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November 4, 2008
President Redding Meets with WV Districts and Partners
NACD President John Redding travelled last week to
Charleston, West Virginia where he represented NACD at the West Virginia State Conservation
Partnership Conference. Redding presented an NACD update to
a crowd of 325 people, highlighting association priorities,
new tools for districts and progress on the 509 Capitol
Court Campaign. West Virginia’s conservation districts
continue to be strong supporters of national efforts.
Redding recognized the state for its strong
individual districts and partner relationships and thanked
them for providing full financial support to NACD for the
past 57 years.
NACD Participates in International Agricultural Carbon
NACD Executive Board Member and Natural Resource Policy
Committee Chair Cliff Lundin represented NACD at the
Conservation Agricultural Carbon Offset Consultation,
hosted by the Conservation Technical Information Center
(CTIC). The international conference, co-sponsored by the
United Nation’s Food and Agriculture Organization, was held
in West Lafayette, Ind. last week. Consultation participants
prepared a statement endorsing the worldwide establishment
of a credit system. The United Nations will use the
statement as the basis for drafting a recommended program.
NACD’s policy on climate change, adopted at the July 2008
Board Meeting, is fully consistent with the statement
adopted at the consultation. Conservation districts could
potentially be involved in a "carbon credit" system in a
variety of ways. One aspect could be to act as an
"aggregator," where credits from individual farmers are
collected and brokered. Aggregators typically receive a
fee or commission for their work. Another opportunity is
for districts would be to act as "verifiers," to verify
that the proper conservation practices were applied.
Another possible area of involvement would be to provide
assistance to producers in proper conservation agriculture
techniques.
NACD will continue to represent conservation districts in
climate change issues and look for opportunities for
districts to participate in carbon sequestration
activities.
You’re Invited to “Build a Better Tomorrow” with NACD
Details are beginning to fall into place for the 2009 NACD
Annual Meeting—a conference you can’t afford to miss. Themed
“Building a Better Tomorrow,” the meeting will address
important issues regarding energy, partnerships, and how
districts can address the challenges that come with changing
times.
 Hear more about the exciting things to come from
NACD President John Redding in the November edition of
America’s Voice for Conservation. Click here to listen.
This year’s conference is scheduled for February 1-4, 2008
in New Orleans, La. New information on
general session themes, invited speakers, breakout topics,
auction events and an updated agenda are now available on NACD’s website at
http://nacdnet.org/events/annualmeeting/. Be sure to register
today—the early-bird registration discount ends
November 21, 2008. We can’t wait to see you there.
NACD Resource Policy Groups in Action
Two of NACD’s Resource Policy Groups (RPGs)—subcommittees
established under the umbrella of NACD’s Natural Resource
Policy Committee—met last week to address their respective
areas of responsibility.
The NACD Forestry RPG met October 28 and 29 in Edgefield,
S.C. at the headquarters of the National Wild Turkey
Federation (NWTF). During the two-day meeting, the Forestry
RPG discussed the implementation of the newly signed Joint
Forestry Team Memorandum of Understanding, implementation
of the Farm Bill, and several other issues. The American
Forest Foundation presented plans to conduct training on
Farm Bill forestry provisions and solicited cooperation
from conservation districts. NWTF is a national partner
with NACD and the Forestry RPG, and local chapters
collaborate with conservation districts on forestry and
habitat projects.
The Great Lakes RPG met October 27 and 28 at the Old Woman
Creek National Estuarine Research Center in Huron, Ohio. The
RPG received updates on activities in the Great Lakes from
various federal and state advisors and discussed issues
impacting the region. The Erie Soil and Water Conservation
District also hosted a conservation tour for the group,
highlighting conservation practices on a local farm.
EPA Finalizes CAFO Regulation
On Friday, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Administrator Steve Johnson signed the final Concentrated
Animal Feeding Operation (CAFO) regulation, which has been
under development for several years. Lawsuits after the 2003
regulation resulted in this new final regulation. NACD
provided comments on a draft proposal earlier this year.
The final regulation requires only those CAFOs that
discharge or propose to discharge to obtain a National
Pollution Discharge Elimination Systems (NPDES) water
quality permit. The regulation requires operations to submit
nutrient management plans as part of the permit application,
and those plans must be made available for public review and
comment. Under the final regulation, a voluntary no
discharge certification can be obtained by a CAFO that does
not discharge or propose to discharge.
EPA left in place the February 27, 2009 deadline for CAFOs to
comply with this rule and will be working with state water
quality permitting agencies on implementation of these new
requirements. Additional information on the regulation can
be found at http://cfpub.epa.gov/npdes/afo/cafofinalrule.cfm.
NACD Files Comments on BLM Emergency Withdrawal
NACD recently submitted comments supporting the Bureau of
Land Management’s (BLM) proposed rule to remove redundant
regulation providing for the emergency withdrawal of lands.
Current emergency withdrawal regulations require the
Secretary of the Interior to withdraw BLM-managed lands
immediately from public use upon determining that a resource
emergency exists and that extraordinary measures need to be
taken to protect natural resources.
The BLM proposed rule would eliminate existing provisions
for emergency withdrawals that do not provide for public
participation and would leave in place conventional
procedures for land withdrawals. Under conventional
withdrawal procedures, the BLM allows public participation,
stakeholder involvement, and coordination with other federal
bureaus in the decision-making process.
NACD has long-standing policy favoring regulations that
welcome public input. To read the full text of NACD’s
comments, click here.
Farm Bill Forestry Provisions Comments Emphasize District
Participation
NACD recently submitted comments to the USDA Forest Service
(FS) regarding how conservation districts can work as local
partners with the Forest Service in implementing forestry
aspects of the Farm Bill.
In the letter, NACD asked that districts be part of the
process in developing Statewide Assessments and Strategies
that are to be developed by state forestry agencies. These
assessments will identify resource conditions, trends and
threats to forest resources. Additionally, NACD asked to
have a representative on the Forest Resource Coordinating
Committee, for districts to be recognized as eligible
entities of government for the Pest and Disease Revolving
Loan Fund and to be recognized as key partners delivering
the Emergency Forest Restoration Program.
NACD’s comments represent the continued emphasis on
commenting to USDA on Farm Bill regulations ahead of the
formal rulemaking process. Click here to view the full text of NACD’s comments to
FS.
Sims Memorial Tree Plantings Begin
Conservation districts and friends of NACD 2007 President
Olin Sims have begun planting trees in his memory across the
country as part of the Olin Sims Living Legacy Project. NACD
President Elect Steve Robinson and his fellow supervisors
from the Union County Soil and Water Conservation District
in Ohio planted an Ohio Buckeye tree at the Union County
Agricultural Center in Marysville, Ohio last month. NACD CEO
Krysta Harden and her family also recently planted a Dogwood
tree on their farm outside of Camilla, Georgia to remember
Olin.
NACD will also be planting a disease-resistant Elm
tree on Friday, November 7, at the National Arboretum in
Washington, D.C. The tree was donated by the U.S. Forest
Service. Several partners of NACD will participate in the
event, including the USDA Natural Resources Conservation
Service, National Association of RC&D Councils, National
Association of State Conservation Agencies and the National
Conservation District Employees Association.
Another tree planting to honor Olin is
scheduled as part of NACD’s 2009 Annual Meeting next
February in New Orleans.
NACD is encouraging conservation
districts, state associations of conservation districts,
partners and friends of Olin to plant a tree in his memory.
Natural stone plaques to post next to the trees are
available on NACD’s Online Store.
Additional information about the project and photos and
stories of trees already planted are available at http://nacdnet.org/news/living_legacy/.
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