Conservation Clip List is a weekly collection of articles distributed by NACD that provides our members and partners with the latest news in what's driving conservation. If you have a relevant submission, please contact your NACD Communications Team.

NACD Blog: New Mexico Celebrates 15 Years of Collaborative Conservation

The New Mexico Association of Conservation Districts (NMACD) is celebrating 15 years of Restore New Mexico, a conservation effort that has made a measurable difference in rangeland and forest health in the state. NMACD coordinates Restore New Mexico funding to help landowners reduce brush invasion and voluntarily implement conservation practices.

Trump to roll back Obama’s climate, water rules through executive action via The Washington Post

President Trump is preparing executive orders aimed at curtailing Obama-era policies on climate and water pollution. One executive order will instruct the Environmental Protection Agency to begin rewriting the 2015 regulation that limits greenhouse-gas emissions from existing electric utilities. It also instructs the Interior Department’s Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to lift a moratorium on federal coal leasing. A second order will instruct the EPA and Army Corps of Engineers to revamp the WOTUS rule.

Pruitt takes charge at EPA via Agri-Pulse

The Senate confirmed Scott Pruitt as administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, clearing the way for him to begin working to remove or soften Obama-era regulations on the agriculture and energy sectors.

The verdict after all that rain? Most of California is out of the drought via Los Angeles Times

After being battered by weeks of record-setting rain, the vast majority of the state is out of drought. According to the latest U.S. Drought Monitor report, less than 20% of the state faces any drought conditions and no place in California faces “extreme” or “exceptional” drought. A year ago, more than 90% of the state was still in some form of drought.

Hunters fight so-called 'feral hog apocalypse' in Texas via Fox News

Texas has a feral hog problem that costs the state’s agriculture industry about $50 million a year in damage. The state's agriculture commissioner said that he has a solution: a human blood-thinner that proves especially deadly in swine.

The Farm Bill ‘Math’ is complicated and ever-changing via Agri-Pulse

Development of a new farm bill usually starts with discussions of needs and wants, and evolves into costs. If recent history is any guide, farmers, ranchers, sportsmen, conservationists, and anyone else who would like to see more money spent on food and agricultural policy could be in a tough spot when lawmakers sit down to write the next farm bill.

Could U.S. Endangered Species Rules Go Extinct? via National Geographic

Foes of the Endangered Species Act now see an opportunity to weaken it under President Donald Trump, who has said the nation’s environmental rules are “out of control.” Wednesday’s Senate hearing was focused on “modernizing” the current act by making it more challenging to list a new species, for example, or expediting the removal of species that are already listed.

Lead Ammunition Poisons Wildlife But Too Expensive To Change, Hunters Say via NPR

On the day before President Trump's inauguration, the outgoing Obama administration passed a last-minute directive banning the use of lead ammunition and fishing sinkers on federal land. But hunters are hoping Trump will soon overturn it.

FFAR announces $10 million Pollinator Health Fund via Agri-Pulse

The Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research is committing $10 million toward reversing the decline of the pollinator population in the U.S. The Pollinator Health Fund will support research and technology developments that affect pollinators in agricultural landscapes and real-world applications to beekeeping, land management, and farming practices.

Supporters applaud proposed noxious weed program via Missoulian

A bill that could pump more than $2 million annually into the fight against noxious weeds in wildlife habitat drew unanimous support from weed managers, wildlife managers, and conservation and livestock groups. House Bill 434, known as the Montana Wildlife Habitat Improvement Act, creates a new grant program and advisory council administered by Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks.

Floods In San Jose Push 14,000 People Out Of Their Homes via NPR

Flooding in San Jose, Calif., has prompted the evacuation of at least 14,000 residents. Flooding along Coyote Creek came after a series of heavy rainstorms combined with water rushing down the spillway of nearby Anderson Reservoir, which is now filled to capacity. Now floodwaters are receding, but the danger isn't over. In addition to the 14,000 mandatory evacuations, some 22,000 people were encouraged to leave their homes.

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