BLM Final Public Lands Rule Incorporates Conservation Into the Multiple Use Mandate 05/28/2024
Inclusion of Conservation Districts as Leasing Agents Opens Opportunities for More Conservation By Libby Wawro, NACD Natural Resources Policy Specialist Introduction The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is an agency within the Department of the Interior responsible for overseeing 245 million acres of public lands, which include forests, rangelands, deserts and other ecosystems across the…… Continue reading →
Exploring Conservation Triumphs: Highlights from the South Central Region Meeting 08/22/2023
By Wesley Gibson, NACD South Central Region Representative In the heart of the South Central Region, soil and water conservation district officials gathered for a highly anticipated annual event that epitomizes the spirit of collaboration and sustainable land management. On August 13-15, 2023, the Association of Texas Soil and Water Conservation Districts (ATSWCD) hosted the…… Continue reading →
Louisiana districts take the lead in longleaf pine pastureland efforts 07/10/2019
Editor's Note: This article was originally published in January 2019 in the winter edition of National Woodlands magazine and is the first of a series of articles in partnership with The National Woodland Owners Association (NWOA). By David Daigle Longleaf pine forests and coastal prairies are among the most imperiled ecosystems in the nation, and…… Continue reading →
The Historical Impact of Rangeland Management 04/11/2019
By NACD Intern Lacey Fiedler Range management practices have existed for centuries to help sustain proper habitats for plants and wildlife. Conservation districts have worked throughout the decades to improve range management in their communities, especially by assisting with controlling wild horse and burro populations on public lands. Overpopulation of horses and burros leads to…… Continue reading →
Growers Lead the Way: Soil Health in Glenn County, California 11/29/2018
By Melina Sempill Watts, Glenn County Resource Conservation District Sitting at the Glenn County Farm Bureau annual dinner last year as a new hire at the Glenn County Resource Conservation District (RCD), I started estimating decades of experience, per farmer in the room, and multiplying it by the numbers of people in chairs. Then I…… Continue reading →
BLM Releases Wild Horse and Burro Sustainability Report 05/03/2018
On April 27, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) released its long-awaited report on a comprehensive plan to address the overpopulation of wild horses and burros on federal lands. This report was initially required in the FY 2017 omnibus appropriations bill and once again requested in the FY 2018 appropriations bill passed in March. The…… Continue reading →
NCF-Envirothon gearing up for 2018 in Idaho 11/21/2017
By Carly Burton I recently had the opportunity to travel to Pocatello, Idaho: the location of the 2018 NCF-Envirothon competition. Pocatello is a city sprinkled with hills (and mini-volcanoes that still steam!) nestled between mountains and flat farmland. It shares a portion of its land with the Fort Hall Indian Reservation and is known as…… Continue reading →
New bill supports NACD policy on CRP grazing 11/16/2017
By Edward Hutschenreuter Farmers with land enrolled in the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) may now have a new environmentally beneficial option for satisfying their contract requirements. On November 9, Rep. Vicky Hartzler of Missouri introduced the “CRP Grazing Flexibility Act” (H.R. 4298), which would allow farmers to graze livestock on their enrolled CRP acreage as an…… Continue reading →
Montana CDs play critical role in wildfire recovery 08/25/2017
By Laura Demmel Wildfires continue to take their toll across the West, sweeping through forests, grasslands, and communities. Some 80 wildfires in the United States have burned over 942,000 acres already this fire session. Nearly half of those acres are in Montana. The great loss to landowners in land and assets, as well as the…… Continue reading →
Voluntary conservation curbs the plague, boosts black-footed ferret numbers in the Southwest 08/16/2017
By Elijah Olomoniyi Yesterday, federal and state wildlife groups met north of Fort Collins, Colorado, at the National Black-footed Ferret Conservation Center to celebrate the ways voluntary conservation and a new sylvatic plague vaccine are helping to bring the black-footed ferret back from the brink of extinction. [caption id="attachment_9858" align="alignleft" width="489"] Black-footed ferret populations are mostly…… Continue reading →