NEWS RELEASE

NACD Holds 2024 Summer Conservation Forum and Tours and Northeast Region Meeting in Massachusetts

Boston, Massachusetts – This week, the National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD) held its 2024 Summer Conservation Forum and Tours in Boston, Massachusetts with the NACD Northeast Region Meeting.

Hosted in partnership with the Massachusetts Association of Conservation Districts, this summer’s meeting gathered conservation leaders from across the country to discuss natural resource concerns and solutions. The meeting included a discussion panel on water quality and climate resilience with U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Regional Administrator Dr. David W. Cash, Massachusetts’ first Climate Chief Melissa Hoffer, and Cape Cod Conservation District Program Manager Martha Craig.

Remarks from U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Chief Terry Cosby, Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources Commissioner Ashley Randle, Ocean Spray Senior Vice President of Research & Development and Sustainability Katy Galle, and Indigo Ag Vice President of Sustainability Sciences Dr. A.J. Kumar emphasized partnerships among producers, government, and the private sector for sustainable, resilient food systems.

Attendees also heard from USDA Under Secretary for Farm Production and Conservation Robert Bonnie. “This model that NACD, that NRCS, and others have developed around locally led, incentive-based conservation is critical,” said Bonnie. “The science that we learn and the experience that we’ve had over the last couple of decades tell us that it’s even more critical today.”

“I’m so glad to welcome conservation leaders and partners across the country to my home state,” said NACD President Kim LaFleur. “Boston has a storied history of building from strong foundations and inspiring new ideas. The setting created a great place to collaborate, where we can build from decades of knowledge and learn from new ideas to expand voluntary, locally led conservation in communities across the nation.”

Earlier in the meeting, bipartisan efforts to pass a new farm bill were highlighted as staff representing Senate Agriculture Committee Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow and Ranking Member John Boozman were convened by NACD. These congressional staffers shared their perspectives on the prospects of the farm bill advancing this year, the status of NACD’s priorities, and negotiations on policies within the conservation title. NACD’s top farm bill priority is to integrate all remaining Inflation Reduction Act conservation investments into the conservation title to permanently increase funding for voluntary conservation programs. Senate and House agriculture committee leaders support the request on a bipartisan basis, but need to pass a farm bill this year to take advantage of this historic opportunity.

The meeting also provided attendees with the opportunity to see conservation in action in the City of Boston as well as Bristol and Plymouth Counties with tours led by the Mystic River Watershed Association, The Food Project, the Urban Farming Institute, Westport Rivers Vineyard, Bristol County Agricultural High School, and A.D. Makepeace Company.

Throughout the meeting, attendees were able to hear from conservation leaders, who shared their experiences addressing changing natural resource challenges in their regions. Keynote speakers, panelists, and board members addressed the importance of partnerships to delivering successful conservation now and in the future.

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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 individuals 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.