June 10, 2008 eNotes - National Association of Conservation Districts

June 10, 2008
index to previous eNotes

1. Congress Passes Budget Resolution, Proceeds with Appropriations
Last week, Congress passed the fiscal year (FY) 2009 Budget Resolution, which sets priorities and levels of funding available for FY 2009. Under the budget resolution, Agriculture programs will have budget authority to spend up to $21.4 billion, and Interior and Environment programs will have up to $40.5 billion available. With the budget resolution complete, Congress can now proceed to work on approving spending in FY 2009 appropriations bills.

Hearings have already been scheduled to review appropriations bills in the House Appropriations Committee, with action expected in the Agriculture Subcommittee and the Interior and Environment Subcommittee over the next two weeks. Work on Agriculture and Interior and Environment spending is scheduled to be completed by the full Appropriations Committee by the end of June.

NACD submitted requests to the House and Senate Appropriations committees in January in support of increased funding for three priority programs: Conservation Technical Assistance, State and Private Forestry, and 319 Nonpoint Source Pollution Grants. More information on NACD’s FY 2009 appropriations priorities can be found at http://nacdnet.org/policy/appropriations/fy09/.

2. Senate Votes on Complete Farm Bill
Last week the U.S. Senate voted to pass the complete Farm Bill, including Title III on Trade, which was inadvertently left out of the previous version of the Farm Bill. The House took similar action in May. Due to a transmittal error, the Trade Title was missing when the Farm Bill was sent to the President in early May. The additional votes on the “complete” Farm Bill were necessary to ensure that the provisions dealing with export programs and international food aid are enacted. The President is expected to veto this second version of the Farm Bill, and both the Senate and U.S. House of Representatives will then vote again to override the veto.

Visit http://nacdnet.org/policy/agriculture/farmbill/2007/fb_sidebyside_06-10-08.pdf for a side-by-side comparison of the Conservation Titles of the 2002 Farm Bill and the newly enacted 2008 Farm Bill.

3. Action on Climate Change Bill Stalls in the Senate
The Senate failed on Friday to invoke cloture on the Lieberman-Warner Climate Change Bill. This procedural vote to end a filibuster and cut off debate on the bill was necessary for the Senate to proceed with the bill. Senate Environment and Public Works Committee Chair Barbara Boxer (D-CA) had released several revised drafts of the legislation over the last few weeks, but opposition to the bill continued to surface. Efforts to stall the legislation were successful, and the bill was removed from consideration in the Senate for the rest of the year. The Senate will likely address climate change legislation again next year.

During the past week of discussions on climate change, NACD worked with other agriculture and conservation organizations on potential amendments addressing agriculture issues and offset opportunities for agriculture and forestry operations. NACD will continue to follow and keep districts updated on any action on climate change.

4. From One Leader to Another: NACD Leadership on the Road
The NACD Officer Team is beginning another traveling season during which they will crisscross the country to meet with local, state, region and national conservation leaders in order to discuss national priorities, strategize and network. Last week, NACD Second Vice President Bob Cordova met with leadership from the National Conservation District Employees Association (NCDEA) at their mid-year board meeting in St. Louis, Mo. Cordova thanked the group for their support of NACD activities, provided a Farm Bill update, highlighted programs and resources available to conservation districts and their employees and outlined the challenges and opportunities ahead for conservation districts.

NACD Krysta Harden was also on the road, traveling to Nebraska City, Neb. to meet with conservation leaders in the NACD’s Northern Plains Region. Harden provided a general update on NACD activities and the importance of grassroots involvement. She also presented a detailed report on the next steps in the Farm Bill process, discussing what is included in the bill and what must take place before the recently passed programs can be implemented.

NACD leadership will continue to travel the country over the next several months, striving to be accessible to our members and partners, to recognize district and state progress and to help address challenges. In the meantime, keep up the good work!

5. NACD Legislative Conference Promises Action-Packed Agenda
If you are looking for the latest information on conservation policy, you’re sure to be pleased by NACD’s Legislative Conference, July 20–22. An impressive line-up of speakers will provide insightful and timely information on a variety of exciting topics for conservation districts.

Do you want to know the latest on opportunities for conservation districts to partner with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service? Fish and Wildlife Service Director Dale Hall will speak on current agency efforts and new and exciting opportunities for conservation districts.

Perhaps you are looking for the latest information on annual funding. You won’t want to miss the panel discussion with key federal agency partners including NRCS Associate Chief Dana York, Forest Service Associate Chief Sally Collins, and Indiana NRCS State Conservationist Jane Hardisty.

