November 13, 2007 eNotes - National Association of Conservation Districts">

November 13, 2007
index to previous eNotes

1. Senate Farm Bill Debate Stalls
The U.S. Senate is in the middle of debate on the 2007 Farm Bill, but procedural tactics and over 100 potential amendments have slowed the debate. Last week, Senate leadership was unable to reach an agreement on limiting amendments, and the long holiday weekend did not result any further discussions.

The Senate returned to session today to potentially debate the Farm Bill and appropriations bills. For further action on the Farm Bill to continue, Majority Leader Reid (D-NV) and Ranking Member Mitch McConnell (R-KY) must reach an agreement on the number and type of amendments that will be debated. NACD supports completion of Senate debate as soon as possible. Action is needed now to allow sufficient time for the House and Senate to iron out the differences in their two bills and settle on a final bill.

The Senate must move forward to ensure we have a new Farm Bill by the end of the year. Please make sure that your Senators have heard the need to have a new Farm Bill this year. Without a new bill, several conservation programs are set to expire. Information on the House and Senate Farm Bill proposals is available on the NACD website at http://www.nacdnet.org/policy/agriculture/farmbill/2007/.

2. Congress Passes Second Continuing Resolution
Last week Congress passed a second continuing resolution (CR) for FY 2008 appropriations that will keep the federal government up and running through December 14, 2007. Included in this CR was an additional $500 million in emergency spending for the U.S. Forest Service and the Department of the Interior to combat and suppress wildfires.

Further work on appropriations was complicated last week when the Senate discovered procedural rules adopted in January will make it more difficult to package groups of appropriations bills together into omnibus bills, a strategy often used as time runs out for completing the 12 separate appropriations bills. Congress failed to pass a final bill for any of the individual appropriations bills by the end of the fiscal year, September 30, 2007.

As previously reported, it is very difficult for federal agencies such as the Natural Resources Conservation Service to operate under a CR. Agencies receive only a limited amount of their budgets, requiring them to restrict long-term obligation of funds and limit travel. Please continue to be patient as agencies operate under the CR.

NACD will continue to monitor developments as Congress works to complete appropriations bills. More on NACD's appropriations priorities can be found on our website at http://nacdnet.org/policy/appropriations/fy08/.

3. Congress Reverses WRDA Veto
Last week marked the first-ever Congressional override of a veto by President Bush. The veto occurred when both the Senate and the House voted to make law the reauthorization of the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA). Congress' vote also marks the first time WRDA has been reauthorized since 2000.

WRDA authorizes more than $23 billion for the Army Corps of Engineers to carry out hundreds of water projects, including those related to hurricane protection, flood control, ecosystem restoration and navigation. Conservation districts play a role in many of these ventures, and NACD applauds passage of this bill, which provides much-needed reinvestment in the nation's water infrastructure.

4. Conservation Leaders Convene at Western State Meetings
From California to Nevada and Oregon to Utah, conservation leaders and NACD officers and staff joined together last week at annual meetings of state associations of conservation districts across the West. NACD Western Issues Specialist Ralph Thier traveled to Bend, Ore. and Rancho Cordova, Calif., where he presented updates to the two groups on NACD's progress in each of our strategic goal areas. NACD Second Vice President Bob Cordova joined the Utah Association of Conservation Districts for their annual meeting in St. George, where he focused on progress with the 2007 Farm Bill. Finally, NACD President Olin Sims made a quick trip to Winnemucca, Nev. where he provided NACD updates and promoted the upcoming NACD Annual Meeting in Reno. National representation at state level meetings contributes to the essential two-way communication that keeps NACD and state leaders on the same page.

5. NACD Announces Regional Winners for the Collaborative Conservation Award
NACD would like to congratulate the regional winners of the Collaborative Conservation Award for their excellent work in conservation and for the partnerships they establish and nurture for the sake of conserving our natural resources. The award recognizes conservation districts that exemplify innovative, collaborative conservation efforts such as drawing upon various partnerships (traditional and non-traditional), utilizing diverse funding sources and/or conducting a wide range of projects to address their communities' conservation needs.

