RC&D Week Activities
National RC&D Week, which ran this year from
September 21 to 27, gives annual recognition to
the nation’s local RC&D areas and their
volunteer-run councils. To celebrate the occasion,
councils arranged special events such as outdoor
games, bicycle tours, open houses, and conferences
or issued press releases that were printed in
local and state print and online newspapers.
Additionally, officials such as governors,
legislators, and mayors issued statements in honor
of RC&D Week. Those appreciative proclamations
came from places as far away as Hawaii, Vermont,
and Alabama, showing how communities across the
county respect the work that RC&D councils
perform. Below is a list of council activities
that took place this year.
In Alabama,
Governor Riley signed an RC&D Week proclamation on
September 12, and County Commissioners did the
same on September 9.
North Country RC&D Council - New Hampshire:
A
press release was distributed on September 19 to
all print media in the state, and on September 23
a New Hampshire RC&D project, the Community Scale
District Heating Project, was the focus of a live
radio program, “Political Chowder,” hosted by
local moderator Arnie Arneson. This project was
highlighted as an example of hundreds of other
sustainable development projects conducted through
RC&D councils around the country that were
celebrated during the week.
Northern Vermont RC&D:
Vermont Governor Douglas proclaimed the week of September
21-27 to be Resource Conservation & Development
Council Week. Northern
Vermont RC&D Council also promoted two of the many
projects it undertakes for its community: it held
a “Spot the Blue Boat Contest” and offered prizes
to whoever was able to spot the boat used during
inspections of new dry (i.e., non-pressurized)
hydrant projects in streams and ponds throughout
Vermont. The council also encouraged people to
take advantage of the newly introduced electronic
benefits transfer (EBT) and debit card purchase
options at the Capital City Farmers' Market in
Montpelier.
In Utah, Dinosaurland RC&D
Council partnered with local and state
business groups to host the second annual Duchesne
County Area Chamber of Commerce business
conference. This year's conference focused on
women entrepreneurs, with the 95 attendees
representing around 50 area businesses. Topics
covered during the conference included time
management, accounting and record keeping,
licensing requirements, and personal development.
The conference offered a valuable opportunity for
businesses to network, and information garnered
through the event helped business owners and
managers enhance their business operations.
Irene Hansen, second Vice-Chair of Dinosaurland
RC&D Council and Executive Director of the
conference, said, "The business conference,
concentrating on maintaining and/or expanding
traditionally home-based businesses, is essential
to maintaining the integrity of our local economy
during times of economic downturn. The
overwhelming response of the target community to
this offering showed how important assisting
traditionally underserved audiences can be in
helping them keep pace with larger and more
traditional businesses in the area."
Texas RC&D councils
were quite active. They requested
resolutions in both the State House and Senate
recognizing the contributions of
Texas RC&D councils, and
Governor Rick Perry issued an official
proclamation recognizing September 21-27, 2008 as
Resource Conservation and Development Week. Marva
Beck, President of the Texas Association of
RC&D Councils, appeared on television in
College Station, getting the word out about
councils’ work throughout the state. Councils also
put out the word locally, receiving recognition
from numerous county judges, mayors, and other
officials in proclamations and news articles.
Finally, energy audit training sessions were held
throughout the state.
Eastern Connecticut RC&D Council and King’s Mark
RC&D Council
bookended RC&D week with two "Tour des Farms" bicycle
rides: on September 20, a ride was held in
Simsbury, Connecticut, and on September 27,
another ride took place in Shelton. Since 2003,
these bicycle rides have toured the beautiful
agricultural countryside of Connecticut, raising
awareness of the diversity and vitality of
Connecticut’s farms. The event’s proceeds are also
donated to initiatives that support small farmers
and the preservation of agricultural land.
Northeast Nebraska RC&D Council and Five Rivers
RC&D Council held open houses at which they invited the public to
come to their offices to learn more about the RC&D
program and the projects that the councils are
currently sponsoring.
Georgia:
At a ceremony on September 24, Chestatee-Chattahoochee
RC&D Council presented the
Open Arms Clinic and Eagle’s Wing Farm with $5,000
grants. The Open Arms Clinic offers medical
services to people without health insurance; the
money will be used to buy an automated external
defibrillator and diabetic supplies. The second
recipient, Eagle’s Wing Farm, is a therapeutic
riding center that offers riding lessons to people
with physical, mental, and emotional needs. The
funds came from a road striping program that
raised revenue through the sale of road-stripping
equipment to local private sector companies.
Historic Hoosier Hills RC&D Council of Indiana
held a tour on September 25. Attendees were treated to group
visits of several current projects and learned
more about the council and available endowments
for community projects. The sites visited included
Jefferson County Historical Society Museum, Red
Wolf Sanctuary, John Hunt Morgan Heritage Trail,
and Madison Heritage Trail - all sites of council
projects.
Mid-South RC&D Council
in Alabama sponsored the Alabama
Energy Revolution Summit in Montgomery, Alabama,
on September 17-18. The summit began with speakers
presenting alternative fuel solutions to the
crisis currently being faced in Alabama, the
United States, and the world. Solutions to rising
energy costs were offered by a variety of
presenters to organizations, entrepreneurs, and
policy makers. Speakers from universities
presented the latest research and technological
advancements, and businesspeople provided
information on developments in world energy
markets.
