Conservation Clips is a weekly collection of articles distributed by NACD that provides our members and partners with the latest news in what’s driving conservation. These articles are not indicative of NACD policy and are the opinions of their authors, unless otherwise noted. If you have a relevant submission or need assistance accessing articles, please contact the NACD Communications Team.
NACD Blog: Did You Know? Friends of NACD Grant Program
08/26/2025
Friends of NACD was first launched in 2010 to provide our community with a way to directly invest in locally led conservation. Supporters jumped at the chance to contribute to this new program. In those first few years many people made contributions at the highest level and became Lifetime supporters of NACD.
Reuters: USDA ends programs for solar, wind projects on farms
By Leah Douglas and Nichola Groom
08/18/2025
The U.S. Department of Agriculture will no longer support solar and wind projects on productive farmland, said Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins in a post on X on Monday. The move is the latest in a series of actions by the administration of President Donald Trump to stall development of wind and solar energy, which Trump says are unreliable, expensive, and dependent on Chinese supply chains.
Mongabay: Old forests, new fires, and a scientific standoff over active management
By John Cannon
08/18/2025
But this embrace of active management isn’t universal. In a debate that has spanned decades, a group of scientists has opposed the broad application of these tools. While these researchers say the limited use of such tools might be called for in specific circumstances, they worry that a focus on them as the singular solution to the western U.S.’s growing fire problem will lead to misuse. And they argue that heavy-handed interventionism in forests could destabilize their long-honed ability to renew themselves.
USDA: Secretary Rollins Prioritizes American Energy on National Forest Lands
08/21/2025
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Risk Management Agency (RMA) announced the rapid implementation of significant enhancements to federal crop insurance programs following the enactment of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) on July 4, 2025. In record time, RMA has delivered these transformative changes, demonstrating the Trump Administration’s unwavering commitment to putting American farmers first by expanding benefits for beginning farmers and ranchers, increasing coverage options, and making crop insurance more affordable and accessible across multiple insurance programs.
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Farmers.gov: Fridays on the Farm: Multi-Generational Farm Thrives in Northern California
By Brooke Raffaele | Los Molinos, CA | Pacific Region
08/15/25
This Friday meet Annie Bianchi, a walnut producer in Los Molinos, California. The Bianchi family has had a long and successful career in farming in California. In 1976, Annie and her husband, Ray, made a big move from Central to Northern California to start a family farm. The Bianchis wanted to live where they could raise their kids in the country and where time doesn’t move too fast.
The plants that grow naturally around Moses Lake are great to plant on purpose for landscaping as well, according to local experts. “A lot of the riparian plants, especially the shrubs and trees, they’re not as flashy with color,” said Columbia Basin Conservation District Education and Outreach Program Manager Kaley Wisher. “They’ve got deep roots. They’re going to hold on. And if you’re having a bad weather year, those plants will persist.”
The Courier Express: Nature’s Lab Summer Camps held in Ridgway and Johnsonburg
Pennsylvania | Northeast Region
08/22/2025
Held at Sandy Beach Park and hosted by Ridgway Township, this three-day camp offered campers immersive activities led by local professionals. Participants explored nature through interactive stations, including a compelling stream study led by Jake Pistner and Alyson Bevacqua from the Elk County Conservation District.
Agri-View: Conservation team helps transform historic land
By | Illinois | North Central Region
08/22/2025
From historical Civil War prairie to a wildlife oasis for monarch butterflies and bobwhite quail, Working Lands for Wildlife is helping landowners reclaim their land and transform it into a thriving wildlife habitat. Building habitat on private land isn’t easy. That’s why Barb Heyen built a conservation team to help transform 120 acres of her property in southern Illinois, from low-quality pasture to quail and monarch butterfly focused habitat.
Gold Country Media: Fighting fire together: UC Davis, Placer County partner to build safer future
By Gary S. Mary | California | Pacific Region
08/23/2025
Another powerful example of this partnership is our UC Davis experts’ work on the Prescribed Burning on Private Lands project, a partnership with the Placer County Resource Conservation District (RCD) and CAL FIRE. Working with UC Davis alumnus Ted Odell, our expert fire ecologists assessed the land near Auburn in 2022 and advised that a prescribed burn would be the best way to manage the risk at a site vulnerable to fire.
Kitsap Sun: Federal policy changes land at Kitsap farms, and food banks
By Conor Wilson | Indianola, WA | Pacific Region
08/24/2025
Over the next few months, the Kitsap Conservation District will spend the remaining $40,000 provided by the Local Farm Purchasing Assistance program, a Biden-era initiative that benefited over a dozen Kitsap farms and eight regional food banks in the past three years.