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August 30, 2011
NACD Accepting Nominations for National Awards
NACD’s awards season is in full swing, with one month left
to submit your nomination for the following awards:
The NACD Distinguished Service Award recognizes an individual within the association who has made
significant contributions to the conservation and proper
management of our nation’s natural resources. Nominees can
be involved with districts or the association at any level.
Past officers are also eligible.
The NACD Friend of Conservation Award recognizes an individual, business, organization, or agency
outside the association for outstanding contributions to the
conservation of our nation’s natural resources. Any individual,
business, organization or agency that is not directly associated
with conservation districts at the local, state or national
level is eligible to receive this award.
The AEM/NACD Partnership Award has two categories of recognition for conservation districts:
(1) Excellence in Conservation Equipment and Technology Use and
(2) Defining Conservation Needs for the Future. The winners of
the AEM/NACD Partnership Awards will each receive $2,000.
Consider this an opportunity to give national recognition to
those who do excellent work for conservation. All award winners
will be honored at the NACD Annual Meeting in Las Vegas, and
will receive one-day complimentary registration for the event.
For more information on these awards, click here.
The deadline for nominations is September 30.
Kansas Conservationist Testifies at Senate Farm Bill Hearing
Last week, Kansas farmer and conservationist Ronald Brown
testified at a field hearing held by the U.S. Senate Agriculture
Committee in Wichita, Kan. The hearing focused on issues
surrounding the 2012 Farm Bill. A lifelong resident of Fort
Scott, Brown serves as president of the Kansas Association of
Conservation Districts (KACD) and on
NACD’s Board of Directors.
Brown urged Congress to, at a minimum, maintain the mandatory
conservation funding levels as agreed in the 2008 Farm Bill.
He also called for full funding of technical assistance to help
farmers, ranchers and landowners continue their critical role
in protecting our nation’s air, water and soil.
“Partnerships on the local, state and federal level are essential
for coordinating and streamlining these efforts,” said Brown.
“The 2012 Farm Bill should be developed to ensure those
partnerships and coordination of effort.”
With Kansas currently facing severe drought conditions, Brown
underscored the importance of effective farming and soil
conservation practices— not only to the state's economy but also
to its’ citizens quality of life.
To view Brown’s full testimony, click here.
Conference Call Addresses Drought
As Hurricane Irene dumped buckets of rain across the Northeast,
there are states across the Southern U.S. that would welcome
even a small amount of rainfall this season. Texas and
Oklahoma are leading the way, setting records for single-year
droughts, but conditions are bad in NACD’s Southeast Region
states, including Tennessee and South Carolina.
Last week, the NACD Southeast and South Central Regions hosted
a conference call to discuss the drought and options to address
drought-related issues. The discussion centered on problems
with crop insurance, forage replanting and a variety of other
issues.
NACD Vice President Earl Garber also participated in the call.
Garber assured attendees that NACD would continue to work with
the states to address the drought.
USDA Announces CIG Recipients
Last week, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced
the winning proposals for the Conservation Innovation Grants
(CIG). CIG is a voluntary program intended to stimulate the
development and adoption of innovative conservation approaches
and technologies. Grants are awarded to state and local
governments, tribes, non-governmental organizations and
individuals. Grant winners pay 50 percent of project costs.
Thirteen projects, covering 40 states, were awarded this year.
The Maryland Association of Soil Conservation District was
awarded $73,500 for conservation outreach to non-English-speaking
poultry producers in Maryland and Delaware.
For more information on CIG and the winning proposals, click
here.
EPA Withdraws Numeric Turbidity Limit for Construction
Recently, the U.S. Enviromental Protection Association (EPA)
announced that it would reconsider a nationwide cap on the
amount of sediment allowed in stormwater runoff from
construction sites.
In 2009, EPA issued a final numeric limit for turbidity,
which established enforceable numeric limitations on stormwater
discharges from construction and development sites. Subsequently,
the EPA withdrew the limit to correct a calculation error.
They submitted a new rule in December 2010 but withdrew it
last Wednesday to seek additional data.
The Small Business Association and the National Association
of Home Builders (NAHB) have been critics of the rule, claiming
it was based on flawed analyses. The NAHB sued the EPA over
the rule 18 months ago, and has argued for best management
practices instead of a numeric limit. Industry estimated that
it would cost $10 billion/year to comply with the turbidity
rule.
For more information, click here.
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