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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.


Agri-Pulse: NRCS hiring 1,000-plus employees to bolster field offices
By Steve Davies
04/29/20

(Subscription Only) Understaffed for years, the Natural Resources Conservation Service is making a push to hire more than 1,000 employees so farmers can be assured of receiving technical assistance on conservation practices. The increased hires will be welcome in rural America. New personnel are “a great opportunity to help out landowners and the rural economy,” says Coleman Garrison, director of government affairs for the National Association of Conservation Districts.

Agri-Pulse: USDA to offer 30-year CRP contracts beginning this summer
By Ben Nuelle
04/29/20

(Subscription Only) The Department of Agriculture will start offering some landowners and farmers a chance to enroll in 30-year Conservation Reserve Program contracts starting in July.

ABC News: Battered by Floods, U.S. River Towns Turn to Wetlands
By John Flesher
04/28/20

Some communities in the U.S. heartland are taking a more natural approach to preventing the kinds of floods that have devastated the region in recent years. 

Phys.org: Forest Service debuts state-by-state statistics on carbon
04/29/20

For the first time, a new publication by the USDA Forest Service delivers an overview of the status and trends of greenhouse gas emissions and removals from forest land, woodlands, hardwood products, and urban trees nationally for 49 U.S. states.

Phys.org: Long-term efficacy of managed wildfires in restoration efforts
04/24/20

Land managers are increasingly interested in using lightning-ignited wildfires as a tool to restore forests and reduce fuel loads. But little is known about the effectiveness of managing wildfires to meet restoration goals.

Smithsonian's National Zoo: One in Four Tree Deaths in Blue Ridge Mountains Linked to Invasive Species
04/30/20

New research from the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute (SCBI) and Shenandoah National Park finds that invasive species of forest insects and pathogens contributed to about a quarter of the tree deaths in Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountain forests in the past three decades. According to the authors, this is the first study to evaluate the long-term impact of the multiple invasive species affecting forests.

E&E News: Earth's insect population shrinks 27 percent in 30 years
04/24/20

(Subscriber Only) The world has lost more than one quarter of its land-dwelling insects in the past 30 years, according to researchers whose big picture study of global bug decline paints a disturbing but more nuanced problem than earlier research.

Phys.org: Scientists use bacteria to help plants grow in salty soil
04/27/20

A new study has shown that salt-tolerant bacteria can be used to enhance salt tolerance in various types of plants. The new approach could increase crop yield in areas dealing with increasing soil salinity.

Science Magazine: ‘Hydrologists should be happy.’ Big Supreme Court ruling bolsters groundwater science
By Warren Cornwall
04/23/20

A new U.S. Supreme Court ruling puts groundwater science at the center of decisions about how to regulate water pollution.

The Bay Net: U.S. Senators Announce Over $10 Million for Maryland Chesapeake Bay Conservation Projects
04/29/20

U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin (both D-Md.) have announced $10,774,013 for two conservation projects in Maryland through the Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) within the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS).

Sidney Herald: Montana farmers, ranchers implement conservation practices
04/26/20

Agriculture is key to Montana’s economy as well as to the abundance of the Treasure State’s open land. Farmers and ranchers are committed to continuous improvement, growing more food using less resources. They spend most of their time outdoors and enjoy working the land to ensure it’s sustainable; in fact, every day is Earth Day for farmers and ranchers.

Science Daily: Crops sown in a uniform spatial pattern produce higher yields and reduce environmental impact
04/28/20

Higher yields and fewer weeds are possible if farmers sow wheat, maize, soy and other crops in more uniform spatial patterns, according to researchers. More precise sowing can also help reduce herbicide use and fertilizer runoff.


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