Wisconsin’s Coon Creek Watershed Project Celebrates 90 Year Anniversary 09/11/2023
By Beth Mason, NACD North Central Region Representative For the average person, the significance of Coon Valley might be lost, but on September 9, 2023, a national, regional, state, and local contingency gathered in southwest Wisconsin to remind us and celebrate the event that started a conservation movement. In 1933, the country was in the…… Continue reading →
NACD Government Affairs Update: Final Rule Conforms WOTUS Definition to Supreme Court Decision 09/05/2023
By Libby Wawro, NACD Natural Resource Policy Specialist On August 29, 2023 the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) published a press release about the “final rule to amend the final “Revised Definition of ‘Waters of the United States’ (WOTUS) rule," published in the Federal Register in January.…… 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 →
Conservation Districts Collectively Leverage Resources to Deliver STEM Academy Program to Local Students in Washington’s Tri-Cities Area 08/01/2023
Evolving organically from long-standing local partnerships, the Foundation for Water & Energy Education Ag. & Sustainable Energy Career Academy Tri-Cities was designed to connect students to hands-on, professional-led, career-focused experiences in the energy, agriculture, and conservation industries. The Benton Conservation District Board has long recognized the importance of river services to the local community’s quality…… Continue reading →
Conservation Districts in Washington Collaborate in the Shore Friendly South Sound Initiative 11/04/2022
More than 25 percent of the Puget Sound shoreline is “hardened” with concrete bulkheads, rock seawalls, or wooden pilings. The purpose of a “hardened” shoreline structure is to protect the land and properties from the damage of erosion. However, in the case of the Puget Sound these structures are largely unneeded. Levels of erosion in…… Continue reading →
Longstanding Partnership Reestablishes Native Vegetation in Louisiana’s Coastal Wetlands 08/29/2022
Louisiana’s coastal wetlands are disappearing. All along the state’s Gulf Coast, the loss and degradation of these wetlands is a critical natural resource concern. These losses have been worsened over time by modifications to the region’s hydrology, (e.g., levees and channels) as well as a changing climate that is bringing more intense storms and rising…… Continue reading →
Oyster Reef Restoration with Parsons Seafood, Tuckerton NJ (Great Bay) 01/13/2022
Ocean County Soil Conservation District's Sustainable Practice's for Aquaculture Resources Conservation project (SPARC) continues efforts to provide technical assistance to aquaculture farmers in the Barnegat and Great Bay watersheds to further develop the conservation practices of the NJ NRCS Aquaculture Initiative. Under the direction of District Director, Christine Raabe, earlier this year, Kristin Adams, Ocean…… Continue reading →
Westmoreland CD Relaunches Decades Old Flood Control Project in Jacobs Creek 09/15/2021
Over 50 years ago, Westmoreland Conservation District (WCD) in Pennsylvania worked with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Soil Conservation Service (SCS), now the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), on a flood control project in Jacobs Creek. Floods were causing extensive damage to Scottdale and its surrounding areas, so a unique watershed-wide flood-control project (PL…… Continue reading →
Wasatch CD Improves Water Quality in the Wallburg Watershed 08/18/2021
By Katrina Stacey In Wasatch County, Utah, Deer Creek Reservoir serves as the main drinking water source for 65 percent of all Utahans; however, water quality and other resource concerns have been identified by local landowners. Total maximum daily load (TMDL) and water quality studies showed that phosphorous loads in the reservoir were very high,…… Continue reading →
Delaware County SWCD Improves River Flow, Aquatic Habitat and Recreation on the White River 07/15/2021
By Katrina Stacey In Muncie, Indiana, where there are numerous dams that are either degraded or no longer needed, the Delaware County SWCD found partners to help fund the removal of two low-head dams and the modification of a third along the White River. The two dams removed with this project were no longer functional.…… Continue reading →