August 7, 2018

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

NACD APPLAUDS NRCS’ RECOMMITMENT
TO CLEAN UPTHE CHESAPEAKE

WILLIAMSBURG, Va. – On August 6, 2018, Under Secretary for Farm Production and Conservation Bill Northey unveiled the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) conservation strategy to improve the health of the Chesapeake Bay Watershed during the National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD)’s summer conservation forum and tour. NACD applauds NRCS’ recommitment to help producers implement improvements on their land and clean up the Chesapeake through locally-led conservation practices and programs.

The Chesapeake Bay Watershed Action Plan is a comprehensive, three-year strategic plan that outlines the agency’s priorities to improve the water quality and overall health of the Chesapeake Bay. It includes how the agency intends to utilize farm bill conservation programs, through conservation districts, to help producers implement conservation practices to improve water quality, soil health, and increase fish and wildlife habitat across the multi-state watershed of the Chesapeake Bay.

“Conservation districts located throughout the Chesapeake Bay watershed have been working toward a full cleanup of the bay by 2025,” NACD President Brent Van Dyke said. “Through conservation practices, including nutrient and sediment runoff reduction, farmers are taking voluntary steps to advance the recovery of the largest estuary in the country. The environmental gains the bay area has achieved are a testament to their efforts, and we applaud this administration’s commitment to support conservation districts in their efforts to improve water quality and natural resources for the watershed.”

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About the National Association of Conservation Districts:

The National Association of Conservation Districts is the non-profit 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.