On Saturday, Aug. 10, nearly 60 conservation district leaders and partners from nine states gathered in Gatlinburg, Tenn., for the fourth in a series of NACD listening sessions. The session was held before the start of the 2019 annual NACD Southeast Region Meeting.

Led by NACD Secretary-Treasurer Ian Cunningham, Southeast Region Executive Board Member Gary Blair (pictured with participants), Southeast Region Chair Franklin Williams and Southeast Region Representative Candice Abinanti, the session kicked-off with an overview of NACD and resources and services available to conservation districts. Discussion on a variety of topics followed, supported by real-time polling through the NACD app. Topics of discussion included environmental education, advocacy, conservation planning training, grant funding, meetings and more. 

These member-focused listening sessions provide opportunities to learn more about NACD and its services and share guidance and feedback with NACD’s leadership and staff. The next listening session will be held in Ames, Iowa, on Aug. 20. To learn more, visit the NACD Listening Sessions webpage or contact your region representative. 

NACD ANNOUNCES ANNUAL MEETING THEME, DEBUTS LOGO

NACD is pleased to announce the theme for the 74th Annual Meeting, " Conservation Innovation: Working from the Roots Up." The 2020 Annual Meeting will focus on innovation and how it helps deliver conservation on the ground.

In cooperation with the National Conservation Planning Partnership (NCPP), the NACD meeting will feature public and private sector innovations in a wide range of fields that focus on meeting private lands conservation needs. Conservation innovation will be featured within a set of educational breakout sessions, among other activities. 

NACD is still soliciting applications for breakout sessions that fit within three themes:

Applications must be submitted by Friday, Sept. 6, 2019.

If your company or organization would like time at the meeting to present to NACD members about your innovative products or services that support the work of America’s conservation districts, please contact NACD Director of Development  Laura Demmel  at  laura-demmel@nacdnet.org .

To learn more and submit a proposal, visit NACD's Breakout Sessions  webpage . If you have any questions, please contact NACD Government Affairs Manager  Eric Hansen  at  eric-hansen@nacdnet.org .

VIRGINIA TEAM NAMED 2019 NCF-ENVIROTHON CHAMPIONS

On Aug. 2, the Jamestown High School team from Williamsburg, Va., was named the champion of the 2019 National Conservation Foundation (NCF)-Envirothon, an international environmental and natural resources education competition for high schoolers.

“I’d like to congratulate the Jamestown team and all of the teams for their hard work and dedication,”  NCF Chair Steve Robinson said . “Their knowledge about environmental and natural resource issues, as well as their commitment to these areas, have shown me that the future of conservation is in good hands.”

The winning NCF-Envirothon teams are awarded scholarships and prizes, with the top three scoring teams receiving $30,000 in total, thanks to the support of  Smithfield Foods, Inc .  As the largest corporate sponsor of NCF-Envirothon, Smithfield donated a combined $120,000 to support regional, statewide and international competitions throughout the year. In addition to financial support from the company, Smithfield employees donated their time and expertise to the program, serving as volunteer advisors to lead training sessions, facilitate program curriculum, and coordinate activities.

“Smithfield Foods is proud to support the NCF-Envirothon competition and award the next generation of natural resource professionals,”  said Bill Gill, assistant vice president of sustainability for Smithfield Foods. “The dedication, passion and expertise of these high-schoolers is inspiring.”

Fifty-three teams across the U.S., Canada and China traveled to this year’s competition, hosted by North Carolina Envirothon, at North Carolina State University in Raleigh. Throughout the week-long competition, students demonstrated their knowledge on soils and land use, aquatic ecology, forestry and wildlife management through written tests and interactive stations featuring North Carolina’s natural resources. The teams also prepared oral presentations on this year’s current issue, “Agriculture and the Environment: Knowledge and Technology to Feed the World.”

“The NCF-Envirothon competition began in 1979,” NCF-Envirothon Program Manager  Jennifer Brooks said. “Forty years later, this program has grown and expanded its reach, but continues to encourage high school students to pursue environmental, conservation and natural resource-related fields.”

The 2020 international NCF-Envirothon competition will be hosted in Lincoln, Nebraska, at the University of Nebraska from July 26 – Aug. 1, where students will be tested on the 2020 topic, “Water Resources Management: Local Control and Local Solutions.”

To learn more and view the list of top winning teams, visit NACD's Newsroom.

CUMBERLAND COUNTY SWCD, MAINE

The Cumberland County Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD)'s urban agriculture conservation program strives to build partnerships and harmonize the goals of otherwise disconnected people and organizations in order to educate its community on sustainable small-scale agriculture practices.

In 2016, NACD, in partnership with the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) awarded funding to the Cumberland SWCD to help develop curricula that would provide agriculture and food system education to underserved populations, including new Americans and incarcerated youth in the state of Maine. The work funded by NACD served as the catalyst for the district’s ongoing agriculture program activities.

