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January 6, 2009
111th Congress Begins Work Today
Members of the 111th Congress were sworn in today in
Washington, D.C., and will immediately get to work on a
growing list of issues.
Among the top priorities for Congress as they begin working
will be to consider a massive economic stimulus package
that leaders have said will invest in our nation’s
infrastructure needs while also creating jobs. Last month,
NACD submitted a proposal to Congressional leadership, suggesting the creation of
green jobs to address critical natural resource
infrastructure needs.
The Senate also has the task of confirming nominees for
President-Elect Obama’s incoming administration.
Confirmation hearings are expected to begin this week and
to continue after the Presidential Inauguration on January
20. Confirmation hearings have already been set for
Agriculture Secretary nominee Tom Vilsack on January 14 and
Interior Secretary nominee Ken Salazar on January 15.
NACD looks forward to the work of the new Congress and the
incoming members of the Obama administration.
NACD Prepares for Officer Transition
As the new year begins, Congress and the White House are
not the only groups preparing for transition. At NACD’s
upcoming annual conference in New Orleans, NACD President
John Redding will swear in NACD President-Elect Steve
Robinson as the new NACD president. The February 3 ceremony
will mark the beginning of Robinson’s two-year term as
president.
In his final America’s Voice for Conservation address,
President Redding reflects on his experiences over the last
year and extends warm wishes and thanks to NACD members,
partners and staff.
Click here to listen to
President Redding’s final America’s Voice address.
Join NACD in New Orleans—
Pre-registration Deadline Nears
The January 16 pre-registration deadline for the NACD 2009
Annual Meeting is fast approaching. The conference will be
held February 1-4, 2009 in New Orleans, La. The theme of
this year’s meeting is “Building a Better Tomorrow,” and
NACD invites you to come and learn how you can do just
that. Valuable general sessions, speaker line-up and
breakout sessions will help you learn how conservation
districts and partners can play a key, proactive role in
the future of natural resource conservation.
But don’t worry. It won’t be all work. We also have a
wonderful lineup of activities and tours for attendees to
enjoy in the beautiful city of New Orleans. The
host state has recently added two new tours to the tour
line-up—the Hurricane Katrina Recovery Tour and the Water Control Structures on the Mississippi Tour—and activities include old favorites like the
Legislative Auction and new events like the Sunday Social
with fun, games and stadium fare and the Jazz Night
complete with live local musicians. Click here for a full list of
exciting tours and activities.
With the recent dip in airline and gas prices, this is a
meeting you can’t afford to miss! Registration forms must be
submitted via mail or fax by January 16, 2009 to receive the
pre-registration discount. After January 16, all
registrations must be completed onsite in New Orleans. Go
to http://nacdnet.org/events/annualmeeting/registration and register today.
EPA Publishes Draft Handbook for Developing Watershed
TMDLs
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently
issued for public comment a draft publication, “Handbook
for Developing Watershed TMDLs.”
EPA developed the draft handbook to assist planners and
stakeholders in understanding how a watershed approach can
be a framework for coordinating and developing Total
Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs). The handbook identifies tools
for planning cost-effective watershed scale TMDLs, and
opportunities for integrating watershed TMDLs into other
watershed management efforts, such as monitoring, watershed
planning, watershed-based permitting and water quality
trading.
The draft document is open for public comment until
February 18, 2009 and can be viewed at http://www.epa.gov/owow/tmdl/techsupp.html.
Comments should be submitted to Michael Haire at
haire.michael@epa.gov.
NPS and Stormwater Conference Call for Abstracts and
Training Workshops
The 5th National Conference for Nonpoint Source and
Stormwater Outreach, co-sponsored by EPA and CSREES, is
scheduled for May 11-14, 2009 in Portland, Ore. The
conference will provide opportunities to learn and share
ideas on developing and implementing nonpoint source and
stormwater outreach strategies that produce positive,
measurable outcomes; comply with NPDES requirements; and
can be successfully implemented with modest budgets.
Conservation districts interested in showcasing their
NPS/stormwater outreach efforts are encouraged to submit an
abstract or training workshop by January 30, 2009.
Information about the conference and call for abstracts
can be found at http://www.epa.gov/nps/outreach2009.
Get Your Community Outside with the Great Backyard Bird
Count
The weekend of February 13 - 16, 2009, people from across
the United States and Canada will identify and count birds
in their backyards, schoolyards, parks, or from out their
windows as part of the 2009 Great Backyard Bird Count
(GBBC). This is the twelfth year for the event and
co-sponsored by Audubon and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.
The GBBC provides an opportunity for people of all ages to
learn about birds and the environment and natural resources
we share.
The event presents a great opportunity for conservation
districts to encourage their communities to get outside!
Data collected by participants can be submitted easily
through the GBBC website http://www.birdcount.org. Last year’s
participants turned in a record-breaking 85,000 bird
checklists. Free posters, brochures and promotional
materials are available on the GBBC website to help
promote the event.
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