National Association of Conservation Districts

Contact:
Lisa Smith
P: (202) 547-6223, x. 226
C: (703) 901-4659

Speech

Doug Loudenslager
Chief Executive Officer

Remarks at NACD’s 2009 Board of Directors Meeting
July 18, 2009
Washington, D.C.

Thank you President Steve for the kind welcome and introduction. It is great to be great to be part of the team and I am honored and humbled to be asked to serve in this role for an organization that I greatly respect and admire.

It was in the fall of 1968, and as a young lad I was sent out to the field with an International 1256 tractor and chisel plow to work some corn stubble. May I see a show of hands of anyone who found it a challenge at times in meeting dad’s expectations? This was one of those times for me.

I failed to get the chisel plow raised sufficiently in crossing the grass waterway. There was then an up-close conversation with my dad on the value of conservation practice on the Loudenslager farm and how I was not contributing to that practice by plowing up the grass waterway.

My father was already serving as a SWCD supervisor in Marion County, Ohio. He, just like all of you, was working to encourage producers and landowners to adopt those practices that not only protect, but also enhance and improve, the resources with which we have been entrusted.

My dad that day was telling me that as farmers, as stewards, we had a responsibility to wear a conservation hat. He served like you for 45 years.

Even though my professional career up to this point has not been directly part of the formal conservation movement, I have been a friend of it, and I recognize the tremendous contribution each of you make in your local districts and states and, collectively, what you accomplish through this association.

That is why I came to this role: You and I have important work to do. These are exciting times for conservation in this country. Who better than the men and women who serve as leaders at all levels of this association to proactively drive the policy debate?

I am constantly reminded of the tremendous gift we have available to produce the food and fiber to feed and clothe, the timber for our homes and businesses, the water to sustain us and the air that fill our lungs.

Let me ask you to focus on four numbers. You might want to write them down. As an old school teacher, there might be a quiz.

• 26,000


• 1 billion


• 2040


• 6

26,000: the number of people, many of them children, who will die today from starvation or from diseases caused by malnutrition. That is 26, 000 today, 26,000 tomorrow, and the next day and the next day.

1 billion: the number of people who will go to bed tonight with empty bellies.

2040: the year that food production will have to double in order to feed a hungry world.

6: And all of this has to be accomplished with the 6 inches of topsoil that sustains us all.

Is there any question that we are facing big challenges?

It has been said that “more men are moved by the heat of fire rather then by the light of fire.”

For the most part, much that has been accomplished in reducing erosion and improving water and air quality have come from education and incentives and the tremendous work of the professional staff and your leadership at the local, state and national level. It has been “light of the fire” work. But there may be a change coming. The current policy debate may bring about “heat of the fire” requirements.

Regardless whether the climate/energy bill passes in any form, there is a growing tide, a recognition by many, many Americans that our resources are finite, and that a growing population cannot continue to put increasing pressure on these resources without repercussions.

I am suggesting that as the conservation leaders in this country we need to gird ourselves. Producers and landowners are going to need more, not less, of the services, expertise and support provided by conservation districts.

That suggests that we need to not just maintain, but increase, NACD’s strong voice in Washington. Our local districts and our states need more resources, not less. Our districts need a strong voice, a clear voice, a knowledgeable and persuasive voice.

And I believe that you, as national board members, are critical keys in making sure NACD’s story is told.

Let me ask you to put yon your National Board Member hat. Just as the officers and the executive board will hold me accountable for this organization’s performance, as the elected stewards of this association we should be expected to hold each other accountable. This association’s strength is 3,000 districts. They will determine if this association grows and prospers or withers and becomes a footnote in conservation history. That is why your role is so critical.

You are the connection to those members. Wearing the National Director hat means your association needs you, the members need you, not only to represent the local and regional needs, but also to govern for the good of the whole association.

As national board members your association needs you to bring forth the members’ ideas and needs. The committees of which you are a part were established to elicit what the members need their association to do for them. As national board members we need you to be fully engaged in your committees and unafraid to be bold in your thinking. These are extraordinary times and it demands creative, expansive thinking by all leaders.

I told this to the executive board and I will share it with you: I do not come to this role with all of the answers, but I do have a responsibility to make sure we are asking the right questions. If we consistently ask the right questions, more times than not we will get to the appropriate answers.

As national board members you have a responsibility to ask and make sure we are asking the right questions:

Are we providing the right services? What new services should we provide? Are we providing the level and quality of service our members need? Are we serving as an effective voice for conservation at the national level? Do our members have the tools and resources to make even larger gains in their local districts? Are there strong communications both to and from the membership? As a National Board member you have to help us with those questions.

Wearing the National Board Member hat also means waving the flag and championing the idea that every district financially support NACD, their association.

I apologize for sounding like a preacher on Stewardship Sunday, but it is critical for any association to be adequately supported by its members.

If a district is not financially supporting the association, ask why. Here is one of those “right questions” we need the courage to ask: “What will it take for the NACD to earn your support? What do you want your association to do to better meet your needs and expectations?”

I am asking those wearing the National Director hat to put out that challenge and question. Eleven states are at 100% -- I salute you. Let’s work together to get many more in that number.

Finally, as those wearing the National Director hat, I would ask you to evaluate the most critical aspect of our ability to proactively lobby on your behalf. And that is the relationship that you and the members in your state have with every Congressman, every U.S. Senator, as well as every state legislator, county commissioner, mayor and policy makers at all levels of government.

Whether you call it advocacy or lobbying, success is determined by the quality of the relationship. As an association we need to be in the relationship business. The legislative conference is an opportunity to build those relationships. But it also requires work throughout the year. We are asking you to be the face of NACD 365 days a year.

As a national board member I am asking that you always keep that National Board Member hat close by, regardless of whether you are at a local district meeting, a state board meeting or on location at a cooperator’s farm. Your association needs you to serve, to lead, to help us grow in our ability to serve our members.

You have an important job. Thank you for your leadership and service.

I would be remiss if I did not let you know how impressed I am with the dedication, expertise and professionalism demonstrated by the staff – an outstanding group. I would ask those staff members in the room to please stand and, would you join me in thanking them for all of their hard work and service?

At the beginning of my comments, I shared with you some of the reasons why I have a great passion for the work to which you, and 17,000 others across the country, have committed. Conservation and NACD has been part of my family DNA for many, many years.

Several years ago a group of guys from northwest Ohio invited me on their annual fly-fishing trip to the Pere Marquette River in northern Michigan for the annual salmon run. I had never fly fished before but they were good teachers and helped me to get outfitted and to begin mastering some of the basics. So here I was out in the middle of the Pere Marquette River on a glorious fall day. Leaves were falling, not a cloud in the sky and the salmon were running upstream. I was standing in the middle of the river doing my best to cast when all of the sudden I realized that a 40 plus pound salmon had just swam between and brushed up against my legs. My new waders had water inside and it was not river water.

These are tremendously exciting times for conservation in this country. It is on the front page. The salmon are running.

I want you to know that I am not afraid of getting a little water in my waders.

Thank you for your willingness to wear the National Director hat. I am proud and excited to be part of the team.

Let’s get to work.

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.