Registration is open for NACD's 2025 Summer Conservation Forum & Tours! Hosted with Wisconsin Land + Water, the NACD Summer Meeting will be held in Milwaukee, WI, this July 25-29, 2025.

Early bird registration has been EXTENDED through Friday, July 11, so don't miss your last chance to save up to $50 per person.

Experience Milwaukee and surrounding counties with us by joining the tours! Included in the cost of registration are tours to the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District, the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee School of Freshwater Sciences, and a variety of conservation project locations and farms. Attendees will learn about water research and conservation, regenerative agriculture, habitat restoration, and more.

Looking to add more fun to your meeting experience? Join us for a night with the Brewers! On Monday, July 28, meet up with colleagues at the American Family Field stadium in Milwaukee to enjoy a baseball game. Tickets can be purchased when registering for the meeting.

Learn more about these tours on NACD's website and register for the meeting to join us!

LEARN ABOUT OPPORTUNITIES THROUGH NASA PROGRAMS AT CONSERVATION COFFEE

Join NACD’s District and Partner Relations Committee for the next Conservation Coffee to learn from two speakers from NASA’s Applied Sciences Program. These virtual programs provide individuals the opportunity to develop or expand their knowledge related to remote sensing to include ways remote sensing can be applied in agricultural settings.

We’ll learn about DEVELOP, a capacity-building program that supports end users in gaining skills related to applying Earth observation data in real-world contexts via small-scale, interactive feasibility projects. Projects may include understanding pest dynamics or the value of cover crops in specific contexts. Individuals apply to participate via a competitive process. We’ll hear about the application process and learn more about examples of past projects.

We’ll also learn about NASA’s Applied Remote Sensing Training Program (ARSET), which provides free virtual training opportunities. Upcoming ARSET courses include Fundamentals of Remote Sensing, Monitoring Global Terrestrial Surface Water Height (also available in Spanish), and more. Resources from past courses, including slides and recorded sessions, are also available online, categorized by topics for ease of reference, for example, fundamentals, water resources, wildland fires, etc.

This Coffee will help conservation districts learn more about the use of NASA’s data in real-world contexts and help individuals expand their knowledge and skills in remote sensing. Join us on July 10 at 3 p.m. ET to learn more. Register online for free here.REGISTER HERE

WHAT'S UP IN WASHINGTON? GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS UPDATE

On July 3, 2025, the U.S. House of Representatives narrowly passed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act with a 218–214 vote, marking a pivotal legislative victory for President Donald Trump’s second-term domestic agenda. The President signed the package into law during a July 4 ceremony at the White House. The 870-page bill includes sweeping reforms across tax policy, healthcare, education, energy, immigration, and infrastructure. Two sections are particularly impactful for conservation: Section 10601 (Conservation) and Section 10201 (Forestry).

Section 10601 (Conservation) modifies the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) by integrating unspent funds into program baselines and removing the requirement that they be used exclusively for climate-smart agricultural practices. By integrating IRA funding into the policy baseline, the increases in program allocations become permanent. This has consistently been a top priority for NACD as original boosts were set to expire at the end of Fiscal Year 2026 (FY26). Avoiding this funding cliff–and raising the bar for farm bill negotiations going forward–provides much needed stability to producers across the country.

Section 10201 (Forestry) rescinds all unobligated funds from the U.S. Forest Service that were originally appropriated under the IRA for climate-related forestry initiatives. These funds were intended to support wildfire prevention, forest health, and climate adaptation. However, because they had not yet been obligated, the bill cancels them outright. No new funding will be available from the IRA for these forestry initiatives, though projects already underway may continue if funds were previously obligated. The rescission reflects a shift away from climate resilience and toward more traditional forest management priorities.

This week, the Senate is preparing to take up its first set of FY26 appropriations bills. Among the measures under consideration is legislation that will determine funding levels for USDA. This package, which was passed by the House in June, will set the agency’s budget beginning October 1.

In related news, NRCS is currently seeking public input on several recently revised conservation practice standards. These updates could have implications for forestry professionals, landowners, and others working in natural resource management. Stakeholders are encouraged to review the proposed changes and submit comments by July 30, 2025. Additional details, including how to submit feedback, are available in the official notice published in the Federal Register.

DID YOU KNOW? EVERY NACD REGION HAS A VOICE AT THE LEADERSHIP TABLE

Did you know that in addition to NACD’s Officer Team, each NACD Region has an additional group of people who represents and supports our members at the national level? We have fourteen individuals—seven Region Executive Board Members and seven Region Chairs—who sit on our national leadership team and help guide the work of NACD.

Like the Officers, NACD’s Region Executive Board Members are NACD volunteers, and they provide a significant amount of guidance to our day-to-day activities. Their official responsibilities, as established by our bylaws, are:

• Develop our budget and authorize expenditures;
• Establish our annual travel plan and policies to ensure we can reach members in their home states while still managing our resources adequately;
• Help support fundraising for the organization (including establishing membership levels and the associated services for each level);
• Guide the strategic planning and programmatic goals for NACD; and
• Conduct networking and discussions in support of the many partnerships we maintain on behalf of our members.

Additionally, the Region Chairs help guide discussions at the region level related to policy and strategy, support local connectivity through to the national stage, and serve as the Alternate Executive Board Members for their region. Region Chairs hold one-year terms, with no term limits, and must also serve as a local conservation district official. Unlike Executive Board Members, they may also serve as the NACD Board Member for their state or territory.

These individuals, elected by NACD’s state and territory board members in each region, help manage the association, drive networking and connectivity within their regions, and volunteer their time in support of local conservation districts.

Learn more about the role of these important individuals, the work they do for NACD, and find out who represents your region and how to connect with them on our blog.