December 11, 2007 eNotes - National Association of Conservation Districts

December 11, 2007
index to previous eNotes

1. Conservation Districts Mourn Loss of President Olin Sims
It feels impossible to find words to describe the loss of a man whose presence could fill an entire room, but that is what members of the extended conservation district family are doing across the nation this week. NACD President Olin Sims died unexpectedly in an accident on his ranch in McFadden, Wyoming last Friday. We mourn together a man who believed in the work of conservation districts—he was deeply involved in it his entire life. Details regarding services are available at http://www.nacdnet.org/olin/.

Maybe you've known Olin for 20 years, maybe you just met him once, or maybe you’ve never seen him in person but have heard his voice on his prized "America's Voice for Conservation" audio clips. He's an easy man to remember; he didn't know a stranger. We are collecting your stories, thoughts and memories to share with his family and to use in our Annual Report and on our website. If you want to share your memories of Olin in our "Tribute to a Cowboy," go to http://www.nacdnet.org/olin/tribute.phtml.

The NACD Executive Board has named Steve Robinson as Acting NACD President until the Board of Directors meets in February.

NACD extends deep gratitude for the support we have received from you during this difficult time.

2. Multiple Priorities As 110th Congress Enters Final Days of First Session
This week, Congress will be working on a flurry of legislation, most notably the 2007 Farm Bill, a comprehensive Energy Bill and the remaining appropriations spending bills for FY 2008.

Senate leadership arrived at an agreement late last week to move forward with amendments to the 2007 Farm Bill. Both parties agreed to limit debate on a total of 40 amendments, 20 for Democrats and 20 for Republicans. Votes on amendments up for consideration could occur at any time this week with a vote on the final Senate proposal possible later this week or next.

The House of Representatives approved the conference report on the Energy Bill last week by a vote of 235-181. This final energy proposal should be considered by the Senate, but prospects for passing a bill were diminished Friday when a procedural vote that required at least 60 votes to debate the bill failed 53-42. At issue have been provisions in the House-passed bill requiring public utilities to provide more power from renewable sources, and repealing tax breaks for oil companies to expand renewable fuel production tax incentives. The bill also increases the Renewable Fuel Standard to 36 billion gallons by 2022. The Senate is expected to revise the Energy package before attempting another vote. This action will delay an Energy Bill because the House and Senate must agree on one final proposal, and the President would need to sign the bill into law.

Congress has not acted on final appropriations bills for fiscal year 2008. Eleven of the twelve appropriations bills have yet to be passed, including funding for the Departments of Agriculture and Interior and the Environmental Protection Agency. Temporary funding for the federal government expires Friday, December 14. All indications are pointing toward an omnibus bill, wrapping all appropriations bills into one piece of legislation for passage. The President has threatened to veto spending levels that are above his recommendations. Therefore, Congress may opt to lower spending recommendations or eliminate earmarks to reach the President’s recommended spending levels.

3. Get Ready to Learn at NACD's 2008 Annual Meeting
Be sure to pack your thinking cap for the 2008 NACD Annual Meeting in Reno, Nevada, February 10 – 13, 2008. We will offer unique ideas and programs during the twelve breakout sessions on Monday and Tuesday afternoons, as well as the four hands-on workshops on Wednesday. These breakouts and workshops take the conference theme, "Conservation Beyond Boundaries," to heart, presenting innovative and unique opportunities to help your conservation district serve its members and get conservation on the land.

Sessions are focused on providing you with knowledge and materials about new ways you can not only provide services to meet the natural resource needs of your customers, but also the needs of your organization through training and fundraising. Listed below is just a sampling of the breakouts and workshops offered.

Energy Audits—A Service That Helps the Bottom-Line for Producers and Your Conservation District
Evaluating Your District's Outreach Program
Broadening Partnerships for Water Quality
Management and Governance Issues for Conservation District Officials and Employees—What Successful Districts Need to Know! (advance registration required)

Go to http://www.nacdnet.org/events/annualmeeting/program/breakouts.phtml to view a full breakout and workshop schedule, complete with times and descriptions.

4. New on www.nacdnet.org!
Have you ever visited NACD's website looking for something in particular, but weren't sure where to find it? In an effort your nacdnet.org experience even better, we have added a sitemap to our website. The sitemap lists all five of the major sections of the website and the main pages that fall underneath each section. Next time you can't find what you're looking for, click on the sitemap link located at the top of every page next to the Google search bar.

