Caribe Soil Conservation District reinstates Youth Board and inaugurates irrigation system 06/05/2019
By Gelyan Reyes In 1992, Caribe SCD became the first district in Puerto Rico to ever have a Youth Board. The Youth Board consisted of eight members (five Board Supervisors and three Vocals) and was a self- sufficient and complete team with its own regulations and bylaws. The Caribe SCD Youth Board operated from 1992-2000… Continue reading →
Long Journeys and Worthy Destinations with Montana Envirothon 06/04/2019
By Sunni Heikes-Knapton, NACD Northern Plains Region Representative Sometimes long roads are metaphorical, and sometimes they are literal. During the last days of April, both kinds of roads were a theme for a group of Montanans who gathered in Lewistown. Brought together by a keen interest in natural resource education, the assembly was part of… Continue reading →
Conservation District Hosts National Land and Range Judging Contest, NRCS Chief 05/29/2019
Every year in May, nearly 1,000 4-H and FFA students and coaches from over 34 states gather for the National Land and Range Judging Contest. Students test their skills in judging the adaptability of the land for various purposes, including farming, range management and home development. These principles are applicable in future career fields including… Continue reading →
Watershed Structures Prevent Further Devastation in Oklahoma 05/29/2019
On May 28, the Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management published a map of the state, indicating that all 77 counties of the Sooner State are under a declared state of emergency. Following flooding, severe storms, tornadoes and extreme winds beginning in April, the state has been inundated with devastating weather events, with the potential for… Continue reading →
Journey to Leadership – Lessons from Washington State’s First Women-Led Conservation Partnership 05/29/2019
By Laura Johnson, Washington State Conservation CommissionOn May Day (May 1), conservation partners in Washington State crossed a milestone. Not only did Dr. Carol Smith become the first female executive director of the Washington State Conservation Commission in the 80-year history of the agency, her appointment also marked the first time that women held all… Continue reading →
Mississippi districts, NWTF help to educate the next generation 05/21/2019
Mississippi conservation districts are working with the National Wild Turkey Federation (NWTF) to educate youth and encourage conservation measures and interest in wildlife habitat management. NWTF has helped conservation districts organize conservation and hunting field days geared toward youth in Stone, Jackson, George, Harrison, Hancock and Pearl River Counties. “This gives us a good opportunity… Continue reading →
Wyoming district helps restore streambank, improve fish habitat 05/21/2019
Saratoga Encampment Rawlins Conservation District and the Brush Creek-Hayden U.S. Forest Service Ranger District have been working with other agencies and organizations to improve aquatic habitats by removing or modifying in-channel barriers and stabilizing riverbanks. The project began in 2011 on the Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest and included collaboration with Christina Barrineau with the Wyoming… Continue reading →
With help from DNR grant program, Michigan districts improve deer habitat 05/21/2019
Michigan conservation districts are partnering with local hunting groups, schools and private landowners to fill in forestry gaps and improve deer and other wildlife habitat through the Michigan Department of Natural Resources’ (DNR) deer habitat improvement grants in the Upper Peninsula. “In a backdoor way, we’re getting people to improve the habitat as a whole,”… Continue reading →
Clackamas SWCD using Community Forest Program to enhance habitat 05/21/2019
With a U.S. Forest Service Community Forest Program grant, Clackamas Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) partnered with the Trust for Public Land (TPL) to acquire 319 acres of forested land to protect and improve for wildlife habitat. About a year ago, a local property owner reached out to the SWCD about the former Weyerhaeuser… Continue reading →
Wyoming district and partners work to reduce fuel loads 05/21/2019
Campbell County Conservation District (CD) is partnering with the Wyoming State Forestry Division and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to address two key issues: thinning forests to make stands more resilient to insects and diseases, such as the mountain pine beetle, and reducing fuel loads to restrict wildfire damage and improve wildlife habitat. “When… Continue reading →