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 Announces 2024 Photo, Poster Contest Winners
02/10/2025
The photo contest, open to amateur photographers in both youth and adult divisions, attracted entries of images reflecting the themes of “Agriculture and Conservation Across America,” “Close-Up Conservation,” “Conservation in Action,” and “Conservation Practices.” The poster contest, open to students from kindergarten through 12th grade, celebrated the 2024 NACD Stewardship Week theme, “May the Forest Be With You, Always.”
NACD: NACD, Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever Sign Memorandum of Understanding
02/10/2025
The National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD) and Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever signed a memorandum of understanding during the association’s 79th Annual Meeting in Salt Lake City, UT. This partnership brings together two organizations committed to natural resources conservation and the protection of wildlife habitat as NACD promotes habitat conservation and the theme of “Home is Where the Habitat is” for this year’s annual Stewardship Week.
NACD: NACD Announces 2025 Friends of NACD District Grant Program Recipients
02/10/2025
The Friends of NACD District Grants Program supports voluntary, locally led conservation education, youth development, and food security projects proposed by conservation districts across the NACD network. Now in its sixth year, the program is funded through donations individuals and organizations make to NACD.
NACD: NACD Honors National Award Winners at 79th Annual Meeting
02/11/2025
The National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD) recognized winners of national service awards at the association’s 79th Annual Meeting in Salt Lake City, Utah.
NACD: NACD Leaders Take Office
02/12/2025
The National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD) welcomed and administered oaths of office to its new leaders during the association’s 79th Annual Meeting in Salt Lake City, Utah.
NACD: NACD Applauds Confirmation of Brooke Rollins as Secretary of Agriculture
02/13/2025
The National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD) applauds Brooke Rollins’ confirmation to serve as Secretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). Secretary Rollins will lead USDA’s broad mandate to support American producers, communities, food safety and security, working lands conservation, and more.
NACD: NACD Calls for Immediate Action to Mitigate Effects of Freezes and Layoffs on Conservation Delivery
02/20/2025
The National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD) is deeply concerned about the severe impacts recent federal layoffs are having on our nation’s ability to conserve the natural resources that sustain us all. The recent terminations of over 1,000 federal employees and the termination of agreements that fund the staff of cooperating partner organizations are having a significant impact on the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and conservation districts nationwide. These positions, many located in rural and remote communities, provide important services to farmers, ranchers, and forest stewards across the country.
Progressive Farmer: Farmers Hit by USDA Funding Freeze
By Chris Clayton
02/07/2025
USDA is withholding funds from farmers for conservation programs, despite the White House stating last week that funds to individuals would not be frozen. Contractors for conservation programs also have been affected by a funding freeze. The Iowa Soybean Association, for instance, cited in a letter to lawmakers that $11 million owed to farmers is at risk. Farmers are learning their conservation payments are frozen because those contracts were funded through the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA).
Wright Foundation: Grants Available Through the Wright Foundation for Sustainability and Innovation
02/10/2025
The Wright Foundation for Sustainability and Innovation (“WFSI”) is now accepting applications for its fifth grant cycle through March 21, 2025. Funds will be awarded this summer for WFSI’s Tree Canopy Improvement Grant and the John Harsch Regenerative Agriculture Grant.
Agri-Pulse: Agri-Pulse Open Mic: USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins
02/16/2025
Less than 24 hours after being sworn in as the thirty-third lead of the Department of Agriculture in Washington, Brooke Rollins found herself in Louisville, Kentucky being introduced in Freedom Hall at the Championship Tractor Pull. A native of the small town of Glen Rose, Texas, her career path led to the White House in President Trump’s first term and now as a member of the Trump Cabinet. Speaking on the sidelines of her first event outside the Beltway as Secretary, Rollins shared thoughts on building her team at USDA, working with other cabinet members and how downsizing government may impact the work of the USDA.
KEUR: Utah’s big water efficiency push may help farms more than the Colorado River
By David Condos | Utah | Southwest Region
02/05/2025
Farms in this southern Utah valley were irrigated by flooding when he was young, he said. Now, some of his neighbors have high-tech automated sprayers. The next evolution might be taking shape in one of his alfalfa fields. That’s where Utah State University researcher Maziyar Vaez Roudbari stood spinning the head of a new rotator sprinkler — a brightly colored plastic nozzle roughly the size of a soda can. He’s testing a potential replacement for the traditional sprinkler heads on Brinkerhoff’s wheel line irrigation system.
GACD: Georgia Recognized at NACD Annual Meeting
Georgia | Southeast Region
02/11/2025
(Edited) Georgia Residents Place in National Conservation Themed Photo Contest. NACD Announces 2025 Friends of NACD District Grant Program Recipients. The Gwinnett Soil and Water Conservation District will partner with the Georgia Association of Water Professionals to teach small-scale solutions for eroding stream banks. Georgia Receives Award for 100% District Participation.
USDA-NRCS: North Dakota Conservationist receives Hugh Hammond Bennett award for conservation excellence
Bismarck, ND | Northern Plains Region
02/13/2025
Darrin Olin, District Conservationist with the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in Mott, North Dakota, has been named the recipient of the prestigious National Conservation Planning Partnership (NCPP) Hugh Hammond Bennett Award for Conservation Excellence for the Northern Plains Region. This award recognizes his outstanding achievements in conservation planning and his unwavering commitment to protecting natural resources across the state.
MSN: They’ve Cut Down 200,000 Trees in Five Years to Save the Forest … and It’s Working
By Ashley Haugen | Colorado | Southwest Region
02/13/2025
That brings us to the work of the Larimer Conservation District — and all conservation districts. With decades of messaging to reverse, Dylan says that reaching enough of the landowners and having the time to educate them on the benefits of properly managing the land and protecting it from massive wildfires through tree removal is perhaps the most challenging part of his work.
KSNT Topeka: Rural Kansas hit by federal job cuts as programs grind to a halt
By Matthew Self | Topeka, KS | Northern Plains Region
02/15/2025
The Shawnee County, Nemaha County and Miami County Conservation Districts, which provide natural resource information and education to locals, all reported staff reductions on social media recently impacting programs they offer. The Kansas Association of Conservation Districts (KACD) made a similar statement on Feb. 14 that federal funds for the Famers for Soil Health Cover Crop Initiative were frozen.
WVIA: Northeast Pennsylvania secures nearly a million dollars for water conservation, flooding protection
| Pennsylvania | Northeast Region
02/19/2025
The Schuylkill Conservation District in connection with Frackville residents secured a $74,151 grant to restore the northern portion of the creek to a more natural state. That grant, awarded through the state Department of Environmental Protection’s (DEP), Growing Greener Plus Grant, finances projects to protect waterways from planting riparian buffers to cleaning abandoned mine sites. Conservation organizations, local municipalities and county authorities can all apply. Statewide awards for 2025 exceed $15 million, according to the department.
Rome Ceo: More than $1.77M Raised to Help Georgia Farmers Recovering from Hurricane Helene
Georgia | Southeast Region
02/20/2025
In the wake of devastation caused by Hurricane Helene, more than 40 agriculture organizations joined forces to establish a relief fund for farmers whose livelihoods were upended by the storm. With overwhelming support from hundreds of donors, the fund successfully raised $1,774,282 in just three months, providing vital aid to those who sustain our communities with locally grown food and fiber.