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October 4, 2011
Southwest and Pacific Leaders Meet in New Mexico
More than 100 district officials, employees and partners met in Taos, N.M.
last week for the NACD Southwest and Pacific Regions’ joint meeting. Hosted
by the New Mexico Association of Conservation Districts in cooperation with
the Taos SWCD and others, the event offered an excellent program and
numerous networking opportunities.
NACD President Gene Schmidt delivered the meeting’s keynote address. The
event featured sessions on New Mexico’s rangeland and forest restorations,
urban conservation programs, sage grouse project and much more. Participants
also had the opportunity to learn firsthand about local conservation and history
through several tours. During the closing session, New Mexico Secretary of
Agriculture Jeff Witte spoke about the importance of agriculture and conservation.
The Southwest Region Board also held its business meeting, where Brent Van
Dyke (N.M.) was elected to the NACD Executive Board and Gary Moyer (Colo.)
was elected as Region Chair. Both will begin their terms at the end of the
NACD Annual Meeting in February 2012.
Thanks to New Mexico’s leaders for their hard work and hospitality in hosting
this year’s event!
Larson Participates in Sustainable Communities Conference
Last week, NACD CEO John Larson served as a group moderator at the
“Solutions for Sustainable Communities” conference in Washington, D.C.,
hosted by the National Housing Conference and the Center for Housing Policy.
Larson’s session, “Conservation and Open Space for Sustainable Communities,”
focused on ways sustainability principles can foster conservation and open
space by strategically targeting housing development and creating opportunities
for unlikely partnerships. By housing a larger share of the region’s population
within already developed areas, more compact and sustainable land patterns
help preserve open space for recreation, farming and the natural environment.
The conference included a number of hands-on, information-sharing sessions
designed to arm practitioners and policymakers with the best available information
on how states and localities are working collaboratively to develop more
sustainable and inclusive communities while reducing overall government costs.
Larson shared with participants how conservation districts in many areas of the
country have expertise in planning and implementation of best management
practices that can be of assistance to the community. He also emphasized the
importance of collaboration at the local level to come up with the best solutions
for the community.
Presentations, photos and other resources from the event will be available on
the conference website later this week, at www.nhc.org.
Report Emphasizes Value of Conservation
Last year, NACD commissioned a study, "Conservation Benefits, Putting
Value Where it Belongs."
Efforts to attach economic value to conservation are focusing new attention
on the full range of costs and benefits associated with conservation work done
across the country. Researchers, government agencies and the private sector
are all engaged in various activities designed to tie market values more closely
to conservation work.
The 35-page report serves as a survey of efforts to focus on the economic
value of conservation practices and systems on America's private lands,
including current landscape, case studies and appendices listing informational
resources.
The study focuses on several ecosystem services, one of them being source
water. For example, good conservation practices result in cleaner drinking
water and can avoid expensive treatment system upgrades.
The full report, “Conservation Benefits: Putting Value Where It Belongs,” is
available on the Reports section
of NACD’s web site.
EPA Announces $1.5 Million in Community Smart-Growth Assistance
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently announced the
next round of grants under the Smart Growth Implementation Assistance
program (SGIA) and the Building Blocks for Sustainable Communities program.
According to EPA, the grants—totaling more than $1.5 million—will help an
estimated 125 local, state and tribal governments create more housing choices,
make transportation more efficient and reliable and support vibrant and healthy
neighborhoods that attract businesses.
EPA will host a webinar on Oct. 6 from 2-3:00 p.m. (EST) to provide additional
information and answer questions about the application process. To participate,
dial 866-299-3188, 2025662835 and use the link here.
Pre-registration is not required.
Both programs will be accepting letters from interested communities until
Oct. 28. For more information, click here.
Report Documents Environmental Benefits of Wood as a Green Building
Material
According to a new U.S. Forest Service study,
wood should be used as a primary material in green building. The study,
“Science Supporting the Economic and Environmental Benefits of Using Wood
and Wood Products in Green Building Construction,” found that using wood
in building products yields fewer greenhouse gases than using other common
materials.
"This study confirms what many environmental scientists have been saying
for years," U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said. "Wood should be a
major component of American building and energy design. The use of wood
provides substantial environmental benefits, provides incentives for private
landowners to maintain forest land, and provides a critical source of jobs in
rural America."
According to USDA, the continued research of wood-based products and
technologies will contribute to more environmentally responsible building
materials and increased energy efficiency.
For more information, click here.
NRCS to Roll out Improved Payment Schedule in FY 2012
Earlier this year, NRCS initiated a nationwide effort to develop, maintain and
automate Farm Bill Conservation Program payment schedules on a regional
basis. Payment schedules provide the basis for the amount of financial
assistance (FA) provided to support the installation of conservation practices.
NRCS is currently working to increase consistency in program payment rates
nationally.
The agency has focused on the payment schedules for 15 conservation
practices commonly used across the country. These practices account for
roughly half the total instances and FA dollars spent on conservation program
contracts annually. The new payment schedules for the following practices
will go into effect at the start of fiscal year (FY) 2012.
Practice Names/Codes
Fence, 382
Brush Management, 314
Nutrient Management, 590
Pipeline, 516
Integrated Pest Management, 595
Cover Crop, 340
Watering Facility, 614
Forest Stand Improvement, 666
Heavy Use Area Protection, 561
Shallow Water Development and Management, 646
Prescribed Grazing, 528
Forage and Biomass Planting, 512
Irrigation System, Sprinkler, 442
Pumping Plant, 533
Upland Wildlife Habitat Management, 645
NACD will continue to monitor the changes made to payment schedules.
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