NACD Leaders Address NASCA, NWC Conservation Conference

NACD President Brent Van Dyke (pictured) delivered a keynote address to the joint Conservation Conference of the National Association of State Conservation Agencies (NASCA) and the National Watershed Coalition (NWC) on September 25 in Nebraska City, Neb. In his remarks, Van Dyke discussed conservation districts' vision of the future and updated the 185 meeting participants on NACD's programs to continue strengthening the delivery of locally-led conservation.

Also attending the meeting are NACD First Vice President Tim Palmer, NACD CEO Jeremy Peters, and Director of Projects and Partnerships Rich Duesterhaus. Peters updated conference attendees on NACD’s and its national conservation partners’ efforts to build technical assistance and conservation planning capacity through conservation districts. Palmer will address attendees on Wednesday, September 27 on NACD's Farm Bill Principles and Requests.

2018 Annual Meeting Tours Set!

NACD is heading to the Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center in January for our 72nd Annual Meeting! We hope you’ll join us January 27 – 30, 2018 for the opportunity to connect with and learn from upwards of 1,000 landowners, partnering organizations, companies, and government agencies.

NACD’s 2018 winter meeting will feature EIGHT tours of Nashville and the surrounding area. A few weeks ago, we featured two of the Tennessee Association of Conservation Districts’ tours. This week, we’re spotlighting the NACD Auxiliary’s Historical Civil War Adventure and Spectacular Country Music tours to be held on Tuesday, January 30, 2018.

On the Historical Civil War Adventure tour, attendees will visit several historic Civil War sites in Tennessee, including the Carnton Plantation and the Carter House, and explore the charming city of Franklin. On the Country Music Spectacular tour, attendees will visit the Johnny Cash Museum, enjoy great food and Southern hospitality at Puckett’s, and experience the Country Music Hall of Fame.

You can save your seat on any of the available tours when you register to attend the 2018 annual meeting here on NACD’s website. And don’t forget! When you register online, you’ll receive a $15 discount!

This month’s Did You Know? was authored by Mike Brown, executive director of the National Association of State Conservation Agencies (NASCA) and Associate Board Supervisor of the Kent Conservation District in Delaware.

Attacks on our traditional system of conservation delivery are coming from all angles – even Congress in recent months, Brown writes. Our detractors say the traditional system of conservation delivery is not capable of addressing today’s agri-environmental problems, and that agriculture should be more heavily regulated because voluntary, incentive-based conservation programs don’t work.

How can we counter these claims and better demonstrate the effectiveness of our conservation partnership? Brown gives four bulleted recommendations to conservation districts, plus introduces a new website – www.whyconservationworks.com – dedicated to demonstrating the effectiveness of the voluntary incentive-based approach to conservation delivery. Read Mike Brown’s full Did You Know? here on NACD’s blog.

37 out of 40 CDs in Georgia gather in Macon

Last week, NACD CEO Jeremy Peters traveled to Macon, Georgia, for an organizational meeting of the Georgia Association of Conservation Districts’ (GACD) and the launch of GACD’s new Georgia Conservation District Initiative, a partnership agreement with USDA NRCS. Peters spoke to approximately 200 attendees – including 110 district supervisors representing 37 out of 40 conservation districts in Georgia – and also participated in a partnership panel. NACD Southeast Representative Phylis Vandevere presented on the District Official Training program and district operations.

The goal of the Georgia Conservation District Initiative is to advance conservation delivery throughout the state. GACD will be contracting with 45 District Program Assistants to provide support to Georgia's 40 local conservation districts and NRCS regional service centers. GACD is looking forward to working with local districts, NRCS leadership, and our conservation partners to take this exciting step forward for Georgia's conservation community.

Pictured above, from left to right, is NACD CEO Jeremy Peters, GACD Executive Director Casey Cox, GACD President Woody Snell, and Georgia State Conservationist Terrance Rudolph.

NACD represented at NASF annual meeting

NACD Forestry Specialist Mike Beacom represented the association at the 2017 National Association of State Foresters (NASF) Annual Meeting last week in Charleston, West Virginia. The four-day event was attended by a variety of partners and helped introduce 13 new state foresters to NASF.

USDA Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue and U.S. Forest Service Chief Tony Tooke both addressed the crowd on the impacts of recent wildfires and the importance of establishing partnerships to help manage forest resources. Perdue (pictured above at the podium) also helped recognize former Georgia State Forester Robert Farris (pictured at far right) with the Jim Hubbard Lifetime Achievement Award during the Wednesday luncheon. Joe Fox of Arkansas, the chairman of the NASF Awards Committee, is pictured between them.

The group toured the New River Gorge as well, and observed a wood-cutting competition demonstration organized by members of the West Virginia University woodsmen team.