NEW YORK HIGH SCHOOL NAMED 2018 NCF-ENVIROTHON CHAMPIONS

On Friday, July 27, the 2018 National Conservation Foundation (NCF)-Envirothon competition concluded, with The Mount Academy team from Esopus, N.Y., winning first place.

The weeklong international competition began July 22 on the campus of Idaho State University in Pocatello, Idaho. Students from the United States, Canada and China were tested on their knowledge and skillset in five subject areas: soils/land use, aquatic ecology, wildlife, forestry, and Western rangelands.

NCF-Envirothon is an international environmental education competition for high schoolers sponsored by the National Conservation Foundation and supported by NACD. The top three overall teams received cash awards from Smithfield Foods. Teams placing fourth through tenth received cash awards from Canon U.S.A. Inc. The final competition scores and a press release naming the top ten placing teams are available online.

The nearly 250 students had the opportunity to explore Idaho, touring a potato farm and visiting a geyser. The teams also experienced life on the range, including rope making, calf-roping, butter churning, and blacksmithing. NCF-Envirothon sponsor Smithfield Foods provided a barbecue dinner, and the evening ending with an old-fashioned barn dance.

The 2019 NCF-Envirothon will be hosted in Raleigh, N.C., at the North Carolina State University campus July 28-Aug. 2. The current topic for 2019 will be “Agriculture and the Environment: Knowledge and Technology to Feed the World.”

HALL OF DISTINCTION HONORS NEW INDUCTEE

Last week, NACD welcomed a new inductee to the Hall of Distinction: Dennis F. Getchell of Maine. Getchell served on the Board of Supervisors for Central Aroostook Soil and Water Conservation District (CASWCD) in Maine from 1942 to 1951, and as chairman of CASWCD for eight of those years.

Getchell was instrumental in organizing the Maine Association of Soil Conservation District Supervisors, served as its first president, and assisted other states within the region seeking to organize state associations.

In 1946, Getchell became a founding member of the “Chicago 18,” the committee of soil conservationists who determined that a national association was needed to present a united group of soil and water conservation districts on the national level.

If your state or territory would like to honor an individual in NACD’s Hall of Distinction, visit our website to learn more. Inductees must currently serve or have formerly served as a conservation district official and must have made significant contributions to conservation efforts at the national level while a district official.

NOMINATE YOUR CONSERVATION HEROES TODAY!

There’s only one month left until NACD’s deadline for the Friend of Conservation Award and the Distinguished Service Award nominations, due Aug. 31. Visit NACD’s website for full award descriptions and nomination requirements.

• Friend of Conservation Award - recognizes an individual, business, organization or agency outside the association for outstanding contributions to the conservation of our nation’s natural resources. Any individual, business, organization or agency that is not directly associated with conservation districts at the local, state or national level is eligible to receive this award. Nominations can be made by any individual, organization, agency or conservation district.

• Distinguished Service Award - recognizes an individual within the association, a conservation district or state association that has made significant contributions to the conservation and proper management of our nation’s natural resources. Nominees can be involved with districts or the association at any level, including past NACD officers. Nominations are also accepted for individuals posthumously and may be submitted by any individual, organization, agency or conservation district.

FOR YOUR CALENDAR: NACD AUGUST URBAN AND COMMUNITY WEBINAR

The next NACD Urban and Community (U&C) Conservation webinar, scheduled for 12:00 p.m.- 1:00 p.m. Eastern on Aug. 16, will focus on coastal conservation.

The Eastern Connecticut Conservation District will share their work with the Niantic River Watershed Committee, including outreach and stormwater management practices to protect the Niantic River estuary. The benefits of living shorelines, shoreline buffers, stormwater control, fertilizer and irrigation management and native vegetation are well-documented, but rarely implemented as a holistic package on a community scale. In Florida, the Rose Bay Next Generation Restoration Project will create a model for community-wide, long-term estuarine restoration and management by moving restoration to the intertidal zones and uplands of homeowners who live along Rose Bay.

NACD’s U&C webinars, held on the third Thursday of each month, are sponsored by The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company in partnership with the NACD Urban and Community Resource Policy Group. There is no cost to participate, but space is limited. Registration will be accepted on a first-come, first-serve basis. To register, email Debra Bogar at deb-bogar@nacdnet.org with your name, title, district or business name, state and email address. Information to access the webinar will be sent by email.