August 7, 2007 eNotes - National Association of Conservation Districts">

August 7, 2007
index to previous eNotes

1. Congress Heads Home for August
Members of Congress left Washington over the weekend for the August recess and are not expected back in Washington until September. The House of Representatives has completed action on Appropriations Bills, the 2007 Farm Bill proposal and an Energy package. The Senate has yet to address many of the Appropriations Bills and the Farm Bill, but is likely to take these items up in September.

During August, please participate in town hall meetings or other events that your Senators and Representative host in your area. Let them know about the important work conservation districts are undertaking and the impact that the 2007 Farm Bill and annual appropriations have on the adoption of conservation practices and natural resource protection in the States.

NACD President Olin Sims expands on districts’ recess message in his monthly address. Click here to listen to Olin as America’s voice for conservation.

2. NACD, SCA MOU Creates Opportunities for Students and Districts
NACD President Olin Sims and Student Conservation Association (SCA) Senior Vice President for Governmental Relations Scott Weaver met in Washington D.C. last week to sign a national memo of understanding (MOU). The MOU commits NACD and SCA to find ways to further the goals of both associations. NACD and SCA will work together to advance the placement of SCA candidates with conservation districts. At the MOU signing, Sims said there will be opportunities to place student interns to assist conservation district boards on natural resource projects.

Student intern placements will help meet specific local conservation district needs. Several conservation districts and state associations are already taking advantage of this excellent opportunity to work with SCA students and NACD wants to make sure more do so. It is also NACD’s hope that interns will continue to serve and become future associate members or even future elected officials. NACD is also looking to utilize the students as interns in the Washington D.C. office.

NACD is pleased to move forward with a more formal relationship with SCA. For more information on SCA and their programs, visit their website at http://www.thesca.org/. Additional information and a copy of the MOU between NACD and SCA will be available soon at on the District Resources section of NACD's website.

3. House Passes Energy Bill
During a Saturday Session, the House of Representatives passed (241-172) a comprehensive energy package before heading home for the August recess. Included in the bill are new requirements that call for utility companies to produce 15 percent of their power from renewable resources, establish new energy efficiency standards for appliances and authorize funding for renewable energy research. This legislation also includes research into carbon sequestration and global warming. The House bill fails to address corporate average fuel efficiency (CAFE) standards for automobiles while the Senate has proposed an increase in the CAFE standards to 35 miles per gallon by 2020. The Senate also included an increased renewable fuel standard, which the House bill did not address. The House and Senate bills now need to be combined into one bill, passed again and presented to the President.

The House also passed an energy tax package. The package extends tax credits for energy efficiency projects and investments, addresses royalties on leases in the Gulf of Mexico and eliminates some tax provisions for oil and gas companies. This package is expected to raise $15.3 billion over 10 years.

NACD continues to work with Congress to ensure that increased renewable fuel production is achieved without losing conservation benefits and efficiencies gained through the adoption of conservation practices. Final energy legislation may also provide new opportunities for research into forest bioenergy and other renewable energy sources.

4. House Completes Appropriations Bills, Action Shifts to Senate
Prior to starting August recess, the House of Representatives worked nearly around the clock to complete their appropriations bills for fiscal year 2008.

The Agriculture Appropriation Bill, which includes Conservation Technical Assistance under the NRCS Conservation Operations account, was approved late Thursday evening. Conservation Operations funding was approved at $851.910 million.

The focus for appropriations now shifts to the Senate, where consideration of appropriations bills in the full Senate will begin following recess. With Congress returning home for recess, now is an excellent time to contact your Senators to ask their support for NACD’s appropriations priorities. Attending town hall meetings and round table discussions and hosting district tours are all great ways to share information with your Members of Congress.

More information on NACD’s appropriations priorities go to our website at http://www.nacdnet.org/policy/issues.

5. NACD Welcomes New Director of Member Services
NACD is pleased to announce the hiring of Brad Ross to fill the newly created position of Director of Member Services. His position will focus on building a stronger connection between conservation districts and NACD. Brad brings expertise and experience with conservation districts, state agencies and state associations to the national staff team. Brad is currently Chief Executive Officer of the Ohio Federation of Soil and Water Conservation Districts. His official start date as Director of Member Services with NACD is September 5, 2007.

