Hosted in partnership with the California Association of Resource Conservation Districts (CARCD), NACD's 2024 Annual Meeting will take place in San Diego, California from February 10-14, 2024. Join us for great networking opportunities, speakers, and tours exploring the theme "Operation Conservation!"

Time is running out to take advantage of our early bird special! Register before next Friday, December 22 to save up to $130.

Don't miss out on the learning opportunities at this event! Explore the 2024 Annual Meeting agenda to discover available breakout sessions, meetings, and social events that will be happening throughout the week. Find everything you need to know on NACD's website.

CCA CONSERVATIONIST OF

THE YEAR AWARDED

Last week, Russell Taylor of Emery, Utah, was named this year’s recipient of the Certified Crop Adviser (CCA) Conservationist of the Year Award.

The 2023 Award was announced by Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Associate Chief Louis Aspey and presented to Taylor by NACD’s Senior Advisor, Rich Duesterhaus, during a ceremony hosted at the U.S. Department of Agriculture with representatives of the coalition in attendance. The CCA Conservationist of the Year Award is included in the work of this coalition and annually recognizes a certified crop adviser who exhibits dedication to exceptional conservation delivery and customer service and has shown to be a leader in their industry.

This year’s award recognizes Taylor, an employee of Live Earth Products, Inc. Taylor works with many western state forage and crop farmers. He also works with other fertilizer users like homeowners and others with turfgrass management challenges.

“Mr. Taylor has demonstrated a deep commitment to protecting and enhancing our natural resources in his work with farmers and others with special attention to science-based approaches,” said NRCS Associate Chief Louis Aspey. “NRCS applauds Mr. Taylor’s innovative and impactful CCA work throughout his twenty-four year career.”

LAST CHANCE TO APPLY FOR ENVIROTHON DIVERSITY AND UNDERSERVED AUDIENCE GRANT PROGRAM

The National Conservation Foundation (NCF) and the NCF-Envirothon are currently accepting applications for the 2024 cycle of the Diversity Enhancement and Underserved Audience Grant (Diversity Grant) Program.

Sponsored by the U.S. Forest Service and NCF, the Diversity Grants provide mini-grants to U.S. state and Canadian provincial Envirothon programs with the goals of increasing the diversity, equity, and inclusion of local, state, and provincial Envirothon programs; improving access to hands-on, outdoor natural resource education opportunities; encouraging education exploration; and educating young adults on the importance of conservation.

Applications for awards of up to $4,000 for U.S. state programs are being accepted for Diversity Grant projects. Qualifying projects seek to provide historically underserved students with exposure to the Envirothon program with a focus on the five areas of study: aquatic ecology, forestry, soils and land use, wildlife, and current environmental issues. Examples of past Diversity Grant projects include:

• Participation Projects that provide travel and registration cost assistance to teams who have been unable to participate in the past due to a lack of funding;
• Outreach and Engagement Projects that initiate a training and/or outreach program for historically underserved students currently lacking access to outdoor education or Envirothon;
• Cultural Inclusion Projects that incorporate underrepresented cultures into Envirothon educational programs and/or competitions, or provide translation of education materials into languages other than English;
• Accessibility Projects that seek to adapt training and testing materials for hearing, visually, or mobility impaired students.

Conservation districts, including tribal conservation districts, may participate by partnering with their state Envirothon program to apply for Diversity Grant funding. Projects may concentrate on a particular school, school system, conservation district, or have a state-wide focus. All state Envirothon programs who are current on their membership dues are eligible to apply. Those interested in applying may view the request for proposals on the NCF-Envirothon Diversity Grant webpage. Submit applications through the online form by 11:59 p.m. ET on Friday, December 15, 2023. Awards will be announced in early February 2024.

For application questions or to discuss potential Diversity Grant project ideas, please contact Stephanie Tolar, NCF-Envirothon Education Specialist, at stephanie-tolar@nacdnet.org or call 1-800-825-5547 x 4. Learn more about the NCF-Envirothon at www.envirothon.org or by following us on social media, @ncfenvirothon.

WHAT'S UP IN WASHINGTON:

GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS UPDATE

Last week, NACD’s Executive Board met with U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and congressional leaders, including: NRCS Chief Cosby, Under Secretary for Farm Production and Conservation Business Center Robert Bonnie, Farm Service Agency Administrator Zach Ducheneaux, Senate Agriculture Committee Chair Debbie Stabenow, Senate Agriculture Committee Ranking Member John Boozman, and majority and minority House Agriculture Committee staff.

NACD leaders had productive discussions focused on farm bill priorities, appropriations requests, and the administration of USDA conservation efforts. Congressional leaders are pushing to develop and negotiate a new farm bill, but timing of passage remains unclear. Ahead of the holidays, Congress is focused on funding for Israel and Ukraine, the National Defense Authorization Act, and federal funding bills. See below for information on congressional hearings and access to livestreams.

The House Transportation and Infrastructure Water Resources and Environment Subcommittee will be holding a hearing titled "Proposals for a Water Resources Development Act of 2024: Stakeholder Priorities” on Wednesday, December 13 at 2:00 p.m. ET. Witnesses from the National Water Supply Alliance, Lake Carriers’ Association, and the Coalition to Protect the Missouri River will be in attendance. Follow along live at this link. 

On Thursday, December 14 at 9:00 a.m. ET the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources will be holding a markup hearing to discuss multiple pieces of legislation, including improvements to Olympic National Park in Washington and endangered species provisions in the Colorado River Basin. For more information on the hearing, and other legislation being considered, check out the Committee’s press release.