|
November 9, 2010
NACD Weighs in on EPA’s Draft Chesapeake Bay TMDL
In comments
recently submitted to the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA), NACD President Steve Robinson expressed concern
that the draft TMDL
model fails to accurately represent the progress of farmers
and landowners on the ground.
“We fully support the common goal of a cleaner, healthier
Chesapeake Bay watershed and are working with landowners at
the ground level to prevent pollutants from reaching waterways,”
said Robinson. “Landowners have already implemented many
environmental best management practices that have resulted
in significant reductions in nutrient and sediment loadings
in the Chesapeake Bay watershed over the past 25 years.”
EPA’s TMDL may include incomplete and incorrect information
about agricultural practices in the region and their water
quality performance. To address this issue, NACD is working
closely with state governments to develop an accurate data
collection system that will capture the large number of
farmers and landowners who are voluntarily implementing
conservation practices
in the region.
“While we continue to look for ways to improve, misguided
federal regulation will ultimately do more harm than good,”
Robinson continued.
For more information, click here .
National Election Recap
Republicans captured control of the House by picking up at
least 60 seats in last week’s elections. This number could
go higher in the coming days, as winners are determined in
too-close-to-call races. At least 15 democratic members of
the House Agriculture Committee were defeated. Rep. Frank
Lucas (R-Okla.) is expected to take over as committee chairman
in the next Congress.
The Senate will be more closely divided, with Republicans
picking up six seats in Ark., Ill., Ind., Pa., Wis. and N.D.
Current Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman Blanche Lincoln
(D-Ark.) was defeated by Rep. John Boozman (R-Ark.). Sen.
Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) is in line to become the next Chairman.
The Republican wave was not limited to Congress. Republicans
gained over 690 seats in state legislatures across the
country, and now control at least 19 more House or Senate
chambers. Democrats now hold only 38 percent of state
legislative seats nationwide. Republicans also added at least
five governorships to their tally. At least 20 state
governments are now completely controlled by Republicans,
more than double the number before the elections.
These newly-elected leaders campaigned on promises to cut
spending and reduce the size of government to combat state
and federal deficits. As a result, it’s likely this recent
power shift will have significant implications for state
and federal budgets.
Nationally Renowned Entertainer Joins Annual Meeting Line-up
Natural-science song and dance man Billy B.
will join NACD’s Annual Meeting line-up as the featured
entertainer during the Leadership Lunch on Monday, Jan. 31.
Billy B.’s unique brand of humorous, hands-on conservation
education has been featured in thousands of schools and
hundreds of theaters, as well as TV and radio across the
country. His always-entertaining shows burst with songs and
dances about soil, water, forests, biodiversity, energy,
geology and other natural wonders.
Billy B. has performed for more than 2 million children in
45 states and Canada. He has also entertained family
audiences at the White House, Ford’s Theater, National Theater,
the Kennedy Center, museums, aquariums and other venues,
including 200,000 people during the 20th National Earth Day
Celebration on the Mall in Washington, D.C. He has written
and/or starred in a number of educational videos and has been
featured on Entertainment Tonight and National Public Radio.
For more information on the other events and activities going
on during Annual Conference, click here.
USDA Announces Conservation Stewardship, Conservation
Security Program Payments
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) recently released
annual payment information for its Conservation Stewardship
and Conservation Security Programs. The agency will award
$320 million dollars in payments for 20,000 contracts covering
25 million acres under the new Conservation Stewardship Program.
This new program, created under the 2008 farm bill, is
offered in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and the
Pacific and Caribbean areas through a continuous sign-up process.
Payments of $180 million were announced for approximately
15,000 existing contracts under the previous Conservation
Security Program.
The Conservation Stewardship Program encourages agricultural
and forestry producers to address natural resource concerns
by applying additional conservation activities and improving
or maintaining existing conservation systems. Eligible land
includes cropland, pastureland, rangeland and non industrial
forestland.
For a state-by-state breakdown of the payments, click here.
For a state-by-state breakdown of Conservation Security
Program payments, click here.
JFT Webinar Addresses Conservation Challenges
The Joint Forestry Team (JFT)
recently hosted a webinar covering success stories from Ohio
and Alabama.
The webinar also highlighted preliminary analysis of survey
responses from the four partnering agencies: Natural Resources
Conservation Service (NRCS), U.S. Forest Service, National
Association of State Foresters (NASF) and National Association
of Conservation Districts (NACD). The survey was designed to
assess the integration of forestry-related programs and to
identify barriers to implementing forestry and agroforestry
practices on the ground.
Among the top response themes were tight budgets, decreased
staff and the need for increased landowner awareness and
forestry expertise on the ground. The survey remains open for
additional responses at www.surveymonkey.com/s/ZGFPRFY.
Western Foresters Meet in California
The Western Joint Forestry Team, a regional group stemming
from the national Joint Forestry Team, gathered in Riverside,
Calif. last week to discuss forestry programs, projects and
partner relationships in western states.
Special guests included representatives from CAL FIRE: a close
partner in on-the-ground fuel reduction projects in the San
Bernardino area of California. Discussions focused on forest
management and stewardship plans, the conservation stewardship
program, forestry easement programs, forestry in the
Environmental Quality Incentives Program and working together
on statewide assessments.
Additional state-level Memorandums of Understanding between
forestry agencies and organizations have been developed to
increase consistency in the delivery of technical and financial assistance.
Enjoy reading eNotes? Sign up your board today at http://nacdnet.org/news/publications/enotes/ or forward this link to a friend and encourage them to sign up too. Take advantage of helpful conservation news and resources arriving in your inbox every Tuesday at no charge.
|
