This week is NACD's Stewardship Week! We are celebrating the 69th Annual Stewardship Week through Sunday, May 5, under the theme “May the Forest Be With You, Always.” This theme underscores the critical interplay between soil and water conservation and the resilience of our forests.
Throughout Stewardship Week, conservation districts across the United States are invited to participate in various ways to celebrate and promote these vital natural resources. Conservation districts play a central role in outreach and education, engaging with their communities through the NACD annual poster and photo contests, by hosting field days or educating students in their classrooms, and more.
If you would like to get involved with NACD Stewardship Week, it's not too late! You can find an array of free educational materials here to share with students and educators around you or participate virtually through social media with our toolkit of forestry posts and captions. Be sure to tag @NACDconserve and #NACDStewardshipWeek on all your posts throughout the week!
| DISTRICT EDUCATORS VISIT CLASSROOMS TO TEACH ABOUT FORESTRY |
In Michigan, the Missaukee Conservation District’s Conservation Outreach Coordinator, Erin Horton, has been attending classrooms as a Stormtrooper! Recently, Erinvisited different classrooms in Lake City and McBain to teach students about forests and forestry conservation. The students also work on their “May The Forest Be With You Always” themed posters for the national competition.
Pictured here are the students from Mrs. Howard’s 2nd Grade class at Lake City Elementary. Each student discussed the value of a forest and what could be lost if our forest disappeared. Then, they had a blast working on their posters!
Educational efforts like this are happening all around the country this week in support of Stewardship Week. If you have any classroom success stories to share, please email us at stewardship@nacdnet.org or tag us @nacdconserve on social media.
| NEW POSTER CONTEST CATEGORIES ADDED FOR 2024 |
New for NACD this year are national braille and additional assist poster contest categories! These categories were inspired by Chase Parker, who submitted a poster for blind or low-vision students to the Michigan Association of Conservation District's (MACD) poster contest last year. The poster was completed with a variety of materials of different textures, and it also included braille text. It is designed with tactile elements like textured gray clouds, snow-covered mountains, blue, wavy lakes, and green trees that create a landscape scene to depict the water cycle.
There was a “Special Achievement Award” given to Parker, and his para-professional, Amanda Madar, received an “Educator of the Year” award from MACD. Both of them are from Vassar Middle School in Vassar, Michigan located in Tuscola County. This poster submission could not be judged like other entries because there was no category for this type of entry yet.
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Inspired by this student, NACD is excited to introduce two new categories for the 2024 Stewardship Week Poster Contest. One category is the “NACD Braille Poster Contest” for blind or low vision students, and the other category is the “Additional Assist Poster Contest” for students needing adult assistance to complete a poster. NACD offers congratulations to Parker and Madar from Vassar Middle School for their poster entry that has changed the poster contest to better include all students across the entire nation.
If your state or district is interested in hosting these categories in your local poster contests but need assistance in getting them set up or judging, please reach out to us at stewardship@nacdnet.org.
| STATE ENVIROTHON COMPETITIONS TEST STUDENTS NATURAL RESOURCE SKILLS | |
Around the country, state Envirothon competitions are testing middle and high school students' knowledge of natural resources and conservation. Teams are tested on their knowledge and skills in Wildlife, Aquatics/Ecology, Soils/Land use, Forestry, and the current issue “Waste to Resources.” The winning teams of the high-school state contests will move on to the national Envirothon competition hosted by the National Conservation Foundation (NCF) this July in Geneva, New York!
In Longview, Texas, sixty students attended the competition, traveling as far as nine hours across the state. Wendy Reistle, Texas Envirothon Program Coordinator, expressed her enthusiasm, saying, "I am so excited to welcome our returning schools and to welcome two new schools to their first Texas Envirothon! It is wonderful to see such environmentally literate and capable students and is inspiring to know that these young people are invested in learning about the environment for their future."
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In Elmdale, Kansas, the NCF-Envirothon program manager, NCF marketing team, and NACD Second Vice President Bill Simshauser were in attendance. Hosting the national leadership team was a great opportunity to showcase the Kansas Envirothon and the hard work the students put in each year.
Throughout the spring, more states will be hosting their competitions. If you would like to get involved, please contact your state Envirothon program - they are always looking for volunteers!
Learn more about the NCF-Envirothon program here.
| CONFRONTING EMERALD ASH BORER IN NEW YORK |
The Saint Lawrence County Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) in New York has a unique responsibility for the management of all county owned forestry land, replacing the traditional county forestry department. This ownership has allowed the district to adopt a proactive stance in addressing emerging environmental challenges while supporting private forest landowners. Since the initial detection, and faced with the escalating threat of the Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) in New York State, the district’s forestry program is leading the charge locally.
