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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.


The Mercury: Berks County Conservation District uses coconut husks to help protect a watershed
By Lisa Scheid
03/31/21

Valley Run Creek at Frontier Pastures, a farm in Washington Township. A group from the Berks County Conservation District and Trout Unlimited installed coir logs and live stakes along the creek in the Perkiomen watershed.

The Daily Evergreen: Palouse Conservation District addressing declining groundwater levels
By Timothy Fairbanks-Clouser
03/31/21

The Palouse Conservation District is hosting a month-long Know Your Flow campaign to educate community members on the declining groundwater levels of the Palouse and how to address the issue.

The Butler County Times-Gazette: Conservation district honors area farmers
By Sand Koontz
03/26/21

The Butler County Conservation District honored a pair of producers this spring — giving the annual Kansas Bankers Association 2020 Soil Conservation Award to Prairie Meadows Farm (The Dwight and Kate Claassen family) and the 2020 Grassland Award to the Haywire Cattle Company (The Andy and Callie Jones & Family).

Progressive Farmer: Farmers Seek More Climate Tools, Credit
By Todd Neeley
03/30/21

Washington, Iowa, farmer Mitchell Hora's farm has for decades employed conservation practices aimed and reducing its carbon footprint.

POLITICO: Biden mulls giving farmers billions to fight climate change. Even farmers are unsure about the plan.
By Zack Colman, Liz Crampton and Helena Bottemiller Evich
03/29/21

(Subscriber Only) The Biden administration's ambitious plan to create a multibillion-dollar bank to help pay farmers to capture carbon from the atmosphere is running into surprising skepticism, challenging Agriculture Department officials to persuade the industry to get behind the massive climate proposal.

Maui Now: ‘Hawaiʻi Farm Trails’ Mobile App Launched, Supports Island Agriculture
03/27/21

“HFT, a regenerative enterprise, is seeking interested farms, ranches, apiaries, farmers markets, agriculture events and community supported agriculture/food hubs statewide to be featured on their app and website. With a focus on regenerative tourism, HTA is proud to support agritourism initiatives that remain committed to providing a positive impact to the Hawaiian Islands.”

WBKB11: State awards 3.6 million to combat invasive species
By Stephanie Maniche
03/25/21

The State of Michigan has awarded $3.6 million in grant funding to combat invasive species. The grants will support 29 projects across the state.

NC State University: Can Soil Carbon Fast-Forward The Transition To Organic Farming?
By Jennifer Howard
03/29/21

Organics are the fastest-growing U.S. food sector. Understandably, farmers’ interest in transitioning to organic growing is increasing as well. What was once an alternative food movement has become mainstream, benefiting farmers in economics and us all through land stewardship. 

High Country News: Can cloud seeding help the West’s drought?
By Oliver Milman
03/24/21

“With drought still a major concern, cloud seeding is an encouraged technology for Wyoming to use based on our drought contingency plan,” said Julie Gondzar, project manager for the state’s water development office. “It is an inexpensive way to help add water to our basins, in small, incremental amounts over long periods of time.”

CNN: Sea-level rise is accelerating to its highest levels in at least 2,000 years across the Northeast, including New York City, study says
By Jackson Dill and Brandon Miller
03/26/21

Along a stretch of the East Coast that includes New York City, sea-level rise has increased at its fastest rate in the prior 100 years compared to the past 2,000 years, according to a new study led by Rutgers University.

National Geographic: The battle to control America’s ‘most destructive’ species: feral pigs
By Stephen Robert Miller
03/26/21

These “ecological zombies” will eat almost anything and can live almost anywhere.

Phys.org: Forest restoration action must prioritize diversity over scale for cheaper, long-term success
03/26/21

Researchers say that if species are the same, they will not be able to reproduce or grow new seedlings.