6. Executive Directors Conference Held in Ithaca, NY
Eleven states were represented at this year’s Executive Directors’ Conference, held in Ithaca, NY on August 2-4. The event was co-hosted by NACD and the New York Association of Conservation Districts. The conference gave Executive Directors the opportunity to attend sessions on coalition-building, marketing and much more. Taking advantage of the abundance of training resources in the state, local host and NYACD Executive Director Greg Bell arranged for conservation-related activities which allowed the Execs to get out of the “classroom” and tour the EcoVillage at Ithaca and the Ithaca Farmer’s Market. Attendees such as Indiana Executive Director Jennifer Boyle felt the conference was a rewarding experience. “The networking opportunities at these conferences are just invaluable,” Boyle said. NACD Grassroots Coordinator Jeremy Peters and Region Representative Beth Mason represented NACD at this year’s conference.

The conference program, materials and a few photos will be available soon on NACD’s website. Meanwhile, the group has already started planning for next year’s conference and the next opportunity they can come together for training and networking.

7. NOAA and CSO Seeking Input on Coastal Zone Management Act
The NOAA Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management, in partnership with the Coastal States Organization, has been gathering input from coastal managers, stakeholders and federal agency partners on ways to improve coastal management. The primary outcome is expected to be core principles and specific options to consider in drafting a proposal for reauthorizing the Coastal Zone Management Act. The visioning initiative has been implemented in three phases: a draft discussion paper that identifies current issues, constraints and opportunities for coastal management; seeking state coastal manager perspectives to further define issues and priorities and engaging the broader coastal community through stakeholder meetings. More information on this project is available at http://coastalmanagement.noaa.gov/czm/czma_vision.html.

Online comments and ideas are still being accepted. Conservation districts in coastal areas and their state leaders are encouraged to comment by August 17, 2007 via the brief online form at http://coastalmanagement.noaa.gov/czm/media/VisioningInput.pdf.

8. NACD Supports 2007 Canon Envirothon
The Canon Envirothon is an annual competition in which teams of high school-aged students from participating U.S. states and Canadian provinces compete for recognition and scholarships. Student teams compete by demonstrating their knowledge of environmental science and natural resource management. Representing NACD at this year’s Canon Envirothon were NACD’s Second Vice President Bob Cordova, Stewardship and Education Coordinator Susan Schultz, and New Jersey NACD Board Cliff Lundin.

This year’s week-long event was held July 28–August 3 at Hobart & William Smith University in Geneva, New York. Fifty-five teams of students from the U.S. and Canada participated. NACD is a supporter of this competition and applauds this year’s winners. The team from Connecticut claimed the first place prize, followed by Pennsylvania in second place and Delaware in third. For information on the Canon Envirothon, visit http://www.envirothon.org/index.php.

9. Interior Secretary Announces $9.2 Million in Grants for Water Conservation Projects in West
Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne has approved $9.2 million in Water 2025 Challenge Grants for water conservation projects across the West. When combined with matching contributions of non-federal partners, these grants represent a combined investment of more than $32 million in water management improvements. Awarded by the Bureau of Reclamation, these Water 2025 Challenge Grants will help fund 44 projects in 11 western states. Projects will work to improve the efficient use of existing water supplies in the West through water conservation, efficiency and water market projects. For additional Water 2025 Challenge Grant information and project examples, see the full text of the press release at http://www.doi.gov/news/07_News_Releases/070727.html.

10. New Forestry Resources Online
The July issue of Forestry Notes is now available at http://nacdnet.org/news/publications/forestrynotes/. Check it out for more information on

Invasive Species;
Landowner benefits of mid-rotation pine management;
One Vermont college’s conversion to wood power;
Free forestry seminars on the internet and more.

In addition to the new issue of Forestry Notes, another useful forestry resource is currently available on NACD’s website: three sample press releases aimed to help districts educate landowners on fire-preserving methods. These sample press releases are customizable and allow districts to add local emphasis. To download editable versions of the releases go to http://nacdnet.org/resources/sample_releases/.

11. NACD Events---90-day outlook
August 5-8, Northeast Region Meeting, Mystic, CT
August 6-8, NACD Forest Resources Committee, Show Low, AZ
August 26-28, Southeast Region Meeting, Williamsburg, VA
September 9-11, Southwest and Pacific Regions Meeting, Park City, UT

For queries about this newsletter or to subscribe, contact editor Lisa Lerwick, NACD Director of Communications, at Lisa-Lerwick@nacdnet.org or 202-547-6223.