Get ready to register for the National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD) 2023 Annual Meeting! Stay tuned for information about upcoming registration, tours, speakers and more. Hosted in partnership with the Louisiana Association of Conservation Districts, the 2023 Annual Meeting will take place in New Orleans, Louisiana from February 11-15, 2023 at the New Orleans Marriot. NACD's Annual Meeting is the biggest event of the year and brings together hundreds of conservation leaders from across the nation! 

The Annual Meeting agenda includes a full NACD board meeting and is packed with opportunities for attendees to network and hear from a variety of conservation speakers. The NACD Annual Meeting is a great opportunity to learn about ongoing conservation projects across the country and meet the leaders who make successful conservation possible! Attendees will also have the chance to learn about various local conservation projects and explore the beautiful and unique ecosystems of southern Louisiana through a selection of group tours. More details, as they become available, can be found here.

First time attending an NACD Annual Meeting? 

If you have never attended an NACD annual meeting in the past, you may be eligible for a first-timer scholarship! Thanks to the generous support of AgriDrain Corporation, NACD will once again be offering selected first-timers complimentary meeting registration.

Only one person per state or territory may receive a scholarship, and chosen individuals must stay in the NACD room block at the New Orleans Marriot. Scholarships are limited to the first 20 individuals submitted so don’t delay!

Once a state or territory association selects a scholarship recipient in cooperation with their NACD board member, they are asked to send the recipient’s name and email address to NACD Director of Membership Engagement Dr. Ariel Rivers at ariel-rivers@nacdnet.org to complete their registration.

We look forward to seeing you next year in New Orleans!

BUILDING STRENGTH THROUGH CONNECTION AT NACD NORTHEAST REGION MEETING IN MARYLAND

Over the final week of August, the leaders of NACD's Northeast Region gathered in idyllic Eastern Shore, Maryland for a week of capacity building, networking, and learning. The region meeting was hosted by the Maryland Association of Soil Conservation Districts and offered a robust agenda driven by topics of interest to partners, the Maryland districts, and the Northeast Region. This year’s theme was “Strength Through Connection” which was seen throughout the varied and highly valuable sessions. The goal of this joint meeting was to build and strengthen the networks between conservation districts, state and federal agencies, farmers, private industry, nonprofits, and research institutions throughout the Northeast.

Attendees were joined by a strong showing of partners including Resource Conservation & Development (RC&D) Councils, National Conservation District Employees Association (NCDEA), Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), NACD and conservation districts, among others. Having so many groups together was a powerful reminder of the value of partnership and the underlying goals of the region meeting - working towards enhancing our strength through connections. During the meeting attendees had the opportunity to visit the Blackwater Refuge and learn about the impact of climate change and sea level rise as well as to view the “ghost forests” that highlight where saltwater has begun to intrude and kill off standing trees. Another tour visited several farms to learn about how conservation looks on land and in the water which included a trip to an Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) project that restored oyster beds and a beef operation focused on local markets.

The week was closed out with a Northeast Region Capacity Building session designed and led by Laura Meyer of KR Creatives. This session was the second in a series following a listening session Meyer led for the Northeast region leaders at NACD’s 2022 summer meeting in San Juan, Puerto Rico. This capacity building effort is a continuation of this work initially started in 2018. This chapter of capacity building aims to reprioritize what is most needed at the regional level for this effort to be successful with an eye towards sustainability and making sure participants have the space and support they need to be able to engage while meeting their external priorities back at home or on the farm. Following the session, the group helped outline “bite sized” approaches on key items and a timeline to continue moving this group’s energy and enthusiasm towards measurable outcomes.

The Northeast Region thanks Maryland and MASCD for a great week, great learning opportunities, and an excellent meeting!

