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.

BARN: COALITION ADVOCATES FOR BOLSTERED CONSERVATION FUNDING INCLUDE AFT, NACD, NSAC & NWF
04/08/21

Today, 70 leading agriculture, conservation and wildlife groups delivered a letter to Congress requesting robust funding for conservation programs and technical assistance in fiscal year (FY) 2022 appropriations.

WUN: Eastern Rhode Island Conservation District receives urban agriculture conservation grant
04/06/21

With the funding, ERICD will install a pollinator garden at the Portsmouth AgInnovation Farm, located at Cloverbud Ranch in Portsmouth.

9 and 10 News: Grand Traverse Conservation District Relaunches Peepers Program
By Adam Bartelmay
04/06/21

The Grand Traverse Conservation District is relaunching its Peepers Program after taking its winter break. The hour-long nature program allows children ages 3 to 5 learn about and experience the outdoors.

Independent Record: Lake Helena homeowner teams up with conservation district to fight erosion
By Phil Drake
04/05/21

Olds, with the help of the Lewis and Clark Conservation District, recently planted nearly 8,000 willows along 300 feet of his property just off Lincoln Road. 

The Standard: Jarred and Shelby Moose named finalists in the National Outstanding Young Farmers Awards Program
04/07/21

A rural Allamakee County couple has been named among the National Outstanding Young Farmers (NOYF) Awards Program finalists for 2021.

King 5: Whidbey Island residents take precautions against wildfire under national program
By Glenn Farley
04/07/21

The Firewise program in Washington is coordinated by the state’s largest fire department, the Department of Natural Resources. Spreading the Firewise message on the island is Kelsi Mottet, the Natural Resource Planner for the Whidbey Island Conservation District.

PEW: States Are Growing Fewer Trees. Forest Owners Say That’s a Problem.
By Alex Brown
04/05/21

Daryl Buck is the district manager for the Winona County Soil and Water Conservation District, which procures trees on behalf of local landowners for conservation plantings. The district’s efforts have been hampered by the drop in Minnesota’s seedling production.

Morning AgClips: New frameworks guide conservation action on working rangelands
04/08/21

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is unveiling new action-based frameworks to increase conservation work to address threats facing America’s working rangelands. These frameworks are designed to benefit both agriculture and wildlife in sagebrush and grassland landscapes of the western United States.

Agri-Pulse: New coalition pledges to increase pollinator habitat on California’s working lands
By Sara Wyant
04/07/21

(Subscriber Only) The California Pollinator Coalition is broadening its collaboration between agriculture and conservation groups to improve the health, diversity and number of pollinators on working lands.

Morning AgClips: Nutrient management, conservation research update
04/01/21

The farmer-driven Northern New York Agricultural Development Program (NNYADP) has released a suite of research reports on nutrient management efficiency and on agricultural environmental conservation related to tile drainage.

EurekAlert!: UMD tracks the adoption of green infrastructure, from water conservation to policy
04/07/21

In a new paper published in the Journal of Environmental Policy & Planning, the University of Maryland teamed up with local researchers to examine green infrastructure adoption and leadership in Tucson, Arizona, an interesting case study where grassroots efforts have helped to drive policy change in a growing urban area surrounded by water-constrained desert. 

BBC: The water fight over the shrinking Colorado River
By Paige Sutherland
04/07/21

Scientists have been predicting for years that the Colorado River would continue to deplete due to global warming and increased water demands, but according to new studies it's looking worse than they thought.

AgWeb: Farmers Standing up for Waterways Are Getting Good Support and Seeing Great Results
03/30/21

As stewards of the land, farmers respect nature. By planting forested buffers within 35 feet of all streams on their farms, farmers can protect waterways and build habitats.

Santa Fe New Mexican: Habitat reserves set up to help lesser prairie chicken
By Scott Wyland
04/07/21

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service must decide by May 26 whether to relist the bird under the Endangered Species Act to comply with a court order spurred by three conservation groups suing the agency in 2019.

Penn State News: Entomologist to examine how plant domestication influences pollinator evolution
04/07/21

A grant of nearly $1.4 million from the National Science Foundation will support a researcher in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences in a study examining the influence of plant domestication on the ecology and evolution of wild pollinator species in agricultural landscapes.

Agri-Pulse: Scientists ID second gene tied to heat tolerance
By Amy Mayer
04/06/21

(Subscriber Only) Researchers at UC Riverside are making progress in their understanding of how plants respond to heat, a step that could eventually lead to crops that can withstand higher temperatures as the climate continues changing.

USDA-ARS: Droughts Longer, Rainfall More Erratic Over the Last Five Decades in Most of the West
04/06/21

Dry periods between rainstorms have become longer and annual rainfall has become more erratic across most of the western United States during the past 50 years, according to a study published by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service and the University of Arizona.

Iowa Capital Dispatch: Iowa scientists: Climate change will bring floods, drought and supercharged ragweed
By Perry Beeman
04/06/21

Iowa is in for a challenging mix of super-ragweed, floods, damaged crops and drought as the globe warms, three scientists said Tuesday.

E&E News: N.M. tribes sue EPA over Trump-era wetland rule
04/02/21

(Subscriber Only) Two Indigenous communities in New Mexico have sued EPA over a revised federal rule that lifts protections for many streams, creeks and wetlands across the nation, saying the federal government is violating its trust responsibility to Native American tribes.

KNOP: Climate change affects Nebraska forests
By Marresa Burke
03/29/21

Over the past 10 years, Nebraska forests have seen some significant changes.

Phys.org: Western rivers face pinch as another dry year takes shape
By Susan Montoya Bryan
04/02/21

As several states in the American West face intense drought, it's shaping up to be a very difficult year for New Mexico farmers because of limited irrigation supplies, with some saying conditions haven't been this dire since the 1950s.

AgWeek: Minnesota water quality certified farms are reaping profits
04/07/21

Farms enrolled in the Minnesota Agricultural Water Quality Certification Program last year saw profits 20 percent higher than non-certified farms.

Phys.org: Soil moisture drives year-to-year change in land carbon uptake
By Kimm Fesenmaier
04/01/21

A new study led by Caltech and published in the April 1 issue of the journal Nature resolves this debate, showing that soil moisture is indeed in the driver's seat in terms of how much carbon dioxide is taken up by land ecosystems.

Lancaster Farming: Million Acre Challenge Aims for Healthier Maryland Soil
By Michael Short
04/08/21

A new challenge hopes to improve the soil on 1 million acres of Maryland farmland by 2030. The Million Acre Challenge will provide farmers together with resources to build organic matter, reduce compaction and create healthy soil biological communities.

The Tribune: Ducks Unlimited improves nearly 700 wetland acres in Indiana
04/05/21

Ducks Unlimited and numerous partners protected, enhanced or restored 678 acres of wetland and grassland habitat on seven Indiana project sites in 2020, greatly improving water quality and wildlife habitat.

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