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 with accessing articles, please contact the NACD Communications Team.
This blog post is part of a nine-part series highlighting technical assistance (TA) grant recipient participation at NACD’s 76th Annual Meeting in Orlando, FL. This post’s author, Dawn Temple of Rock Island County Soil & Water Conservation District in IL, attended the meeting with a TA stipend.
Woman Owned Woodlands and Developing the Next Generation of Forest Landowners is a resource for women landowners and forest stewards. The WOW network is national in scope and works at the local level with chapters and conservation professionals to offer women-focused woodland management content. They support female forest landowners in seeing their woodland management goals realized through skill-building opportunities and connecting them with necessary resources.
This June, NACD released the updated “Desk Guide to Accelerating Implementation of the National Cohesive Wildland Fire Management Strategy.” As part of that release, we revisited with Jenny Coe, Skagit & Whatcom County Conservation District Resource Specialist, Community Wildfire Resilience, to dig in further on how districts can show up when considering drafting or revising a Community Wildfire Protection Plan.
The National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD) held the 2022 Summer Conservation Forum and Tours in conjunction with the NACD Southeast Region Meeting. Hosted in partnership with the Puerto Rico Association of Soil Conservation Districts, this summer’s meeting gathered conservation leaders from across the country and Caribbean to discuss natural resource concerns and innovative solutions. It included a Climate Smart Panel, a Partnership Roundtable, and keynote presentations from NASA, Para la Naturaleza, and NRCS Chief Terry Cosby.
NACD applauds the historic investments to bolster conservation efforts across the country included in the recently released Inflation Reduction Act of 2022. This proposal from the U.S. Senate would provide strong funding for critical conservation programs at the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS).
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) encourages urban producers and others to attend the second public meeting of the Federal Advisory Committee for Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production on August 5. The Committee will discuss new urban conservation practices, focus areas and priorities for the Commission, and the new Farm Service Agency (FSA) urban county committees, among other topics.
(Subscriber only) Scorching temperatures this past week have put swaths of the U.S., especially in the South and West, under excessive-heat warnings and advisories. The hot weather is hitting during an important period of the Midwest crop-growing season, analysts said, and just as some commodity prices ease amid concerns about global food supplies.
They may look like ordinary horses grazing in a field, but these animals are actually the frontline of protecting a rare ecosystem, and they’re changing how conservationists view the role of farm animals in nature.
Soil Health Champions experimented by planting a mix of pubescent wheatgrass and alfalfa on some of the most marginal land. Over time, the ranch’s 1,500 acres of cropland were converted to mixed-species grasses and legumes. Given the extra forage, they doubled the grazing herd and reduced winter feed costs by lengthening the grazing season.
Soils influence water quality, and they are critical to plant growth. However, it has been difficult to predict how plant growth and water quality would change in the wake of wildfires. Now, a team of investigators has devised new methodology to enable such predictions.
To keep nitrogen where it can do us the most good, a team of ARS scientists is developing new techniques for cover crop breeders. Their goal: to help the breeders identify plants whose extended underground root systems (known as the rhizosphere) are most effective at keeping nitrogen in the soil.
Satellite imagery — showing scenes of extreme weather from space — reveals a superheated planet that’s ablaze, desiccated and swamped in different areas all at the same time.
(Subscriber only) A fresh round of Agriculture Department funding is set to invest $401 million to expand internet connectivity to unserved or underserved people in rural parts of the country across 11 states. The bulk of the investments, made through USDA’s ReConnect program – are expected to provide high-speed internet access for some 31,000 people and businesses in rural America.
By Margaret Osborne | New Hampshire | Northeast Region
07/13/22
A distillery in New Hampshire is fighting the East Coast’s invasive green crabs by turning them into “Crab Trapper,” a crab-flavored whiskey. The crabs, hardy and successful invasive species, have spread across the coast with increasing numbers in New England.
Have you ever soiled your undies for science? It may sound a little strange at first, but there’s a deeper meaning behind it. In the beginning of May, the Sussex Conservation District (SCD) planted several pairs of 100% cotton underwear in farm fields in Bethel and Georgetown. Just shy of 60 days later, pretty much all that’s left of them is the elastic waistbands.
