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.
The Eastern Rhode Island Conservation District (ERICD), a 2020 Friends of NACD District Grants Program awardee, held its first-ever Earth Day Seedling Sale in April 2021.
The Northern Virginia Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) has teamed up with Virginia Department of Forestry to help the state reach its goal of planting 9 million trees in the next five years.
The Navajo Nation Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) is expanding its outreach and education efforts, in part to promote more agroforestry practices with Arizona’s Navajo Farmers and Ranchers.
The Clallam Conservation District (CCD) and the Quileute Tribe recently received a Conservation District Tribal Partnership Award for the relationship the two groups have developed to meet the conservation needs of Clallam County in Washington over the past five years.
Beattra Wilson is Assistant Director for Cooperative Forestry within the U.S. Forest Service. Recently, she shared time with NACD to discuss several topics related to her work.
The Placer Resource Conservation District in California has been awarded an urban agriculture conservation grant through a partnership with the National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) to boost technical capacity nationwide.
NACD President Michael Crowder said of Cosby, “His extensive experience in conservation as a farmer, a sportsman and state conservationist will further strengthen NRCS’ impact on the nation’s land.”
As part of our joint agreement with The Scotts Miracle-Gro Foundation (SMGF), NACD has the opportunity each year to gather with other nonprofit organizations through SMGF’s National Partner Network (NPN).
Twenty soil and water conservation districts have been selected to work with the Minnesota Department of Agriculture on a regional irrigation project. The project will provide financial and technical support to farmers who adopt precision irrigation and nitrogen management practices to help address groundwater quality and quantity issues.
The Snohomish Conservation District launched its Agriculture Resilience Plan in late 2019. The plan puts climate change front and center. Among other things, it gives farmers tools to assess their risk of higher groundwater, saltwater intrusion from the rising sea, flood depths along the Snohomish and Stillaguamish rivers, and climate impact on their crops.
The history of conservation in North Carolina centers on one visionary. Hugh Hammond Bennett, known as “the father of soil conservation,” was a North Carolina native from Anson County. Through his efforts, North Carolina created the first conservation district in the nation.
“We take part every year … it’s a national environmental competition,” said Lyons. “The purpose of the competition is to introduce students to the field of environmental science and maybe enlighten them on education and career paths in this field.”
(Subscriber Only) The Agriculture Department issued a climate strategy Thursday that heavily focuses on measuring the impact of climate-friendly practices, taking steps to facilitate private carbon markets and ensuring all farmers can benefit financially from addressing climate change.
There is ground-breaking work being done in the world of agriculture when it comes to the ground – dirt, improvements to soil conditioning and preservation. On KVNU’s For the People program on Tuesday, Tony Richards, the resource coordinator with the North Cache and Blacksmith Fork Soil and Conservation districts, said it’s quite exciting with the improved study and understanding of soil health.
“In a traditional approach to agriculture, we try to force our will onto Mother Nature to achieve whatever goal you are trying to accomplish,” Anderson said. “With regenerative agriculture, we try to work with Mother Nature. It’s a mindset change. You have to be willing to accept a little bit of the chaos that occurs, because I don’t think we fully understand how complex our soils are.”
Vilsack said last week that in President Joe Biden’s administration, “the ultimate goal is to reduce emissions” but that his preferred method is through incentives and education, not the heavy hammer of regulatory enforcement.
The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) and ConocoPhillips has awarded a grant of more than $180,000 to the Borderlands Research Institute (BRI) for a grassland restoration project that will benefit wintering grassland birds in the Trans-Pecos.
Washington State’s Department of Natural Resources Landowner Program almost reached their ambitious goal of reducing fire fuels of 5,500 acres of private land.
The primary focus of the Iowa Pest Resistance Management Program in Harrison County has been slowing the spread of herbicide resistance through judicious use of herbicides. However, this year, the group is evaluating some additional practices for weed suppression – specifically, cover crops.
The soil in the West is record dry for this time of year. In much of the region, plants that fuel fires are also the driest scientists have seen. The vegetation is primed to ignite, especially in the Southwest where dead juniper trees are full of flammable needles.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) announced an initiative to quantify the climate benefits of Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) contracts. This multi-year effort will enable USDA to better target CRP toward climate outcomes and improve existing models and conservation planning tools while supporting USDA’s goal of putting American agriculture and forestry at the center of climate-smart solutions to address climate change.
(Subscriber Only) The Agriculture Department on Tuesday announced $10 million to support projects that measure the climate benefits of the Conservation Reserve Program, a longstanding system that pays farmers to take environmentally sensitive land out of production.
California, heading into a wildfire season expected to surpass last year’s unprecedented rash of conflagrations, has already mobilized a larger firefighting force than ever before, as the governor calls for a record $2 billion fire-safety budget.
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