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: Pierce CD participates in carbon credit forestry program
01/19/21

The Pierce Conservation District (CD) in Washington is participating in a unique program that will establish urban forestry carbon credits for a county that is home to nearly a million people.

NACD Blog: Minnesota district improves forest management with drone surveillance
01/19/21

The Aitkin County Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) is taking to the sky to improve forest management in Minnesota.

Progressive Forage: NACD submits comments to NRCS on Western water quantity
01/20/21

The National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD) submitted written comments to the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) on Jan. 19 in response to the agency’s request for comments on agency programs and Western water quantity.

BARN: 01-19-21 NACD SUBMITS COMMENTS TO NRCS ON NIPF
01/19/21

Today, the National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD) submitted public comments to the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) regarding guidance for identification of nonindustrial private forest land (NIPF).

Nisqually Valley News: Work Begins on Community Garden in Yelm City Park
By Eric Rosane
01/21/21

Part of the project is being funded through a $50,000 grant the Thurston Conservation District received last year through the National Association of Conservation Districts. That grant is also currently funding workshops and technical assistance work being done locally.

Leader-Telegram: Le Sueur County SWCD advances water quality work
01/18/21

The SWCD’s $484,000 phosphorus reduction project aims to improve water quality in the chain with strategically placed best management practices that help to reduce nutrient loading. The chain lies within the Cannon River watershed, which drains into the Mississippi River.

USDA-FSA: USDA Offers New Forest Management Incentive for Conservation Reserve Program
01/19/21

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is making available $12 million for use in making payments to forest landowners with land enrolled in the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) in exchange for their implementing healthy forest management practices.

E&E News: Biden's Interior Department staffs up
By Emma Dumain and Hannah Northey
01/20/21

(Subscriber Only) There's still no timetable for Rep. Deb Haaland to be confirmed as the next Interior secretary, but the New Mexico Democrat's congressional chief of staff has already moved over to serve in the same capacity at the federal agency.

USDA-ARS: Researchers Plan To Use Satellites To Improve Sustainability, Yield
01/19/21

Scientists with the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) are joining colleagues to create and use artificial intelligence to help farmers in the Colorado River Basin and Salinas Valley, CA, improve their management of irrigation, fertilization, and pests. USDA's National Institute of Food and Agriculture funded the University of California, Riverside-led project with a 5-year, $10 million grant.

Phys.org: World's largest lakes reveal climate change trends
By Kelley Christensen
01/20/21

Sixteen years of remote sensing data reveals that in Earth's largest freshwater lakes, climate change influences carbon fixation trends.

Waukon Standard: Northeast Iowa RC&D releases virtual Urban Stormwater Demonstration Site Tour for educators to use in class
01/12/21

For the past two years, educators in northeast Iowa have been invited to bring their students to the Regional Urban Stormwater Demonstration (RUSD) Site on the Northeast Iowa Resource Conservation and Development (RC&D) campus in Postville.

StarTribune: Minnesota's forests and land offer big opportunities to cut greenhouse gases
By Jennifer Bjorhus, Greg Stanley and Byline Override
01/18/21

Reforestation and cover cropping should be on the front lines of Minnesota's fight to reduce greenhouse gases and could cut up to one-fifth of the state's heat-trapping emissions.

SCIENMAG: Illinois Residents Value Strategies To Improve Water Quality
01/14/21

Illinois residents value efforts to reduce watershed pollution, and they are willing to pay for environmental improvements, according to a new study from agricultural economists at the University of Illinois.

Alabama Newscenter: Auburn University researchers examine impact of feral swine in Alabama to decrease devastation
By Teri Greene
01/17/21

A new project co-led by Auburn University researchers addresses previously unexplored questions about the increasing number and distribution in Alabama of feral swine – animals that cause more than $50 million a year in damage to agriculture in the state.

SCIENCELINE: Spurred by climate change, invasive species threat looms over northeast U.S.
By Ethan Freedman
01/15/21

The rising ocean isn’t the only thing creeping into the northeast U.S. as the climate changes. New invasive species are also making their way into the region, according to a leading invasive species scientist.

The Eagle: Research shows grazing cover crops can add economic value
By Kay Ledbetter
01/18/21

Growing dual-purpose wheat for both grazing and grain production is an important agricultural practice in the Southern Great Plains. But of late, more Texas Rolling Plains producers want to know if alternative systems to dual-purpose wheat, such as grazing cover crops, can bring additional value.

Phys.org: Mutant roots reveal how we can grow crops in damaged soils
By Malcolm Bennett, Bipin Pandey and Saccha Mooney
01/15/21

For years, conventional wisdom has held that roots don't grow as deep in hard soil because it's just too difficult for them to physically push through it. But new research has unearthed another reason: their growth is controlled by a biological signal which can be "switched off," enabling them to punch through compacted earth. It's a discovery that could help crops to grow in even the most damaged of soils.

E&E News: Interior to set a new course for ESA
By Michael Doyle
01/20/21

The Biden administration wasted no time [Wednesday] in pledging a wholesale review and potential reversal of its predecessor's actions on the Endangered Species Act and other hot-button environmental laws.

Indianapolis Star: There is a lot of money on the table with carbon markets. But farmers are skeptical.
By Sarah Bowman and London Gibson
01/18/21

Regenerative farming not only has been proven to mitigate erosion and boost soil health — it may also be a huge opportunity to reduce the U.S. carbon footprint, gaining popularity among environmentalists as a potential tool in the fight against climate change. 

News-Press Now: Missouri increases efforts to remove feral hogs
By Margaret Slayton
01/16/21

The Missouri Conservation Commission is providing $1.8 million annually to the U.S. Department of Agriculture for trapping services and staff from the Missouri Department of Conservation contribute more than 25,000 hours annually towards feral hog elimination on private and public land.

Environmental Health News: The push for standing forest protections in U.S. climate policy
By Kate S. Petersen
01/19/21

Researchers say "proforestation" policies are the fastest and most effective way to draw excess CO2 out of the atmosphere.

E&E News: Biden takes first step to ditch Trump sage grouse revisions
By Scott Streater
01/20/21

(Subscriber Only) President Biden's administration is hitting the brakes on the Interior Department's controversial easing of Obama-era greater sage grouse protections.

Need to update your contact information, unsubscribe or change your subscription preferences? Click here to manage your profile.