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December 18, 2007
index to previous eNotes

1. Sims' Services Honor a Man Who Gave His All
2. Senate Passes Farm Bill
3. Congress Begins Action on Appropriations Omnibus Bill
4. Congress Clears Energy Bill
5. Senate passes Endangered Species Recovery Act
6. 2003 Healthy Forests Restoration Act under Scrutiny
7. Conservation Districts Recognized by Two Chiefs
8. Interior Department Approves New Colorado River Management Strategies
9. Happy Holidays from 509 Capitol Court
10. Early Bird Discount Offered on New 2008 Stewardship Materials
11. NACD Calendar

1. Sims' Services Honor a Man Who Gave His All
Freezing temperatures, blowing wind and a long trip did not deter over 1000 folks from making the trek to Rock River, Wyoming last weekend to celebrate the life of NACD President Olin Sims. The ceremony clearly depicted the life of a man who followed his passions, touched lives across the nation and gave more of himself in 47 years than many of us could give in 100. There was an outpouring of love and support from the conservation district family, both at the services and in many, many phone calls, letters and emails during the last week. Memories of Olin have been posted on a tribute page at http://www.nacdnet.org/olin/tribute.phtml. NACD leadership and staff thank you for your support during this difficult time.

2. Senate Passes Farm Bill
On Friday, the Senate passed the Farm, Nutrition and Bioenergy Act of 2007, known as the 2007 Farm Bill by a vote of 79-14. This action clears the way for the House and Senate to begin preparing one final bill (conference report), building upon provisions in the House version and the Senate version. Due to the late timing of Senate action, the House and Senate are not expected to begin finalizing provisions until next year. As a result, Congress has taken steps to extend certain Farm Bill programs until March 15, 2008.

The Senate-passed bill includes a strong conservation title, funding all conservation programs and creating a few new programs. The bill also includes important provisions on technical assistance, technical service providers and continues the locally led conservation program delivery.

NACD is updating a comparison chart of the House and Senate bills and current law, which will be posted on the NACD website later this week. It will be linked on the 2007 Farm Bill page at http://www.nacdnet.org/policy/agriculture/farmbill/2007/.

3. Congress Begins Action on Appropriations Omnibus Bill
Last week, Congress extended the continuing resolution, which funds most of the federal government, for one week to December 21 to allow time to complete the eleven remaining fiscal year 2008 appropriations spending bills. An omnibus appropriations bill was introduced over the weekend and passed by the House yesterday evening. The bill will set spending levels for federal agencies including the Department of Agriculture, the Department of the Interior, the Department of Commerce and the Environmental Protection Agency.

Under the current provisions of the omnibus bill, NACD's appropriations priorities are set at the following levels:

Action on the omnibus bill is expected to be completed this week as the 110th Congress finishes its first session. From all indications, the bill is also expected to meet the President’s budget request and will likely be signed into law.

4. Congress Clears Energy Bill
The U.S. House of Representatives and Senate have both passed a revised energy bill, clearing the way for the President to sign the bill into law. Earlier today the House passed a revised H.R. 6, the Energy Independence and Security Act, by a vote of 314-100. The Senate passed the same bill last Thursday by a vote of 86-8. The revised bill includes a renewable fuels standard that increases to 36 billion gallons by 2022 and increases corporate average fuel economy standards (CAFE) to 35 miles per gallon by 2020. Removed from the original bill were a renewable electricity standard and tax incentives. These provisions were opposed by several members of the Senate as well as the White House, which had threatened to veto the bill if they remained. The President is expected to sign the revised bill into law on Wednesday.

5. Senate passes Endangered Species Recovery Act
Last week, the Senate passed the Endangered Species Recovery Act (ESRA) as part of its version of the 2007 Farm Bill. The bill will now move on to conference with the House-passed version of the Farm Bill, which does not include ESRA. ESRA provides various tax incentives to landowners who undertake measures to recover threatened or endangered species listed under the Endangered Species Act. NACD contributed to the legislative effort and sent a letter of support for the legislation earlier this year. For more information, see page three of the Committee on Finance press release at http://finance.senate.gov/press/Bpress/2007press/prb121407b.pdf.

6. 2003 Healthy Forests Restoration Act under Scrutiny
The 2003 Healthy Forests Restoration Act (HFRA) was the focus of attention this week at a hearing conducted by the Public Lands and Forests Subcommittee of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. According to members of the committee, HFRA has failed its purpose to treat hazardous fuel loads on federal lands. They cited both lack of funding and court decisions as causes. Committee Chairman Wyden (D-OR) stated that he hopes to address the situation by writing legislation next year encouraging thinning of second-growth forests in the Northwest.