A stretch of the Rio Grande near Albuquerque that supplies farmers with water and a habitat for an array of aquatic life is drying — an unsettling sighting of climate change’s effects in a populous U.S. city.
An invasive species that could wreak havoc on commercial and subsistence fisheries has been found in Alaska for the first time. Biologists with Metlakatla Indian Community say they found the first evidence of European green crabs on Annette Island, near the southern tip of Southeast Alaska, in mid-July.
The North Dakota Department of Agriculture Soil Health Cover Crop Grant Program is now open for applications. The program was made possible through funding provided by the 67th Legislative Assembly. NDDA will provide cost-share assistance to producers.
Farmers and ranchers can learn more about those topics and network with other producers and experts at the 2022 Bottom Line Conference Aug. 24 to 25 at Kearny County Fairgrounds, Lakin, Kansas. The Conference is a two-day event that will take a comprehensive look at techniques and systems to improve bottom lines, soil production and profits in the drier southwest Kansas climate.
Water lovers of all ages are invited to join Glacierland RC&D on a search for aquatic invasive species (AIS), on August 20th at Lower Henry Schuette Park in Manitowoc and Selner Park in Kewaunee.
A destructive wildfire near Yosemite National Park burned out of control Sunday and has grown into one of California’s biggest blazes of the year, forcing thousands of residents to flee remote mountain communities. Some 2,000 firefighters were battling the Oak Fire, along with aircraft and bulldozers, facing tough conditions that included steep terrain and spiking temperatures.
Two local students were selected to attend the Resource Conservation Workshop at North Carolina State University from June 26th- July 1, 2022. This workshop was hosted by the North Carolina Association of Soil & Water Conservation Districts. The Hyde Soil & Water Conservation District sponsored both students by providing their registration fees and travel expenses.
One goal of the research is to determine whether cover crop seeds spread from the drone can germinate in fields already occupied by corn and soybean plants so that there is a head start in the level of growth. If successful, drones will enable participating farmers to seed their fields earlier in the year – improving the chances of the cover crop getting established in time to reap the benefits.
Have you wondered how you can help keep the water, land, and air healthy? The Van Buren Conservation District is holding a “Healthy Water Week” from Monday, August 1 through Friday, August 5. The event will be free and open to the public, and will provide information, snacks, and take-home activities for kids.
Approximately 6,000 people have been told to evacuate their homes in Mariposa, California, as a wildfire blazes through the Sierra National Forest, which borders the Yosemite National Park. The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection stated that the Oak Fire had engulfed 11,900 acres of land, with thousands of residents told to evacuate.
It might not be speedy, but it’s big, hungry and fast at reproducing: the giant African snail, a potential health risk to humans, has once again invaded the southern US state of Florida.
The Texas drought continues and the lake levels are falling fast. Texas’ greatest water threat will remain to be depleting aquifers and groundwater around the region. Over extraction and a steady drying of the western Hill Country due to climate change will put extra pressure on the groundwater supplies if careful measures aren’t followed to conserve that precious resource.
By Shannon Geisen| Park Rapids, MN | North Central Region
07/26/22
The Hubbard County Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD), in partnership with the Crow Wing County SWCD, received a federal grant from the Midwest Glacial Lakes Partnership (MGLP) to educate shoreline landowners about how to manage their land in order to protect their lakes.
By Julia Jacobo | Mariposa County, CA | Pacific Region
07/26/22
A bone-dry environment combined with scorching temperatures and ample fuel — all consequences of climate change — is what allowed the Oak Fire to spread so rapidly from the moment of ignition, scientists say.
By Deborah Swearingen | Boulder, CO | Southwest Region
07/26/22
In open space near the National Center for Atmospheric Research, trees and vegetation remain, despite the March fire that burned through nearly 200 acres there. Had Boulder Open Space and Mountain Parks not employed cattle grazing and forest thinning techniques in that particular area, the story could be quite different.
