Welcome to the 79th Annual Meeting of the National Association of Conservation Districts!
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Meeting of the District & Partner Relations Committee, comprised of NACD board members from the following 19 states and territories: California, Delaware, Florida, Idaho, Illinois, Kansas, Michigan, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Oregon, Palau, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, Virgin Islands, West Virginia, and Wisconsin. Perimeter seating open to all.
Homer SWCD has become a cornerstone for community knowledge sharing, and the NACD TA Grant has been a pivotal funding source for the expansion of activities by our local agriculture program. Come learn about ways we're sharing vetted, locally curated Alaskan agricultural and local habitat knowledge through our KNOW YOUR LAND series of talks, the Homer Grown public radio show, local soil testing initiatives, and our multitracked strategy to get this knowledge out to the people and rural villages
Hear two exciting presentations during this session!
Enabling Farmer Choice to Advance Precision Management of Pesticides to Scale Outcomes for Pollinators - Targeted use of inputs is prevalent in farming. Farmer access and choice for precision management of inputs is key. Selective use of high impact pesticides like neonics should be no different, but today neonics are routinely applied as coatings to most commodity crop seeds. This session will discuss the need for supporting farmer choice about the need for agronomic justification of use.
Ugly to Beautiful: Changing the Visual Acceptability of Cover Crops - Cover crops and no till can make a field look "messy" which can discourage farmers to use these practices. National Wildlife Federation and the Minnesota Soil Health Coalition completed a 16 month communications campaign to better understand this social barrier and test messaging to try and shift the visual acceptability of conservation practices from "ugly" to "beautiful". We will discuss our messaging campaign and the results that will better inform outreach messaging across the country.
Hear three exciting presentations during this session!
Conservation Planning Training: Access to Certification - Join us for a panel discussion with staff and supervisors around the benefits and challenges on the path to becoming a certified planner. Through the discussion, we'll share key updates on several programs and initiatives designed to support conservation planners in their training and certification, as well as new resources on how to navigate from access to certification.
Navigating NRCS Policy for Certified Conservation Planners - In August 2024, NRCs updated Conservation Planning Policy (Title 180, General Manual, Part 409) to clarify and streamline the planner designation levels and requirements. During this session, representatives from the NRCS Conservation Planning Branch will provide an overview of the conservation certification requirements and changes from the recent policy updates.
Unlock the Future of Integrated Conservation Tools with AI-Powered Applications - In this session you will learn about the current state of NRCS's primary planning tool: Conservation Desktop (CD) /Conservation Assessment and Ranking Tool (CART), how NRCS is overcoming obstacles of slow bandwidth and internet speeds and share the vision of future workflows and AI tools usage to benefit all NRCS and partners working directly with producers.
Hear two exciting presentations during this session!
Introduction to the Conservation Innovation Grants Program - This talk will give an introduction and overview of the NRCS Conservation Innovation Grants (CIG) program. The conservation innovation grants program is a USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) grants program that aims to improve innovation in agricultural operations in order to improve conservation of US natural resources on private lands.
Spokane Conservation District's Direct Seed Loan Implementation Program: How to Make EPA Clean Water Funding Work For You - In this session, you'll hear from the Spokane Conservation District about how they have successfully partnered with the Washington Department of Ecology and the United States Environmental Protection Agency to fund their Direct Seed Loan Implementation Program.
Hear three exciting presentations during this session!
Cultivating Conservation Leaders: The SMCM-NARCDC Internship Partnership - Join us for an insightful session where we explore the successful partnership between St. Mary's College of Maryland (SMCM) and the National Association of Resource Conservation & Development Councils (NARCDC). This collaboration has created exclusive internship opportunities that are shaping the future of resource conservation. This session will highlight how strategic partnerships can drive innovation and sustainability in conservation efforts.
How to Start an AmeriCorps Program to Expand your Conservation Efforts - Learn how to develop and manage an AmeriCorps program in your local conservation district. The Hamilton County (OH) Conservation District started a program 2.5 years ago and has been able to leverage the service of 6 AmeriCorps members to increase education and conservation efforts in the southwest Ohio region. Presenter Gwen Z Roth, Education and AmeriCorps Program Manager, will share the great and not so great parts of the programs as well as many useful tips.
Natural Resource Apprenticeship Program - The Spokane Conservation District's Natural Resource Apprenticeship Program partners with many different entities in the community to provide three years of education and training for young people who are interested in a career in natural resources.
Using case studies, such as conservation of the Oregon Spotted Frog, we will share lessons learned from collaborative conservation stories in which the USFWS worked with a Conservation District to restore or steward habitat for a species of concern. Speakers and Presentations:
Overview of US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) Habitat Restoration Programs: John Huffman.
Wetland Restorations Catalyzing Conservation Practices in Benton County, Minnesota. Speakers: John Riens, Partners for Fish and Wildlife program (PFW) biologist, and Nathan Sanoski, District/Farm Bill Technician, Benton County Soil and Water Conservation District (District).
Oregon Spotted Frog Stewardship Partnership in Thurston County, Washington. Speakers Cassie Doll, USFWS PFW biologist, and Kiana Sinner, Thurston County District.
Targeted Grazing Invasive Species Using Virtual Fencing in Utah. Speakers: Destiny Allgood, USFWS PFW, and Ashley Longmore, Utah State University Extension.
H2Ohio addresses urgent water quality problems, such as algal blooms from agricultural runoff. Starting in 2020, H2Ohio has encountered challenges in contract management and efficient program delivery. With more than $60 million in annual support, the initiative works with local SWCDs to implement BMPs across 1.8 million acres, which creates opportunity and trials along the way.
Hear two exciting presentations during this session!
A Case for Utah Agriculture & How the Agricultural Water Optimization Program is Helping - The Agricultural Water Optimization Program has two goals. First, maintain viable agriculture without increasing depletion. Second, enhance water availability and minimize impacts on water supply, water quality and the environment. This discussion will give a case for maintaining viable agriculture in Utah and how doing so can be mutually beneficial to farmers and other environmental interests.
Biochar as a Soil Amendment: Science and Practical Implementation Under NRCS 336 - Soil Carbon Amendment, CPS 336, provides cost share for using amendments to sequester carbon in soil. This session provides training in implementing CPS 336 while learning about biochar and compost.
