Hill County-Blackland SWCD Eases Backlog with a 2018 TA Grant 05/05/2020
By Katrina Vaitkus Through a 2018 NACD Technical Assistance Grant, Hill County-Blackland Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) in Texas has been able to remove the backlog that has plagued the district for quite some time. Upon receiving their grant, the district was able to bring on Jai Erwin as a technical support specialist. Erwin…… Continue reading →
With help from TA grants, Louisiana districts expand irrigation monitoring 06/26/2019
Louisiana conservation districts are using NACD technical assistance (TA) grant funding to hire technicians to monitor and test pumping plants, irrigation and pasture practices. In the Ouachita River Basin, many farmers rely on their own pumping plants for row crop irrigation needs, taking a toll on the Sparta Aquifer. The 2018 grant allowed Morehouse Soil…… Continue reading →
Big Thompson Conservation District is improving Colorado’s forests 02/26/2019
Colorado’s Big Thompson Conservation District is using a technical assistance grant from the National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD) and the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) to grow its Healthy Forest Initiative program with new staff and new projects. Designed to add capacity at the local level to provide more assistance to landowners, the grant…… Continue reading →
Oregon District Utilizes Technical Assistance Funds to Improve Customer Service 02/25/2019
While many conservation districts are using NACD technical assistance (TA) grant funding to grow capacity in the field, Oregon’s Umatilla County Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) is utilizing TA funding to help with office program work. In April, Tiffany Schademan was hired as a full-time program support specialist to assist the SWCD and U.S.…… Continue reading →
Grant County Conservation District able to reach more landowners through grant 02/25/2019
Washington’s Grant County Conservation District is using a technical assistance grant to get more boots on the ground and help the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) climb out of a backlog of program applications. The district received a technical assistance grant in March 2018 from the National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD) and NRCS, designed…… Continue reading →
Texas SWCD hires a familiar face to assist local landowners 01/22/2019
Texas’ Red River County Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) has an experienced set of boots on the ground thanks to an NACD technical assistance grant. In June 2018, Red River County SWCD hired Richard Donovan (pictured), a former Farm Service Agency (FSA) field and program technician with 35 years of experience in Red River…… Continue reading →
TA grant helps get things moving in South Carolina 01/22/2019
South Carolina’s Barnwell Soil and Water Conservation District (BSWCD) has been able to dig in to a backlog of Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) applications with the help of an NACD technical assistance grant. In 2018, when the district was awarded the grant, Bamberg and Barnwell counties had a backlog of more than 400 highly…… Continue reading →
Rhode Island conservation districts expand conservation planning for farmers 01/14/2019
Rhode Island’s three conservation districts are expanding efforts to help farmers develop and implement farm conservation plans. A $179,520 NACD technical assistance grant allowed the districts to hire two full time staff members, one at Northern Rhode Island Conservation District (NRICD), and the other at Southern Rhode Island Conservation District (SRICD). NRICD conservation and farm…… Continue reading →