Got climate change on your mind? Be sure to tune in to the afternoon session which includes Debbie Reed with DRD Associates discussing opportunities for agriculture and local communities to provide multiple environmental benefits from renewable fuels to carbon sequestration and more.

Registration is open and in full swing. Don’t miss your opportunity to hear from speakers on the forefront of conservation in Washington D.C. Go to the 2008 Legislative Conference website and register today! A draft agenda is also available for download at http://nacdnet.org/events/legconference/agenda.pdf.

6. BLM Seeks Public Comment on Solar Energy Development
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is seeking comment on the Solar Energy Development Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (Solar Energy Development PEIS), which assesses the impacts of utility-scale solar energy development on BLM-managed lands in Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico and Utah.

The public comment period for written input is open through July 15, 2008. A series of public meetings is also scheduled to gather comment. Go to http://solareis.anl.gov/involve/pubschedule/index.cfm for a list of Solar Energy Development PEIS public scoping meeting dates and locations. Further instructions and information about the public comment period are available at http://solareis.anl.gov.

7. Sage Grouse Data Input Needed by June 27
In late February, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) initiated a status review to determine if listing the sage grouse as a threatened or endangered species was warranted. Eight interagency teams, staffed by employees of state wildlife agencies, FWS, Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) are currently gathering points for the data over an eleven-state area. States, federal agencies, industry and private individuals are all providing information. Conservation district representatives were invited to be part of the interagency teams.

Sage grouse are found in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, North Dakota, eastern California, Nevada, Utah, western Colorado, South Dakota and Wyoming. NACD provided conservation district representatives in each of these states with the needed forms and guidance related to this data collection effort. Questions regarding this NACD sage grouse effort can be directed to NACD Western Issues Specialist Ralph Thier at ralph-thier@nacdnet.org.

The deadline for submitting data relevant to the FWS sage grouse status review is June 27, 2008. Click here for an FWS news release regarding the status review.

8. Upcoming Conservation Tour to Highlight Conservation in Indiana Agriculture
The Conservation Technology Information Center (CTIC) will host a Conservation in Action tour this summer in central Indiana. The day-long tour will take place July 17 and is open to CTIC members, partners and others interested in conservation. Also in attendance will be leaders in agriculture from Indiana, the Midwest and the nation.

In an effort to illustrate the good work Indiana farmers do for resources, the economy and their state, tour participants will visit five Indiana farms and see first-hand how they have mastered innovative conservation practices in their profitable operations.

For tour information or to register, contact CTIC at (765) 494-9555, ctic@conservationinformation.org, or visit http://www.conservationinformation.org/?action=events_events_ctictour08.

9. National Public Lands Day Tour Grants 2008
The National Environmental Education Foundation is now accepting grant applications for the fourth annual National Public Lands Day Tour. Awardees will receive $1,000 to fund their National Public Lands Day project. Toyota Motor Sales, USA, Inc. is sponsoring the program. This year, non-profit organizations from 26 states in the Northeast and Midwest are eligible to receive funding.

Priority will be given to projects that emphasize natural resource restoration. To commemorate the Civilian Conservation Corps, the program’s goal is to plant one million trees between April 25, National Arbor Day, and Sept. 27, National Public Lands Day.

The grant pre-application is due June 23 and can be accessed at http://www.publiclandsday.org/tour/2008-tour-app.htm. For more information, please contact Claudia Kessel, National Public Lands Day Program Coordinator, at (202) 261-6478 or kessel@neefusa.org.

10. June Edition of Forestry Notes Available Online
The latest edition of Forestry Notes is now available on NACD’s website. Forestry Notes is a monthly publication produced by NACD to highlight forestry issues of importance to districts and to showcase district-related forestry projects and success stories.

This month’s issue highlights the recent 2008 Smallwood and Bioenergy and Wood Products conference; the Aldo Leopold Legacy Center and its use of smallwood and eco-friendly construction; and the successful Clackamas Stewardship Partnership in Oregon. Read about these topics and more at http://nacdnet.org/news/publications/forestrynotes/june08.phtml.

11. NACD Calendar of Events
July 18-23, NACD Summer Board Meeting and Legislative Conference, Washington, D.C.
August 3-5, Northeast Region Meeting, Portsmouth, NH
August 10-12, Southeast Region Meeting, Biloxi, MS
August 21-23, South Central Region Meeting, Hot Springs, AR
September 14-16, Southwest and Pacific Region Meeting, Aptos, CA

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