The December issue of Forestry Notes is now online at http://nacdnet.org/news/publications/forestrynotes/december07.phtml. Read about the latest Joint Forestry Team meeting, Wisconsin's woody biomass legislation, the recent New Mexico woody biomass workshop and more!

The 2008 Stewardship catalog and downloadable materials are available online. The latest materials and activities center on this year's Stewardship theme, "Water is Life," and include free downloadable items such as adaptable promotional materials and ideas as well activities and activity supplements. Go to http://nacdnet.org/stewardship/2008/ and start planning your Stewardship activities today!

5. Forest Service Announces Release of Open Space Conservation Strategy
The USDA-Forest Service (FS) recently released its "Open Space Conservation Strategy." Developed in response to more than 22,000 public comments, the strategy envisions an interconnected network of open space across the landscape. To achieve this goal, the agency will partner with states, local governments, landowners and non-profit organizations in an effort to address the loss of open space.

Under the strategy, the Forest Service and its partners will work to identify priority open space and encourage private landowners to conserve open space. The strategy will also help the Forest Service and its partners provide resources to help communities expand and connect open spaces, and participate in community planning to reduce ecological impacts and wildfire risks. Full details on the strategy can be found at the agency's website at http://www.fs.fed.us/openspace.

6. New Tools Make Understanding Air Quality Easier Than Ever
New tools developed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Google Earth can help conservation districts better understand local air quality issues. EPA's new Air Emission Sources website uses charts and Google Earth to illustrate emissions data. Site visitors can break data down by industry, pollutant and state. EPA also provides Air Quality Index information through Google Earth. This color-coded tool informs the public about daily air pollution levels for more than 300 cities across the United States.

This application of technology and information demonstrates new ways of accessing and visualizing data related to monitoring quality of natural resources. To access this tool, Google Earth needs to be installed (available at http://earth.google.com/). The EPA Air Emissions Sources site is available at http://www.epa.gov/air/emissions/ and the Air Quality Index tool is available at http://airnow.gov/index.cfm?action=google_earth.main.

7. EPA Offers a Useful Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan Reference Tool
Involved or getting involved with stormwater issues? EPA's Developing Your Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan (SWPPP): A Guide for Construction Sites is a reference tool for construction site operators who must prepare a SWPPP in order to obtain NPDES permit coverage for their stormwater discharges. The guide describes the SWPPP development process and provides helpful guidance and tips for developing and implementing an effective plan.

Two model plans, based on hypothetical sites, are now available as a supplement to the guide. The first example plan is for a medium-sized residential subdivision and the second is for a small commercial site. Both examples utilize the SWPPP template that is included in the guide. To view the guide, models and template, visit http://www.epa.gov/npdes/swpppguide.

8. Green Playbook Provides Game Plan for Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Conservation districts that work with their local government entities may be interested in "The Playbook for Green Buildings and Neighborhoods," a web-based resource. The Playbook provides strategies, tips and tools that cities and counties can use to take immediate action on climate change through green building, green neighborhoods and green infrastructure.

The Playbook is designed for both communities interested in making the first steps toward reducing their greenhouse gas emissions, as well as those who want to take their existing efforts to a new level. A consortium of more than twenty local governments, non-profit organizations, government agencies and utilities have produced the first phase of the Playbook to help promote the goals set out in the U.S. Conference of Mayors Climate Protection Agreement. More than 600 mayors, representing more than 50 million U.S. residents, have signed the agreement, which commits communities to reducing greenhouse gas emissions to the targets set in the Kyoto Protocol. The Playbook is available online at http://www.greenplaybook.org.

9. 2008 Tree Planting Grants Available
Global ReLeaf, American Forests' ecosystem restoration program, is offering annual grants towards tree planting projects for 2008. The Global ReLeaf grant program provides private dollars to support local reforestation efforts. These grants can also be used to match other funding sources. Grants are available to support rural seedling projects which restore damaged forest ecosystems. Further information regarding Global ReLeaf grants, including application forms and criteria, can be found at http://www.americanforests.org/global_releaf/grants/. The deadlines for grant proposals are January 15 and July 1.

10. NACD Calendar of Events
December 12-13, Tribal Conservation District Workshop, Las Vegas, NV
January 3-4, 2008, North Central Region Board Meeting, Schiller Park, IL
February 10-13, 2008, 2008 NACD Annual Meeting, Reno, NV

To subscribe to eNotes, simply send a email with the word "subscribe" in the subject field to enotes-request@email.nacdnet.org.

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