Set sail for NACD's 2024 Annual Meeting! Hosted in partnership with the California Association of Resource Conservation Districts, next year's meeting will take place in San Diego, California from February 10-14, 2024.  Join us for great networking opportunities, speakers, and tours exploring the theme "Operation Conservation!" Registration is now open, and tour options will be added soon.

Save up to $130 on registration with early-bird prices, now through December 22.

After registering, don't forget to make your hotel reservations! The meeting will be held at the Sheraton San Diego Hotel & Marina. Discounted room rates in NACD's reserved block start at $259/night plus tax. You can make a reservation online or call 1-888-236-2427 and identify yourself as a guest with the National Association of Conservation Districts. The last day to reserve available rooms in the room block is January 19, 2024.

There are already numerous ways to engage ahead of the meeting: submit a breakout session proposal, donate to the NCF auction, or become a sponsor or exhibitor.

Find everything you need to know on NACD's website.

NCF-ENVIROTHON RELEASES 2024 COMPETITION STUDY MATERIALS

A new school year means a new Envirothon competition year has begun and high school students across the U.S., Canada, China, and Singapore are starting to study and learn natural resource management techniques. In addition to aquatic ecology, forestry, soils and land use, and wildlife, this year’s students will analyze the current environmental issue of “Renewable Energy for a Sustainable Future.” Using the knowledge and skills learned, students will participate in local Envirothon academic competitions to qualify to attend the 2024 NCF-Envirothon annual competition next summer.  

The 2024 NCF-Envirothon annual competition, hosted by the National Conservation Foundation (NCF) and New York State Envirothon, will be held from July 28 – August 3, 2024 at Hobart and William Smith Colleges in Geneva, New York. During the weeklong competition, the top qualifying teams from across the globe will gather to test their knowledge of the ecology and natural resources of New York, as well as the special topic of renewable energy. Major sponsors for the annual competition include the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and Smithfield Foods, Inc.

To prepare teams for this year's competitions, key topics, learning objectives, and study resources are developed by NCF-Envirothon and the 2024 Host Committee for the teams to study. The first of these study resources, Part A of the current issue "Renewable Energy for a Sustainable Future," has been published on the Envirothon website. It explores the current issue with resources touching on five key topics: Introduction to Energy and Traditional Energy Infrastructure, Renewable Energy and Infrastructure, Renewable Energy and Natural Resources, Global Perspectives on Energy, and Local Action and Energy Equity. State, provincial, and partner nation Envirothon programs are encouraged to utilize this first set of resources for their local competitions as teams begin studying for the 2024 competitions.

A second set of study resources will be posted in May 2024. These will cover the areas of study for aquatic ecology, forestry, soils and land use, wildlife, and Part B of the Current Issue which is more specific to New York-related energy topics.

Complete competition details of this year's competition and the corresponding study resources can be found at envirothon.org.

WHAT'S UP IN WASHINGTON:

GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS UPDATE

Congress is struggling to negotiate and pass a continuing resolution to extend federal government funding at current levels and avoid a government shutdown at the end of the month.

Ahead of a potential shutdown, NACD encourages districts to touch base with their local NRCS offices to understand operational impacts and discuss contingency plans. Districts can refer to this guide developed by the National Conservation District Employees Association (NCDEA) when creating operational policies regarding federal shutdowns.

NACD will continue to communicate any additional recommendations as the situation develops.

JOIN US FOR A LIVE UPDATE - Please join NACD’s Government Affairs Team via Zoom on Friday, September 22 at 12:00 p.m. ET for an update on the 2023 Farm Bill, the fiscal year 2024 appropriations process, and federal natural resource policy. There will be a chance to ask questions about any of the topics.

The session will be recorded and posted on NACD’s website for those unable to attend live. Register to attend here.

NEXT GENERATION LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE ALUMNI: WHERE ARE THEY NOW?

As the fourth year of the National Conservation Foundation’s (NCF) Next Generation Leadership Program (NGLI) approaches, what have the alumni of the program done with their newfound skills? Each and every one of the 14 alumni and seven current cohort members are growing in their leadership skills and using those skills to give back to their communities, districts, states, and national organizations. For some, that looks like running for a local office. For others, it takes the form of an appointment from the governor to their state conservation commission, or getting elected as their state association president. Each NACD subcommittee and standing committee has NGLI representation, and many are serving as their states’ NACD board member or alternate.

A few NGLI alumni have chosen to show their commitment to conservation through service to NACD as officers or executive board members. Mark Masters (class of 2021) is currently serving as NACD Secretary-Treasurer, Ryan Britt (class of 2021) is serving as the executive board representative for the North Central Region, and Josh Smith (class of 2022) is serving as the executive board representative for the Southwest Region. At any NACD function, you are sure to see them working hard to ensure a bright future for conservation districts and NACD.

NCF is proud to report that each cohort member, past and present, has made a further commitment to conservation at some level and are improving their organizations in part by implementing the skills and knowledge gained through the NGLI program.

If you would like to be a member of the 2024 cohort, please submit your application by September 30, 2023. More information and the application can be found at nationalconservationfoundation.org/ngli.