CONTACT: Sara Kangas, NACD Director of Communications
(202) 547-6223; sara-kangas[at]nacdnet.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

February 10, 2020

NACD ANNOUNCES DISTRICT GRANT RECIPIENTS

LAS VEGAS – Today, National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD) Second Vice President Kim LaFleur announced recipients of the inaugural Friends of NACD District Grants program.

The Friends of NACD Districts Grants program is a new initiative of the NACD District Operations and Member Services Committee, of which LaFleur is the chairwoman. The program enables funds raised through individual donations in support of locally-led conservation to fund four conservation district projects of up to $2,500 each.

“Conservation districts work with a variety of customers on a daily basis to deliver solutions across a wide range of landscapes,” LaFleur said. “Every dollar we put in the hands of conservation districts helps to deliver more conservation practices on the ground and in local communities.”

The Friends of NACD program was established in 2009 to enable individuals to support locally-led conservation.

The Richland Soil and Water Conservation District in Columbia, S.C., will begin a seed sanctuary to promote home gardening, sustainable gardening practices and pollinator conservation.

The Sierra Soil and Water Conservation District in Truth or Consequences, N.M., will host its inaugural conservation education summer camp, which will be free for middle school students in Sierra County and will focus on natural resources education through presentations from guest speakers, field trips, games and more.

The Eastern Rhode Island Conservation District in Tiverton, R.I., will launch a seedling sale program to expand district fundraising while educating the local community on the value of planting native trees.

The Butte Soil and Water Conservation District in Arco, Idaho, will establish agricultural chemical container recycling programs—which are currently not available locally—to promote the value of reducing plastics in the waste stream. The conservation district will purchase recycling containers for local farmers, ranchers, homeowners and businesses to leave their plastic pesticide, herbicide and other chemical containers for proper handling and recycling.

“The district grants program enables conservation officials and leaders to directly help conservation districts,” LaFleur said. “These projects will help NACD’s members expand their reach and further conservation delivery.”

Learn more about the district grants program on NACD’s website.

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About the National Association of Conservation Districts:

The National Association of Conservation Districts is the nonprofit organization that represents the nation’s 3,000 conservation districts, their state and territory associations and the 17,000 men and women who serve on their governing boards. For more than 70 years, local conservation districts have worked with cooperating landowners and managers of private working lands to help them plan and apply effective conservation practices. For more information about NACD, visit: www.nacdnet.org.