HFRA was also the subject of a recent court ruling. The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled on the USDA Forest Service use of categorical exclusions as provided under HFRA for fuel reduction projects on national forests. The Court denied the use of categorical exclusions under HFRA. They also imposed an injunction against projects categorically excluded since October 2004. The Forest Service likely will now conduct more lengthy analysis via environmental assessment or environmental impact statement for all fuels reduction projects on national forests. The court's decision is available at http://www.ca9.uscourts.gov/ca9/newopinions.nsf/2A448B61AEC54DE688257
3A800522CB9/$file/0516989.pdf?openelement.

7. Conservation Districts Recognized by Two Chiefs
U.S. Forest Service (USFS) Chief Abigail Kimbell and Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) Chief Arlen Lancaster recently recognized the contributions of conservation districts during a joint leadership meeting. Conservation districts were partners in three of the five projects winning the 2007 Two Chiefs' Partnership Awards. Honors go to projects demonstrating successful collaboration between NRCS, USFS, state forestry agencies and conservation districts in conservation and forest stewardship.

Those projects and named conservation districts or associations were:

Kentucky Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) Partnership
Participants: Adair County CD, Allen County CD, Barren County CD, Butler County CD, Edmonson County CD,Grayson County CD,Green County CD,Hart County CD,South Logan County CD, North Logan County CD, Metcalfe County CD,Russell County CD, Simpson County CD, Taylor County CD, Warren County CD, NRCS, USDA Farm Services Administration, Kentucky Division of Conservation, Kentucky Division of Forestry, Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources, Kentucky Division of Water and The Nature Conservancy.

Restoring the Clackamas River Watershed
Participants: Clackamas County SWCD, Clackamas County Board of County Commissioners, Portland State University, Clackamas River Basin Council, NRCS, NW Oregon Resource Conservation and Development Council, BARK, Gifford Pinchot Task Force, Northwest Forest Conservancy, Oregon Wild (formerly ONRC), USFS-Clackamas River Ranger District, and Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife.

Reaching out to Minority and Limited Resource Landowners in Arkansas
Participants: Arkansas Association of CDs, Arkansas Forestry Commission, NRCS, Arkansas Resource Conservation and Development Councils (Southwest Area).

Additional information is available at http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/news/two_chiefs_partnership_award_recipients.html. The award presentation can also be viewed online at http://www.visualwebcaster.com/event.asp?id=44277.

8. Interior Department Approves New Colorado River Management Strategies
Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne recently signed a new Record of Decision with western states, setting guidelines for water conservation and management related to the Colorado River. In place through 2026, the decision will guide the efforts of water managers in western states, including conservation districts.

Key provisions of the decision include new rules to address water distribution during shortages and surpluses; new operational rules for Lake Powell and Lake Mead to better share the risk of drought between the two reservoirs; and new initiatives for water conservation. Water credits will be offered in the future for those conserving water and leaving it in Lake Mead, and a framework will be set in place to allow cities to contract with farmers during droughts to leave fields fallow, reducing the amount of water used for irrigation.

Also included in the decision is an agreement among the Colorado River basin states that involves consultation and negotiation of water disputes between states before initiating litigation.

The Record of Decision is available on the Bureau of Reclamation website at www.usbr.gov/lc/region/programs/strategies.html.

9. Happy Holidays from 509 Capitol Court
It's that time of year again! The holidays are a time for giving and receiving, not to mention the end of the 2007 tax year. What better cause to give to than NACD's very own 509 Capitol Court Campaign?

A donation to the 509 Capitol Court Campaign is truly a gift that keeps on giving. Not only will you be giving money to repair and renovate NACD's national office building in Washington D.C., but it will help improve the image of NACD and enhance the presence of conservation districts in our nation's capital for years to come. Plus, it's tax deductible!

Go to http://www.nacdnet.org/events/509campaign/ for information on how you can contribute today.

10. Early Bird Discount Offered on New 2008 Stewardship Materials
The 2008 Stewardship materials, themed "Water is Life," are now available for preview and purchase online. Products for 2008 Water is Life include student booklets (beginner, intermediate and advance levels), an educator's guide, a church leader's guide, posters, bookmarks, placemat/activity sheets and much more! For a full list of products and materials, see the 2008 Stewardship Catalog, which can be viewed online at http://www.nacdnet.org/stewardship/2008/ and was also included in the November/December 2007 edition of News & Views.

Hurry to the NACD Marketplace, http://nacdstore.org/ and place your order today! Education and Stewardship orders of $150 or more placed by February 29, 2008 will receive a 10% discount. The discount code is NACD2-29-08 and can only be redeemed once per customer. This discount does not include sample packet purchases or other NACD store items such as hats, service pins, etc.

In addition to the items available for purchase, there are several additional items available download at no charge from the NACD website at http://www.nacdnet.org/stewardship/2008/downloads/.

11. NACD Calendar of Events
January 3-4, 2008, North Central Region Board Meeting, Schiller Park, IL
February 10-13, 2008, 2008 NACD Annual Meeting, Reno, NV


NOTE FROM THE EDITOR: Due to the Holidays, the next scheduled issue of eNotes will be published January 8, 2007.

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