of 2023, the NACD Outreach Committee identified, among other initiatives, a need to help increase the recognition of conservation districts across the country as a valuable, easily accessible, and relatable resource.

To help increase this awareness, the committee developed a brochure that is fully customizable in numerous formats and can be used by districts and state associations alike to promote and explain the work of conservation in general and local benefits specifically.

The template is accessible on Canva, Microsoft Publisher, and Adobe InDesign, so you can use the program you are most comfortable with and have access to. Find download links and instructions here.

This brochure could not have happened without the dedication and hard work of committee member Lynn Pilewski from the Greenville Soil & Water Conservation District in South Carolina. Lynn passed away shortly after completing the work, so it is to her and her family we express our gratitude and respect.  

If you have ideas for future templates, please email us at info@nacdnet.org! 

NRCS REQUESTS

 HELP PROMOTING EQIP

CUSTOMER SURVEY

NRCS has launched a survey seeking feedback from customers who have applied for Environmental Quality Incentive Program (EQIP) assistance in the last three years.

This survey was sent directly to customers who have recently participated in this program if NRCS had a customer email on file. Since NRCS does not have customer emails for all program participants, they are asking conservaitiondistricts to help spread the word within the agricultural community about this survey.

Provided is a sample newsletter article that districts can include in their communications to customers. The survey will remain open through September 10, 2024.

JOIN VIRTUAL AGROFORESTRY TRAININGS

In 2023, the Capitol Conservation District (CD) in Kanawha County, WV, used funds from the Friends of NACD District Grants Program to support the development of their growing conservation education program. The Capitol CD recently developed the “Ben Franklin Career & Technical Center” Outdoor Classroom, a one-of-a-kind education program that encompasses aquatics, forestry, wildlife, soils, and agriculture through hands-on, exploratory learning. The project was developed cooperatively with various state agencies, NRCS, the Great Kanawha RC&D, the West Virginia Association of CDs, West Virginia University, the City of Dunbar, the county school district, and other organizations. 

The facility features a fully operational high tunnel, an interpretive learning trail outfitted with plant identification signage, native pollinator plots, as well as marsh and pond habitats. Partners have helped to provide technical expertise, develop educational content, and design progress-monitoring tools and media for this important project. Over 30 different pocket guides covering native flora and fauna of the area are available to students for hands-on learning at the site. 

The district has also held multiple workshops, partner projects, and field trips, with more on the schedule! Learn more about this great program by reading the full blog post. 

The Friends of NACD District Grants Program is a grassroots-funded program designed by conservation districts to conduct new activities and/or test novel approaches to their operations. Stay tuned for the 2025 Friends of NACD District Grants Program opportunity, to be released this fall. Learn more about current and past projects on the Friends of NACD website. 

Please consider becoming a Friend of NACD to help provide more grant opportunities like this to districts throughout the NACD network.