From the regional winners, one will be chosen as the National Collaborative Conservation Award winner. The national winner will be chosen later this month and honored at the NACD Annual Conference in Reno, Nevada, in February.

The regional winners are as follows:

Northeast Region: Orleans County Soil and Water Conservation District in Albion, New York

North Central Region: Butler Soil and Water Conservation District in Hamilton, Ohio

Northern Plains Region: Butte County, Elk Creek, and Lawrence County Conservation Districts in South Dakota

Pacific Region: Gold Ridge Resource Conservation District in Occidental, California

Southeast Region: Lee County Soil and Water Conservation District in Opelika, Alabama

South Central Region: Mills County Soil and Water Conservation District in Goldthwaite, Texas and Pulaski Conservation District in North Little Rock, Arkansas

Southwest Region: Little Snake River Conservation District in Baggs, Wyoming

6. NACD Extends Inventory Deadline
NACD has been conducting an inventory of conservation districts' urban and community conservation activities. The form was distributed to conservation districts through their state leaders and has been made available through NACD's weekly email newsletter, eNotes, and the NACD website. As of last Friday, 449 districts out of 2938 have responded. Due to technical difficulties which may have prevented some districts from submitting the inventory last week, the deadline to complete and return the survey form has been extended to December 14, 2007.

If your district has not yet responded, we encourage you to do so. The more NACD knows about districts' activities and needs, the better we can serve you. You can download and complete the survey at http://nacdnet.org/policy/urban/inventory.phtml or contact Debra Bogar at deb-bogar@nacdnet.org.

7. NACD Seeks Winter Intern
NACD is actively seeking a winter intern for our Washington D.C. office. The 15-week internship will begin mid-January and end in April, 2008. The intern will work full time as a part of the NACD staff, working closely with the Legislative Affairs and Communication staff to advance the Association's legislative agenda. Responsibilities include, but are not limited to, assisting in summarization and distribution of policy information to conservation leaders, assisting with the coordination of grassroots outreach efforts and attending Congressional hearings and briefings on subjects relative to private lands conservation funding and policies. The winter intern will also have the opportunity to travel to Reno, Nevada, with NACD members and staff for NACD's 2008 Annual Meeting.

An internship with NACD is a valuable opportunity for students to gain hands-on experience with the legislative process and learn more about natural resource conservation. Candidates should be college juniors/seniors who have interest in environment and/or agriculture. A performance-based stipend will be awarded at the end of the internship. For more information on position responsibilities and requirements and how to apply, please visit NACD's internship web page at http://www.nacdnet.org/about/intern_program/. If you have additional questions, please contact lisa-lerwick@nacdnet.org.

8. AgLearn Courses Offered to Districts
The Agriculture Learning (AgLearn) Service is a valuable learning tool USDA provides to its employees, contractors, customers and partners. As a USDA partner, district leaders can participate in the continuing education and career development courses. Specific AgLearn online courses are available to conservation district staff, elected district officials and state association staff.

Visit the AgLearn website today at www.aglearn.usda.gov to take the virtual tour of the system. If you're interested in taking courses, contact your state NRCS office to get registered and start your training today!

For security reasons the AgLearn website is protected by USDA eAuthentication. You must have a working eAuthentication account in order to log in to AgLearn. This can be addressed by logging on to http://www.eauth.egov.usda.gov/. If you have any questions regarding this eAuthentication, please email eauthhelpdesk@usda.gov or call 1-800-457-3642.

9. Sustainable Sites Initiative Offers Standards and Guidelines
Districts working or interested in working with planners, architects, designers and facility managers on the natural resource issues of development and building may want to look at a new report by the American Society of Landscape Architects. The Preliminary Report on Standards and Guidelines is the first report of the Sustainable Sites Initiative and lists more than 200 ways for to sites to fit into surrounding ecosystems, provide cleaner air and water and reduce the impact of climate change. The free report and the opportunity to help shape it are available at www.sustainablesites.org/report.html.

10. NACD Calendar of Events
November 15, NACD at NAFB Trade Talk, Kansas City, MO
December 12-13, Tribal Conservation District Workshop, Las Vegas, NV

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