The events planned by the Northeast Nebraska
RC&D Council were particularly inventive
and festive. On September 21, it held an RC&D
Autumn Olympics, featuring seven games, each
created to recognize some of the council’s most
successful projects in recent years. Approximately
40 people took part in the fun, which included the
following contests created by Dennis Wacker, an
RC&D Board Member from Osmond, Nebraska:
“Are You Smarter Than a Knit-Wit?” Quiz Bowl:
Participants answered questions on the RC&D
program, the Northeast Nebraska
Council, and its projects, in honor of the Artist
of the Month program that displays artwork,
crafts, and books by area residents, including
several crocheted and knitted items.
Computer Cycling:
Bicyclists raced through an obstacle course while
balancing a computer monitor on their rear fender,
in honor of the Waste Computer Collections that
have cleared homes and businesses of toxic
computer monitors and other electronic equipment.
Mouse Relay:
Computer mice were raced down a series of rain
gutters, also in honor of this year’s huge success
in the Waste Computer Collections.
Grant-Writing Hurdles:
Players tossed a bolo at the rungs of a ladder,
representing the many grant searches, completed
applications, and funds secured for various
projects by the council.
Logo Landing:
Magnets with the RC&D logo were tossed at a metal
car hood to test accuracy and the ability to get
the magnet to stick.
Paint Bucket Bombing:
The accuracy of tosses of paint cans into
55-gallon drums was measured, in honor of the
Household Hazardous Waste Collections that have
helped rid the area’s homes of environmentally
harmful garbage.
Watermelon Seed Spitting:
Medals were given out according to distance and
accuracy, in honor of the Farm to Family project
that promotes area farmers’ direct-marketing
efforts.
Through these games, the council enabled people
involved with the RC&D program to get to know each
other better and introduced the council’s
activities to more people in the community.
Great Salt Lake RC&D Council in Utah
issued a press release describing its partnership with the
Tooele Weed Board and the Utah Department of
Agriculture and Food's Grazing Improvement Program
to effectively treat over 1,600 acres of private
land and inventory over 50,000 acres of property
in Tooele County. This year, more than 120
landowners have participated in the cooperative
effort. The project has a total value of over
$100,000 in financial and matching contributions,
including grant funds, labor, equipment, and
educational outreach efforts. This project has
been responsible for the purchase and construction
of 24 ATV sprayers, two 65-gallon sprayers, and a
500-gallon nurse tank. Noxious weed and
calibration workshops assured that this borrowed
equipment was operated properly. In addition, over
1,000 schoolchildren have been educated at the
local Farm Field Day event.
Sierra
Nevada RC&D Councils - California -
Central Sacramento Valley RC&D (Orland); Central Sierra RC&D
(Jackson); Desert Mountain RC&D (Ridgecrest); High
Sierra RC&D (Auburn); North-Cal Neva RC&D
(Alturas); Ore-Cal RC&D (Tulelake); San Joaquin
Valley RC&D (Fresno); and Yosemite/Sequoia RC&D
(North Fork):
California’s Sierra Nevada Coalition of RC&D
Councils issued a press release describing the
outreach materials that it has developed over the
past year to showcase the opportunities available
to communities throughout the region. The
materials were presented to Jim Branham, Executive
Officer for the Sierra Nevada Conservancy. A
booklet, Resource Conservation & Development
Councils in the Sierra Nevada: A Great American
Success Story, focuses on watershed health,
market-based conservation, and agriculture tourism
and recreation, and a 13-minute video, entitled
simply Sierra Nevada Coalition of RC&D Councils,
highlights other conservation-related successes.
Capital RC&D Council in Hammond, Louisiana requested that each parish declare September 21-27 to be
RC&D week and asked for proclamations to be
issued.
At the request of Garden Island RC&D Council
in Hawaii, Kaua’i mayor Bill Asing
signed an RC&D Week proclamation.
The city of Oshkosh, Nebraska
officially declared the week to be RC&D Week. The
city is served by Panhandle RC&D Council.
Numerous councils throughout the country sent
press releases to local and state media and had
information about the RC&D program and outstanding
local projects printed in newspapers. Among the
councils that did so were:
Maumee Valley RC & D Council (Ohio)
Blue Mountain RC&D Council (Washington)
Chisholm Trail RC&D Council
(Texas)
Heart of Ohio RC&D
Oklahoma
Association of RC&D Councils
PrairieLand RC&D Council
(Nebraska)
Saginaw Bay RC&D Council
(Michigan)
Giziibii RC&D Council
(Minnesota)
New York
Federation of RC&D Councils
Wood-Land-Lakes RC&D Council
(Indiana)
The Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS)
of the USDA also spotlighted RC&D Week and
the work that RC&D councils do on their website:
http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/NEWS/thisweek/2008/092408/rcdweek.html
Join the Partnership Alliance
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Circle of Diamonds
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NARC&DC Newsletter, "The National Catalyst"
