Conservation Clips is a weekly collection of articles distributed by NACD that provides our members and partners with the latest news in what’s driving conservation. These articles are not indicative of NACD policy and are the opinions of their authors, unless otherwise noted. If you have a relevant submission or need assistance with accessing articles, please contact the NACD Communications Team
NACD Blog: Conservation District Hosts National Land and Range Judging Contest, NRCS Chief
05/29/19
Every year in May, nearly 1,000 4-H and FFA students and coaches from over 34 states gather for the National Land and Range Judging Contest. Students test their skills in judging the adaptability of the land for various purposes, including farming, range management and home development.
NACD Blog: Watershed Structures Prevent Further Devastation in Oklahoma
05/29/19
Oklahoma has 2,107 flood control dams protecting homes, businesses, roads, bridges and other infrastructure, as well as crops, farmland and ranch land. The Small Watershed Upstream Flood Control Dam program is managed cooperatively by conservation districts in the state, the OCC and the USDA NRCS.
NACD Blog: Journey to Leadership – Lessons from Washington State’s First Women-Led Conservation Partnership
By Laura Johnson
05/29/19
On May Day (May 1), conservation partners in Washington State crossed a milestone. Not only did Dr. Carol Smith become the first female executive director of the Washington State Conservation Commission in the 80-year history of the agency, her appointment also marked the first time that women held all four leadership positions within the state’s conservation partnership — executive director of the State Conservation Commission, state conservationist for the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), and president and executive director of the Washington Association of Conservation Districts.
AgriMarketing: Cargill, Soil Health Institute to Study Economics of Soil Health
05/30/19
Management practices that improve soil health can be good for the farm and the environment, but farmers need information on economics when deciding whether to adopt these practices. To address this critical issue, Cargill and the Soil Health Institute have announced a new partnership to assess, demonstrate and communicate the economics of soil health management systems across North America.
Bay Journal: USDA resumes program that pays farmers to plant forested stream buffers
By Timothy B. Wheeler
05/29/19
Ending an eight-month hiatus, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has resumed a federal conservation program that’s been a workhorse in the slog to plant forested stream buffers across the Chesapeake Bay watershed.
The Sacramento Bee: Fighting fire with fire: Should California burn its forests to protect against catastrophe?
By Ryan Sabalow, Dale Kasler and Maya Miller
05/29/19
Seven months after the Camp Fire killed 85 people and destroyed much of Paradise, and with another potentially catastrophic wildfire season getting underway, a growing body of experts say California is neglecting a major tool in its battle against mega-fires: the practice of fighting fire with fire.
WHO TV: USDA Asks For Farmers to Begin Conservation Field Planning
05/29/19
Iowa’s USDA staff are encouraging landowners interested in the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) to visit local service centers soon, saying it is important to plan before crop growth makes it difficult to examine the field.
Hartford Courant: DOT to expand wildflower areas along Connecticut highways to help bees, butterflies
By Gregory B. Hladky
05/30/19
Connecticut’s bees, butterflies and hummingbirds are soon going to have a lot more places along state highways where they can refuel on wildflowers as a result of a newly expanded “Pollinator Corridor” program.
The Skanner: Washington Faces Especially Bad Wildfire Season
By Kimberly Cauvel and Kera Wanielista
05/29/19
Wildfire responders in Western Washington — including Skagit County — are preparing for a particularly bad wildfire season. With less precipitation than normal so far in 2019 and snowpack in the North Cascades depleting rapidly, conditions are already abnormally dry and much of the western side of the state has been declared in or at risk of drought.
Billings Gazette: Feral swine amass at Montana’s northern border
By Brett French
05/26/19
It sounds like a bad horror movie. Canadian wild pigs are amassing at Montana’s northern border. It’s only a matter of time before they wander south and begin their destructive assault on everything from wildlife to agricultural fields and even archaeological sites.
The Sacramento Bee: 4 years after California’s largest dam removal project, how are the fish doing?
By Paul Rogers
05/26/19
The destruction of the San Clemente Dam, which had blocked the river since 1921, remains the largest dam removal project in California history. It’s still early, but one of the main goals of the project seems to be on track: The river is becoming wilder, and struggling fish populations are rebounding.
University of California-Davis: Thinning Forests, Prescribed Fire Before Drought Reduced Tree Loss
By Kat Kerlin
05/29/19
Thinning forests and conducting prescribed burns may help preserve trees in future droughts and bark beetle epidemics expected under climate change, suggests a study from the University of California, Davis.