National Association of Conservation Districts

News Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONSERVATION PARTNERSHIP MEMBERS RECOGNIZE DIVERSITY AWARD WINNERS

HOUSTON , Texas—February 2, 2006—A Mississippi conservation district, a Delaware Resource Conservation and Development Council and the Washington State Conservation Commission are this year’s Conservation Partnership Diversity Award winners.

The National Association of Conservation Districts, the National Conservation District Employees Association, the National Association of Resource Conservation and Development Councils and the Natural Resources Conservation Service present the award, which recognizes organizations that address diversity needs to improve delivery of conservation programs.

The awards were presented at NACD’s Annual Meeting Awards Banquet in Houston on Wednesday, Feb. 1.

The Jasper County Conservation District in Bay Springs, Miss. has a diverse makeup that reflects the county population. Board members come from multiple races and walks of life. The district’s broad range of programs reaches an equally diverse customer base that includes students, farmers, outdoor enthusiasts, local pastors and elected officials.

The First State RC&D Council from Dover, Del. also has a diverse board of directors that includes both females and minorities. One of the RC&D’s key programs is the Emergency Home Repair Project. The award-winning project focuses on low-income individuals needing emergency or safety-related repairs made to their homes. During fiscal year 2005, volunteers performed repairs on 351 homes, assisting 783 economically disadvantaged residents. About half of the clients were minorities, and 30 percent were elderly or disabled. In addition, the RC&D works with Delaware State University on recruiting efforts and minority outreach.

The members that direct the Washington State Conservation Commission come from many different walks of life, including a tribal representative and a representative of the environmental community. They strive to maintain a balance of perspectives on the board. More than half of the commission’s employees are female. The commission’s programs include coastal conservation, urban conservation, forestry, rangeland, irrigated agriculture, dryland agriculture, land use planning, and salmonid-limited factors analysis.

Presenting the awards were NRCS Chief Bruce Knight, NACD President Bill Wilson, NASCA Pacific Director Kelly McGowan, NARC&DC President Sharon Ruggi and NCDEA President Robert Dobbs.

Nominations were evaluated based on criteria including diversity of boards, councils or commissions, service to all constituent groups, employee diversity, diversity of programs and efforts to improve conservation delivery.

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The National Association of Conservation Districts is the non-profit organization that represents the nation’s 3,000 conservation districts and 17,000 men and women who serve on their governing boards. For almost 70 years, local conservation districts have worked with cooperating landowners and managers of private working lands to help them plan and apply effective conservation practices. NACD’s website is at www.nacdnet.org.