North Central Region

Driving through Cuyahoga County, Ohio, one can easily spot a network of stormwater infrastructure that spans the landscape.  The most recognized feature is the dry detention basin, often a grass depression in the landscape that temporarily holds water and slowly releases it. Cuyahoga Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) staff saw the potential to elevate the ecology…… Continue reading →

By Annica McGuirk, NACD Forestry Program Manager NACD recently participated in the U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities' Markets Matter Convening in Madison, Wisconsin. The meeting brought together leaders from across forestry, conservation, government, industry, and investment sectors to examine a growing challenge facing forests and communities alike: how do we create durable markets and…… Continue reading →

Western Michigan’s coldwater streams rely on eastern hemlock, a keystone species that cools water, stabilizes banks, and provides vital habitat. That makes the spread of hemlock woolly adelgid (HWA), a pinhead-sized insect that threatens these trees, especially concerning. Julia Place, Project Manager of the Hemlock Woolly Adelgid Crew for the Mason-Lake Conservation District, leads a…… Continue reading →

by NACD Forestry Manager Annica McGuirk Conservation districts are using Good Neighbor Authority (GNA) agreements to achieve shared goals with federal partners, deliver meaningful outcomes for local communities, and leverage diverse funding opportunities. To help more districts explore how GNA can work in practice, NACD hosted a three-part webinar series this fall featuring conservation district…… Continue reading →

By Caroline Wade, Executive Director, Saving Tomorrow's Agriculture Resources (STAR) Saving Tomorrow’s Agriculture Resources (STAR) is a national scale framework for conservation evaluation, implementation, and coordination that supports technical assistance providers and streamlines conservation progress for producers. It is available for cropland in Illinois, Iowa, Indiana, Kentucky, Missouri, Washington, Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah and…… Continue reading →

by the Lake County Soil & Water Conservation District Lake County, Minnesota, bordered by Lake Superior, the Superior National Forest, and the Boundary Waters, is a landscape where forests dominate and clean water is abundant. With less than a quarter of the county in private ownership, each private acre plays a crucial role in maintaining…… Continue reading →

By Wesley Gibson, NACD South Central Region Representative and  Molly Wozniak, Genesee CD Invasive Species Coordinator  For the past year and a half, the Genesee Conservation District’s invasive species program—the Genesee Lapeer Livingston and Shiawassee Counties Cooperative Invasive Species Management Area (GiLLS CISMA)—has been working to get a handle on the red swamp crayfish showing up in…… Continue reading →

Kent Conservation District (CD) in Grand Rapids, MI, undertook a collaborative effort involving Plainsong Farm near Rockford, MI, North Kent Connect in Rockford, Community Food Club in Grand Rapids, the Grand Rapids Community College Student Food Pantry, the West Michigan Growers Group, and the Lower Grand River Organization of Watersheds (LGROW). The project had three…… Continue reading →

Since its inception in 2017, Urban Greens, a program of Muskingum Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD), has experienced significant growth. However, their mission has remained the same; growing food, growing community, growing with purpose. This mission also remains at the forefront of their work. During the past two growing season Urban Greens partnered with…… Continue reading →