The St. Lawrence SWCD has spearheaded multiple projects to monitor Emerald Ash Borer movements across the county. This included establishing trap tree clusters strategically placed around known infected areas to attract EAB to girdled trees. Removal of infected trees helped to reduce EAB populations and minimize the localized impact of the beetle. Collaborating with the Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe, the district has provided support with black ash inventories and stand management. This work also included collaborating on research with the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA-APHIS) and the U.S. Forest Service, focusing on integrated pest management studies centered on using EAB parasitoids. These biocontrol measures included releasing EAB parasitoids at designated black ash stands and monitoring their establishment. Additionally, the district has conducted extensive inventories of ash species on over 500 miles of roadway and within some urban areas.
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In partnership with the county, The St. Lawrence SWCD is conducting inventory and removal of ash and hazardous trees within county rights-of-way to help limit EAB spread and reduce potential damage to people and property. Last year, St. Lawrence SWCD continued that project, completing work on all towns along the St. Lawrence River.
By concentrating on tree removals and identifying candidates for treatment, the program aims to efficiently utilize resources and safeguard the local ecosystem. These local efforts play an important role in protecting New York’s forests, emphasizing proactive measures to mitigate the impact of EAB infestation. The St. Lawrence County SWCD continues to address the EAB challenge, with partners and evolving programs aimed at resilience and innovation. The district continues to focus on conserving natural resources, enhancing public safety, and strengthening community resilience.
Read the full story on NACD's blog. Get stories like this delivered directly to your inbox each month by subscribing to our Forestry Notes newsletter.
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Limited Edition
May the Forest Posters Available
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Show your support for conservation education by purchasing one of our limited-edition Stewardship Week Fundraiser Posters! Each poster supports NACD’s Additional Assist and Braille poster contests. Your contribution not only adds a unique piece to your collection but also helps promote inclusivity and environmental stewardship.
Only 75 prints of this gorgeous vintage style, ink-block inspired poster were made, with each copy hand numbered. Grab yours now before they’re gone!
| Students Show Their Creativity Through Poster Contests |
Around the country, students are breaking out their crayons, markers, and even glitter pens to craft posters showing the meaning of "May The Forest Be With You Always."
The Skagit Conservation District contest winners, pictured above, each received a copy of the book, "Native Trees of Western Washington," and took home a potted Douglas Fir, fostering both creativity and a direct connection to our local environment. The contest serves as a powerful reminder of each individual's ability to conserve natural resources and contribute to a better world, as evidenced by the inspiring artistry of the Skagit County, WA youth.
State associations - please submit your state winners to the national contest through this State to National Entry Form. National winners will receive recognition at NACD’s annual meeting.
Learn more about the poster contest on NACD's website.
| Download FREE Education Materials | Do you need classroom materials to teach students in your community about forest conservation? NACD has FREE May The Forest Be With You Always education guides, activity books, coloring pages, bookmarks, and more available on our website! |
Got Photos of Conservation?
Enter the NACD Photo Contest!
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Do you have any photos of conservation practices? We want to see them! The NACD national photo contest is open to all photographers - amateur or professional, youth or adult.
Contestants are allowed to enter as many as five photos each year that each fit into one of the following four categories: Conservation Practices; Close-up Conservation; Conservation in Action; and Agriculture and Conservation Across America.
Photos are judged on technical merit, composition, and creativity. One winner will be selected for each category and age division. Each first and second place winner at the national level will receive a cash prize. Honorable mention award winners will also be selected for each category but will not receive a monetary award. All entries have the chance to be featured as the cover of NACD's The Resource or Annual Report!
Learn more and submit your photos here.
| Support Conservation Education with a Donation to NCF! |
The National Conservation Foundation (NCF) is asking for your support this spring! NCF recently launched their spring fundraising campaign - Spring Into Action!
At NCF, success is measured by our impact on people and the planet. They are doing critical work every day to build a better, more sustainable tomorrow for farmers, ranchers, foresters, their industries, and the larger world of consumers.
Your generous donations will directly contribute to conservation education through the training of the NGLI cohort, who are actively working to solve future conservation needs; or to the Envirothon students, who are currently studying natural resources and prepping for their local competitions.
In celebration of Stewardship Week, make your contribution to conservation education go further with a donation!
| Promote your conservation district or state association's tree sale, annual meeting, webinar, field day, or other events on NACD's Calendar of Events! | |