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 accessing articles, please contact the NACD Communications Team.
NACD: NACD Applauds USDA Investments Combating Drought
08/02/2024
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced the investment of $400 million to be allocated to select Western irrigation districts to help producers conserve water and improve the efficiency of their operations. The investments will allow irrigation districts to help producers install and utilize water saving technologies and conservation practices in response to ongoing drought.
NACD Blog: Oklahoma County CD Develops Local Conservation Project and Education Programming Using Friends of NACD District Grant
08/06/2024
In 2023, with the help of a Friends of NACD Grant, Oklahoma County Conservation District (OKCCD) spearheaded two impactful projects aimed at promoting sustainable practices and fostering environmental stewardship within the community.
NACD: NACD and Trust In Food™ Affirm Partnership
08/10/2024
The National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD) and Trust In Food™ (TIF), a sustainability initiative of Farm Journal, signed a letter of agreement during NACD’s Summer Meeting in Boston, Massachusetts. This letter of agreement affirms partnership between NACD and TIF and builds on recent collaborations.
NACD: NACD Holds 2024 Summer Conservation Forum and Tours and Northeast Region Meeting in Massachusetts
08/13/2024
This week, the National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD) held its 2024 Summer Conservation Forum and Tours in Boston, Massachusetts with the NACD Northeast Region Meeting. Hosted in partnership with the Massachusetts Association of Conservation Districts, this summer’s meeting gathered conservation leaders from across the country to discuss natural resource concerns and solutions.
NACD: NACD Announces Urban and Community Conservation Grants for 35 Recipients
08/22/2024
Today, the National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD) announced the 2024 Urban and Community Conservation (UAC) grant initiative recipients. These grants are open to any conservation district or tribe within the U.S. and its territories.
The Nature Conservancy: Why the Farm Bill is America’s key to environmental conservation and sustainable supply chains
By Ginger Strand
08/09/2024
Most of us think of the Farm Bill—if we think of it at all—as a relic of the Dust Bowl: a 90-year-old bill providing money for farmers and guidelines for soil conservation. But it’s much more than that. It’s the “most important legislation” for conserving, managing and restoring private lands in the United States, says Jenny Conner Nelms, associate director of legislative affairs at The Nature Conservancy.
USDA: FACT SHEET: Celebrating Two Years of the Inflation Reduction Act
08/16/2024
Two years ago, President Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act, the largest investment in climate action and clean energy in world history. Key to the Biden-Harris Administration’s Investing in America agenda, this transformative law is lowering energy costs, creating new income streams, and tackling the climate crisis. The Inflation Reduction Act has given the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) historic resources to better serve communities nationwide.
Agriculture Dive: These farmers didn’t know their land was contaminated with PFAS. Now they’re suing.
By Leah Borts-Kuperman and Sarah Zimmerman
08/20/2024
Jason Grostic, an organic beef farmer in Michigan, was blindsided when he was ordered to cease all sales and operations in January 2021 after state testing found elevated levels of “forever chemicals” in his meat. Estimates from the Environmental Working Group suggest these harmful chemicals could be polluting nearly 20 million acres of cropland, more than 20% of all U.S. farmland.
Phys.org: Invasive species discovered in Colorado River is capable of wiping out ecosystems, causing costly damage
By Elise Schmelzer | Colorado | Southwest Region
07/20/2024
An invasive species capable of wiping out entire aquatic ecosystems and causing millions of dollars in damage to infrastructure has been found for the first time in the Colorado River, the most important river in the American Southwest.
Wahpeton Daily News: Local enthusiasts enjoy geology tour around Richland County
By James Vissers | Cayuga, ND | Northern Plains Region
08/16/2024
For rock enthusiasts, the Richland County Soil Conservation District Geology Tour has been in the works for a year. Until this past week, when a group of 25 participants went on a full day drive stopping at multiple geographical sites.
Alamosa Citizen: Mosca-Hooper Conservation District offers water education weekend
Monte Vista, CO | Southwest Region
08/16/2024
The Mosca-Hooper Conservation District is having a weekend of agricultural water education events. The workshop and farm tour will help the public learn more about water conservation and soil health, discover new innovations and practices for regenerative soil, and visit local farms to learn their practices.
Winters Express: RCD programs support irrigation projects, promote healthy soil
Angela Underwood | Winters, CA | Pacific Region
08/17/2024
The Yolo County Resource Conservation District (RCD) has three main plains, beginning with the Farm and Ranch Technical Assistance Program. Within that program, RCD provides gratis irrigation evaluations and technical assistance to Yolo County farmers who seek to improve their systems. It begins with all things soil. Mobile Irrigation Lab Manager Conor Higgins detailed the comprehensive process of studying the ground to produce healthy farmland here.
The Daily Journal: Getting ready to fight fire with fire at Butano State Park
By Rachel McCrea | San Mateo, CA | Pacific Region
08/17/2024
Almost four years since the 2020 CZU Complex fire took out Butano State Park’s water supply and burned through Big Basin Redwoods State Park to the south, the San Mateo Resource Conservation District is leading the Butano State Park Forest Health Project, an effort to clear undergrowth from about 450 acres of forest using machines and hand crews.
Yahoo! News: Blair County organization shares how to ‘Go Green’ this school year
By Leanna Wells | Hollidaysburg, PA | Northeast Region
08/19/2024
The Blair County Conservation District is encouraging students to ‘go green’ for this back-to-school season. The district recommends packing waste-free lunches with reusable containers, water bottles, and utensils. You can also reduce paper waste by using digital notebooks and textbooks.
Mississippi Free Press: As Climate Threats to Agriculture Mount, Some Hope Mississippi River Delta is ‘The Next California’
By | Mississippi | Southeast Region
08/20/2024
(edited) The World Wildlife Fund sees farms in the mid-Mississippi delta as ripe with opportunity to become a new mecca for commercial-scale American produce. As climate change compounds the threats of water scarcity, extreme weather and wildfires on California’s resources, WWF’s Markets Institute is exploring what it would take for farmers in West Tennessee, Mississippi and Arkansas to embrace—and equitably profit from—specialty crop production like strawberries, lettuce or walnuts.