Civil Eats: Can California’s Organic Vegetable Farmers Unlock the Secrets of No-Till Farming?
By Gosie Wozniacka
03/30/21

Reducing tillage—which often relies on herbicides—has long been out of reach on organic farms. Now, a group of veteran growers are undertaking a soil health experiment with implications for California and beyond.

WHYY: Ban on invasive plants ‘great win’ for Delaware conservation
By Mark Eichmann
03/29/21

It’s part of an effort to preserve not only native plant species but also to help support the local insect population, which helps conserve the state’s native animal population.

Patch: House Agriculture Panel Probes 'Systemic' USDA Discrimination Against Black Farmers
03/29/21

The House Agriculture Committee on Thursday heard about how Black farmers have faced decades of racial discrimination in their dealings with the U.S. Department of Agriculture.



E&E News: USGS: Change needed to reverse dramatic sage grouse declines
By Scott Streater
03/30/21

(Subscriber Only) The study released by the U.S. Geological Survey — and billed by the agency as "the most comprehensive analysis of greater sage grouse population trends ever produced" — found that nearly 40 percent of sage grouse populations across the bird's 11-state Western range have declined, in some cases dramatically, since 2002.

Red Lake Nation News: New Study Highlights Higher Profits for Ag Water Quality Certified Farms
03/31/21

A new study by the Minnesota State Agricultural Centers of Excellence shows that farmers enrolled in the Minnesota Agricultural Water Quality Certification Program (MAWQCP) had higher profits than non-certified farms. This marks the second year of data highlighting improved financial outcomes.

USDA-ARS: New Website Documents Check Dams Fixing Erosion of Minor Channels in Southwest
03/30/21

Small check dams can have big benefits in the Southwest landscape, particularly in mending eroding channels, as documented in a new Agricultural Research Service Rangeland Restoration Research website.

Virginia Mercury: On Virginia’s rural coast, resiliency and Chesapeake Bay conservation goals collide amid sea level rise
By Sarah Vogelsong
03/31/21

“We know what Mother Nature’s going to do. She is going to win in the end,” said Lewie Lawrence, executive director of the Middle Peninsula Planning District Commission. Sea level rise “is eating our shorelines up, literally and figuratively, grain by grain.” 

E&E News: Lawmakers request $10B for coastal restoration
By Rob Hotakainen
03/31/21

(Subscriber Only) The leader of a House caucus working on ocean issues will ask President Biden to set aside $10 billion in the next recovery package for coastal restoration and resilience projects.

This is Reno: Wild horse management in Nevada is in the spotlight-again
By Jeri Davis
03/29/21

Today, the population of wild horses and burros across the western U.S. is approaching nearly 100,000, and more than half of them are in Nevada.

The North Bay Business Journal: Northern California farmers turn to ‘regenerative agriculture’ for conserving water, growing healthy crops
By Susan Wood
03/29/21

Sonoma County organic farmer Bob Cannard has the dirt on what’s killing the Earth and refuses to bury his head in the sand about it. He’s part of a growing movement of farmers, vineyard tenders and conservationists who care for the soil as much as the crops.

MOSES: Researchers use 30-year cropping systems experiment to evaluate if farm fields can serve as carbon sinks
By Randy Jackson, Gregg Sanford, Matt Ruark, Anna Cates, Ashley Becker, Yichao Rui and David LeZaks
04/01/21

Data shared by the group indicated that agriculture based on perennial grassland was our best and perhaps only approach to building soil carbon, although even pasture was struggling to maintain soil carbon stocks over the 20-year period.

WDET: How Wetlands Can Help Prevent Property Damage and Save Lives During Floods
By Lester Graham
03/29/21

Some experts say there’s a way to reduce the effects of floods in the future: more wetland areas.

Popular Science: Forest fires leave behind charcoal—and it might be toxic for years
By Philip Kiefer
03/31/21

According to research published Friday in Nature Communications, Earth and Environment, that charred wood contains compounds that have recently been recognized to pose a serious health risk to humans. The environmental implications of those findings are unclear, since wildfires are key to so many ecosystems. 


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