UPPER ELK CREEK DAM IN OKLAHOMA REDEDICATED

On August 24, 2022, conservation partners were brought together for the rededication of the Upper Elk Creek Dam 23D near Elk City, OK. Among the officials participating in the service and site visit included U.S. Congressman Frank Lucas, Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Chief Terry Cosby, Oklahoma Conservation Commission Executive Director Trey Lam, NRCS State Conservationist Gary O’Neill, NRCS Oklahoma State Conservation Engineer Chris Stoner, newly elected State Representative Nick Archer and Watershed project sponsor, North Fork of Red River Conservation District. NACD Director of Education Keith Owen and NACD South Central Region Representative Wesley Gibson were also present to represent NACD and support the re-dedication.

Constructed in 1976 at a cost of $102,401 and classified as a significant hazard dam, the Upper Elk Creek Damn is now a high hazard dam. An increase in risk of loss of life and property damage due to a potential breach of the dam during an extreme flood event is the reason site 23D has recently undergone this rehabilitation. This flood control dam is located east of Elk City, OK and provides an estimated $1 million dollars per year of benefit for downstream farms, homes, and infrastructure. Highway 40 runs downstream of the structure and is traveled by nearly 14,000 people per day. If not for the maintenance of this structure that infrastructure would be at risk.

“The thing we do today is we complete a commitment to extend the life of these important structures, not just by 50 years, the initial plan, but I personally believe with the change in the materials we are using, the design technology adjustments the upstream sediment control programs that we use in many places, these structures should last a century," said Congressman Lucas. 

Oklahoma has 2,107 flood control structures, the most of any state in the nation, that enumerate to about $2 billion in infrastructure. A structure like Upper Elk Creek Dam costs about $4 million to rehab but contributes to a combined benefit of $96 million yearly from these structures across the state. These flood control structures protect 2,756 bridges, reduce flooding of 41,744 farms and ranches, trap 19 million tons of sediment each year, and enhance 90,979 acres of wetlands, as well as water for livestock, irrigation, and wildlife habitat. Of the 2,107 structures in the state, 42 of them are multipurpose, meaning they provide municipal and rural water supplies and recreational areas for local communities. 

As was the case for many of the successful applicants to the 2020 Urban Agriculture Conservation grant initiative offered in partnership by NACD and NRCS, the Boone County Soil and Water Conservation District (BCSWCD) faced many challenges during their grant period.

The district received their UAC grant in March of 2020 to hire an Urban Ag Specialist to conduct outreach and provide technical assistance to small, urban and suburban producers in central Missouri. Filling the specialist position early in the pandemic proved challenging, and the pandemic further limited BCSWCD’s ability to meet with producers or conduct outreach activities. The district quickly learned how to rely on virtual tools to get their work done however, using Facebook as a cost-effective avenue to advertise the position, which also allowed district staff to quickly review candidates.

Once hired, the urban ag specialist quickly began reaching out to partners and other organizations to familiarize themself with their programs, offerings, staff, and constituents. This allowed the specialist and other district staff to connect with, and build a relationship with, the members of the local urban ag community.

The specialist conducted several field visits, and BCSWCD used these site visits to educate producers on programs, both SWCD and USDA, that were available for them, and to provide technical assistance on conservation practices and management.

Many of the urban producers the district has worked with throughout this grant have had no prior knowledge about the programs or technical assistance available to them, so it was great to be able to reach them and start building relationships.

The urban ag community, and other small-scale producers, share a lot of information by word-of-mouth, so anything a district can do to build relationships and provide assistance will have an impact. Social media is a great way to connect with urban producers share information as you gain more followers.

As a means to overcome challenges associated with hiring and retaining staff, BCSWCD suggests other districts considering grant opportunities spend a lot of time planning staffing needs.

“Compensation is something that needs to be properly addressed [in grants],” said BCSWCD District Manager Ethan Miller. “Even though we had no idea that things would change so much in a short period of time, we will now make sure we have higher wages in the budget of proposals.”

The District is working on securing funding so that the urban ag specialist position can continue into the future.