Curricula developed for the new American community was used to hold three workshops. For incarcerated youth, four 90-minute lessons with total classroom time of six hours were developed. The district taught a total of 10 classes at a Maine State Department of Corrections facility in South Portland, reaching 18 female and 24 male residents.

Technical design work included erosion and sedimentation control improvements at six community agriculture sites and food forest installations at four sites. Based on this work, the district was awarded funding by the Quimby Family Foundation to support community agriculture in Gorham, a Portland suburb.

A key project task that allowed the district to build its program was a “needs assessment.” This included a survey, which indicated interest in adding food forests and community garden space throughout the county. The most significant finding was that, among people who currently garden either at home or at a community bed, few had done any kind of soil test for nutrients or lead. More than 70 percent of respondents said they have no knowledge of which plants are best to grow in soil that might contain lead. Based on these findings, the district has secured funding to further educate underserved populations on addressing lead contamination.

While building the urban agriculture conservation program, the district gained significant capacity to design and build food forests, leverage partners to improve community garden sites, communicate best practices to low or non-English-speaking new American groups and reach underserved youth. Thanks to NACD funding, the district will continue to build capacity to support urban and community agriculture. 

Learn more about  the project on NACD's website.

Summer Meeting Photos Available Online

A  gallery of photos from the 2019 Summer Conservation Forum and Tour is available on NACD's Flickr page. New photos have been added since last week's edition of eResource.

Photos can be downloaded and utilized by all conservation districts, state and territory associations and meeting attendees.

USDA Releases Proposed Amendments to Greater Sage Grouse Land Management Plans

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Forest Service proposed changes to how the agency manages greater sage grouse in Colorado, Idaho, Nevada, Wyoming and Utah after hearing concerns from states and land users. The changes strive to improve the clarity, efficiency and implementation of the current sage grouse plans.

Greater sage grouse populations have been impacted by a variety of threats including the loss of habitat from wildfire and the spread of invasive weeds like cheat grass. In 2015, the USDA’s Forest Service, along with the Department of Interior’s Bureau of Land Management, amended land management plans in an attempt to address threats and improve habitat conservation for greater sage grouse. 

To learn more and read the proposal, visit the Federal Register's webpage .

NCF-NGLI Now Accepting Applications

During last week's summer meeting, the National Conservation Foundation (NCF) announced the opening of the application period for the inaugural cohort of the Next Generation Leadership Institute (NGLI).

NGLI, a program of the NCF, will train seven applicants over the course of 2020, with one participant selected from each of NACD's regions.

During the year-long NGLI program, currently-appointed conservation district officials will be equipped for leadership at the local, state and national level through several in-person trainings focused on personal, civic and organizational leadership development.

Applications are due  Friday, Sept. 20, 2019. To learn more about the program and apply, visit the NGLI webpage.

NACD Thanks Friend Doug Rushton

NACD would like to thank Doug Rushton for renewing his Friend of NACD membership.

Rushton is with the Thurston Conservation District in Tumwater, Wash., and serves as Washington State’s NACD Board Member.

Friends of NACD are individuals who are committed to the conservation of America’s natural resources. Show your appreciation for our nation’s 3,000 conservation districts by becoming a Friend of NACD. Learn more on  NACD’s website.

Deadline Extended: Submit Your Nomination For CCA Conservationist of the Year Award

The American Society of Agronomy (ASA) is extending its nomination deadline for its Certified Crop Adviser (CCA) Conservationist of the Year Award to Friday, Aug. 16, at 5:00 p.m. Eastern.

The CCA Conservationist of the Year Award annually recognizes a certified crop adviser who delivers exceptional conservation advice and results, customer service, is highly innovative, has shown that they are a leader in conservation, and has contributed substantially to the exchange of conservation ideas and the transfer of conservation knowledge within the agriculture industry.

The award consists of travel expenses to Washington, D.C., for the award ceremony, a $2,000 stipend, a commemorative plaque and a one-year membership or membership renewal in the American Society of Agronomy.

To learn more and submit your nomination, visit ASA's  award webpage.

Submit Your NACD Award Nomination

It's not too late to nominate your conservation leaders for one of NACD's national conservation awards!

The  NACD Friend of Conservation Award recognizes an individual, business, organization or agency outside the association for outstanding contributions to the conservation of our nation’s natural resources.

The  NACD Distinguished Service Award honors an individual within the association, a conservation district or a state association who has made significant contributions to the conservation and proper management of our nation’s natural resources.

To learn more and submit your nomination, visit  NACD's Awards webpage. Nominations are due   Aug. 31.

Promote your conservation district or state association's tree sale, annual meeting, webinar, field day or more on NACD's Calendar of Events!