Signed: NACD to continue offering spots to CD staff for NRCS’ Boot Camp the next five years

NACD and NRCS have agreed to invite an additional 75 conservation district employees each year for the next five years to attend Conservation Planning Boot Camp training. District employees must be nominated by their state association to participate in one of the three-week educational sessions held in Lincoln, Nebraska. The first Boot Camp training for 2017 will start on March 28, 2017. To learn more about Boot Camp and to see a list of session start and end dates, visit NACD’s Boot Camp webpage.

Last fiscal year, 59 conservation district employees participated in this training and told NACD what an excellent educational experience it was. We look forward to receiving nominations from state and territory associations of conservation districts from across the nation. For more information about this opportunity, contact NACD Director of Projects and Partnerships Rich Duesterhaus.


Submitted: Comments on Fish and Wildlife’s ESA proposed rule

Late last week, NACD submitted comments to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on the agency’s draft Endangered Species Act Compensatory Mitigation Policy. Click here to be redirected to NACD’s Newsroom where you can view our comments on the proposed rule.

The draft ESA CMP details how FWS plans to implement its proposed ESA mitigation policy, something that was lacking in the agency's draft Mitigation Policy Revision [81 FR 12379, March 8, 2016]. The proposed policies are the result of recent presidential and Interior Department memorandums. To view NACD’s comments on the Mitigation Policy Revision that were submitted in May, head to the “Comments” section of NACD’s Newsroom.


Scheduled: NACD’s U&C webinar calendar for fiscal 2017 now available

NACD’s Urban and Community Resource Policy Group (RPG) has set its webinar schedule for fiscal year 2017 and you’re invited to tune in on October 20 – the first webinar of FY2017. Like all U&C webinars, this interactive presentation will be sponsored by The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company and take place from noon to 1:00pm Eastern on the third Thursday of the month.

Since September 2012, NACD has reached over 1,300 members and partners and covered a variety of urban and community conservation topics. You can view previously covered topics and past presenters for several years of NACD webinars here on NACD’s website. At that link you may also download PDF presentations and recordings of past sessions to use in district outreach or for educational purposes.


NACD travels to New Hampshire for state’s annual meeting

NACD’s Northeast Region Representative and Policy Specialist Eric Hansen (pictured) participated in the New Hampshire Association of Conservation Districts’ (NHACD) annual meeting last week. In addition to the usual annual meeting agenda items – such as partner reports, officer elections, and policy resolutions – this year’s meeting focused on soil health and cover crops. Attendees heard from several farmers about their cover crop practices and from NRCS about national soil health work underway.

In addition, each of NHACD’s ten member districts had a few minutes to present on their current work. New Hampshire’s districts are engaged in a wide variety of activities, including a lending program for cover crop farm equipment; a nutrition incentive program through local farmers markets; the managing of conservation easements; and hosting field days and peer-to-peer learning opportunities. Several districts have found outside grant funding to support this work, and in some cases, used these activities to leverage additional county funding. Interested in learning more about New Hampshire’s districts? Visit NACD’s Conservation District Directory for contact information and keep an eye out for the fall edition of The Resource.


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