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.

NACD Blog: Maryland District Promotes Next Generation of Conservation Leaders
08/19/19

Prince George’s Soil Conservation District (PGSCD) in Maryland is leading the way in educating the next generation of conservation leaders.

NACD Blog: RCD of Greater San Diego County leads collaborative approach to battling wildfire
08/15/19

The Resource Conservation District (RCD) of Greater San Diego County will use funds from the California Department of Conservation (DOC) and the California Natural Resources Agency to further regional work on reducing local wildfire threats and impacts.

NACD Blog: Grant SWCD and partners helping to restore New Mexico forestlands
08/15/19

As a single-person, part-time office, the Grant Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) has its work cut out when it comes to implementing on-the-ground projects, so the SWCD is partnering with The Nature Conservancy (TNC) and the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) to undertake forest restoration in New Mexico.

NACD Blog: Jefferson CD helps educate policymakers on wildfire funding needs
08/15/19

The Jefferson Conservation District (JCD) is putting a face on forest conservation issues in Colorado by testifying before state legislators and showing them the benefits of continuing to fund program grants at the state level.

The News-Gazette: New numbers show conservation soil-tilling method as profitable as conventional ways
By Ben Zigterman
08/18/19

New data from the Precision Conservation Management initiative shows that a conservation farming method known as strip till can be just as profitable as conventional ways farmers till their soil.

KTIC: NRCS Announces $1.9M Research Investment
08/16/19

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) today announced $1.9 million in funding for 15 Soil Science Collaborative Research projects focused on soil science and soil survey research.

Sustainability Times: Growing cover crops can help save pollinators and birds
By Darunee Sukanan
08/16/19

Species of arthropods and other small animals play a key role in global food production, serving as they do as pollinators for cultivated plants.

Popular Science: A great climate comes from happy soil. Could happy soil come from California?
By Ula Chrobak
08/15/19

Policy makers have started to pay more attention to soil. And California—the largest agricultural economy in the U.S.— is the first state to enact a policy that specifically addresses climate through soil conservation.

Seattle Post-Intelligencer: Massive juniper tree-cutting project aims to aid sage grouse
By Keith Ridler
08/21/19

The largest-ever project in the U.S. to remove thousands of juniper trees to help imperiled sage grouse has started in Idaho. The project that began last spring in Idaho aims to remove junipers on 965 square miles (2,500 square kilometers) of state and federal land.

Indiana Prairie Farmer: Why other states follow Indiana’s lead on conservation
By Tom Bechman
08/12/19

There is a strong partnership in Indiana when it comes to conservation. Everyone is on the same page, singing from the same hymnal. Based on anecdotal evidence from some visiting farmers, it’s not like that everywhere.

UPI: Invasive fish, snakes tracked with high-tech databases, maps, DNA
By Jean Lotus
08/19/19

Fish scientists on the hunt for non-native species are using an array of sophisticated techniques, including high-tech databases, storm maps and DNA samples to track destructive newcomers to U.S. waterways.

AP News: Wildfire acreage way down in California this year - so far
By Brian Melley
08/19/19

Acreage burned through Sunday is down 90 percent compared to the average over the past five years and down 95 percent from last year.

Science Codex: Global change is triggering an identity switch in grasslands
08/19/19

They discovered grasslands can be surprisingly tough--to a point. In general, grasslands resisted the effects of global change for the first decade of exposure. But once they hit the 10-year mark, their species began to shift.

Nature: Soils linked to climate change
By Cornelia Rumpel
08/21/19

Carbon has been stored in the organic layers of boreal-forest soils for hundreds of years. An analysis reveals that this carbon might be released into the atmosphere as global warming increases the frequency of wildfires.

USA Today: First-ever mandatory water cutbacks will kick in next year along the Colorado River
By Ian James
08/17/19

‘An era of limits’ for the Colorado River: Mandatory cuts in water deliveries will take effect in 2020, reducing supplies for Arizona, Nevada and Mexico.

The Washington Post: The future of U.S. wildlife conservation could fall on this beetle
By Robert Gebelhoff
08/16/19

(Opinion) As the Trump administration tries to recategorize how threatened the American burying beetle is, our willingness to save the beetle or let it get squashed will also determine whether professionals in government beat out partisans and whether science prevails over special interests.

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