Summer meeting early bird registration rates, hotel discounts extended to Friday!

We heard that some of our members and partners weren’t able to register for NACD’s Summer Conservation Forum and Tour last week, so we’ve extended our early bird registration prices! Now, the last day to reserve your seat at the meeting is Friday, June 23.

The deadline to secure your room at the Prairie Meadows Hotel in Altoona, Iowa, at NACD’s special discounted rate of $107 per night has also been extended to Friday, June 23. If you're unable to reserve a room at Prairie Meadows, you can get the same room rate at an overflow block with the Holiday Inn Express and Suites before June 28 – just call (515) 967-1855 to reserve a room there.

The meeting agenda, tour descriptions, and travel tips are all available on NACD’s website. In the coming weeks, NACD will distribute need-to-know travel logistics to registered attendees. You can also stay up-to-date on summer meeting news by reading your weekly eResource.

Still have questions? Email us at events@nacdnet.org.

NACD SUBMITS COMMENTS ON WOTUS

NACD submitted official comments to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on its Clean Water Rule and interpretation of “waters of the United States” (WOTUS) last week.

In them, NACD said that while “(c)lean water is critical to the health and viability of the urban and rural landscapes that conservation districts serve,” EPA must provide more “clarity regarding the scope of waters protected under the Clean Water Act.”

NACD encouraged EPA to solicit and use local input to ascertain and develop local parameters, criteria, and defined standards regarding the relevance of tributaries to traditional navigable waters, and laid out its proposed definitions for jurisdictional waters. To read the comments in full, head to NACD’s Newsroom.

LAST WEEK WAS FULL OF TRAVEL FOR NACD

In North Dakota, the National Conservation District Employees Association (NCDEA) held its mid-year board meeting June 14-16. NACD CEO Jeremy Peters attended the meeting and provided the board with an update on NACD’s partnership activities along with partnership presentations from NRCS Associate Chief for Operations Tom Christenson and NASCA Executive Director Mike Brown.

NCDEA President Tim Riley expressed his appreciation to the partners for their help in advancing the delivery of conservation across the United States. NCDEA also devoted a day to field visits, where attendees toured local conservation district projects, and a day to NCDEA committee work, which will support NCDEA’s Strategic Plan.

In Montana, NACD Northern Plains Region Representative Laura Demmel attended the Montana Association of Conservation Districts’ (MACD) and the Soil and Water Conservation Districts of Montana’s spring board meeting. NACD Board Member Steve Hedstrom gave a report on how districts can access and use NACD resources, and Liz Moore, executive director of the Montana Nonprofit Association, facilitated a session on strategic planning and board governance.

In Minnesota, NACD North Central Region Representative Beth Mason attended the 4R Summit from June 12 to 13. The Fertilizer Institute-hosted event focused on promoting the 4R Nutrient Principles for sustainable fertilizer application.

TWO EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR ANNOUNCEMENTS

The Council of Western State Foresters and Western Forestry Leadership Coalition have hired Laura Schweitzer as their new executive director, effective this August. In her most recent role, Laura worked as the assistant state forester for the Wyoming State Forestry Division’s Cooperative Forestry program. 

The Oregon Association of Conservation Districts (OACD), based in Salem, Oregon, is seeking an executive director. Job duties include managing daily operations, building on the existing conservation partnerships, supporting district activities, and representing districts in interactions with state agencies and lawmakers. The full job description is available here. Applications are due by 5:00pm on Monday, July 14.