March 18, 2008 eNotes - National Association of Conservation Districts

March 18, 2008
index to previous eNotes

1. NACD Leaders Speak Out on Behalf of Districts
Conservation districts were well-represented by your national leaders last week in Washington, D.C. The 2008 NACD officer team was in town to address operational issues and work on budget planning. They also took the opportunity to meet with members of Congress and agency leaders while in the nation’s capital. The group met with NRCS Chief Arlen Lancaster to discuss issues impacting conservation districts including computer security, the farm bill and how farm bill delays impact conservation program delivery. They also met with Congressman Tim Holden, Chair of the House Agriculture Subcommittee on Conservation, regarding the Committee’s plans to hold hearings to address USDA reorganization after the 2008 Farm Bill is passed. Finally, the officers met with key appropriations staff in both the House and Senate to stress the importance of NACD’s top three appropriations priorities: Conservation Technical Assistance, State and Private Forestry and 319 Nonpoint Source Grants. Through their various meetings and discussions, NACD’s leaders continue to strengthen NACD’s position as America’s Voice for Natural Resource Conservation.

2. Congress Extends Farm Bill
Late last week Congress passed and the President signed legislation to extend the current Farm Bill until April 18, 2008. Congress is now in recess for the next two weeks. During this time, leaders from the House and Senate Agriculture Committees will work together to craft a Farm Bill proposal that includes an additional $10 billion in spending. A funding source for the additional Farm Bill spending has not yet been identified.

Prior to signing the one-month extension last week, President Bush indicated his support for a one-year extension of the current Farm Bill if Congress is unable to reach an agreement on a comprehensive proposal over the next month. Extension of the current Farm Bill is not preferable for conservation programs, such as the Wetlands Reserve Program and the Grasslands Reserve Program that need additional funding to continue operating. NACD officers expressed their support for a new Farm Bill while meeting with Congressional members and staff in Washington, D.C. last week.

3. Appropriations Work Continues in Washington
NACD continues to push the Association’s appropriations priorities for fiscal year (FY) 2009. Last week NACD Board Member Denise Savageau from Connecticut was in Washington, D.C. to meet with the office of Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro, as well as other offices of the Connecticut delegation. As chair of the House Agriculture Appropriations subcommittee, Congresswoman DeLauro is a key influence on the final outcome of appropriations legislation.

NACD’s officers and staff also made visits to Capitol Hill last week, meeting with key staff on subcommittees for Agriculture and Interior appropriations. As Congress begins a two-week recess this week, it is a critical time to educate members of Congress on the importance of NACD’s priority appropriations programs: Conservation Technical Assistance, State and Private Forestry, and 319 Nonpoint Source Grants. To learn more about NACD’s FY 2009 priority appropriations programs, go to http://www.nacdnet.org/policy/appropriations/fy09/.

4. Conservation Districts Represented at EPA Advisory Committee Meeting
Last week, Washington, D.C. hosted the first-ever meeting of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) new Farm, Ranch, and Rural Communities Advisory Committee. The 30-member committee was created by the EPA to bring the perspectives of a diverse array of agricultural professionals into the agency. Conservation districts are represented on the committee by Earl Garber, a farmer from Louisiana, a member of NACD’s Legislative Committee and president of the Louisiana Association of Conservation Districts.

During the two-day meeting, the committee reviewed their mission and heard from many EPA staff about the different branches of the agency and what they hope to learn from working with the committee. The committee also began discussions on three initial issues: climate change and renewable energy; livestock waste; and communications between environmental and agricultural interests. Three sub-groups of the committee will continue to address these issues, along with any others that arise over the coming months, until the committee meets again next fall.

5. Renovation Ride: Pedaling for Conservation District Pride
What on earth could motivate five NACD staffers to ride 258 miles in five days in the dead heat of summer? There’s no prize at the end for the winner, they’re not getting paid to do it, and it definitely isn’t for the padded spandex shorts! Rumor has it, it’s for pride: pride in your national association.

Five NACD staffers will “saddle up” and cycle from Pennsylvania to Washington, D.C. in July to raise money for the 509 Capitol Court Campaign, an effort to renovate NACD’s Washington, D.C. Headquarters. This initiative has been appropriately dubbed the Renovation Ride. The group of riders has split into two teams, the Old Pros and the Newbies, to add some healthy competition to the ride. If we meet our end fundraising goal of $280,000, NACD’s newly elected officer team has agreed to join the ride, too!

Districts in Pennsylvania and Maryland are committing to setting up support along the route and our friends from around the country are working to garner support for the riders and for the campaign. You can help and show your pride, too! Go to http://www.nacdnet.org/events/509campaign/ride/ for more details about the ride and information on how to contribute. You can also keep an eye on the Renovation Ride blog at http://renovationride.blogspot.com/ for training news from the riders, weekly polls and fundraising updates.

6. Conservationists Remember a Leader and Friend
NACD learned today of the passing of Norm Berg, a true friend to conservation. Norm’s career began in 1943 at the USDA Soil Conservation Service. He worked for Hugh Hammon Bennett, the first chief of SCS, and later became chief himself from 1979 to 1982. Norm remained active in conservation throughout his life. In the past year, he could often be seen at various events and receptions, continuing to work for the cause that he loved. He was a strong supporter of conservation districts and was involved with the Anne Arundel Soil Conservation District in Maryland until his passing.

We are thankful for many fond memories of Norm. A collection of his work, awards and a few tributes from folks that worked with Norm are available on American Farmland Trust’s Farmland Information Center website at http://www.farmlandinfo.org/norm_berg_collection/.

7. Counting down to 2008 Stewardship Week
There is only a little over a month left until 2008 Stewardship Week, which will be held April 27 – May 4, 2008. Now is a good time for districts and educators to contact your local service clubs to speak at their April meetings. A customizable “Water Is Life” themed PowerPoint is available at the NACD marketplace for your use to promote your Stewardship Week activities. Be sure to customize your presentation and include additional slides and information about your local district’s conservation work.

The countdown to 2008 Stewardship Week has begun. If you haven’t ordered your 2008 “Water is Life” Stewardship materials, go to the NACD Marketplace at http://www.nacdstore.org/ and place your order today. Please note, NACD cannot guarantee delivery of materials by April 18 for check orders placed after March 18 or credit card orders placed after April 1. Additional NACD Stewardship outreach materials are available at NACD’s website at http://www.nacdnet.org/stewardship/2008/.

8. Attention CCE Computer Users: Deadline for Mandatory Training Approaches
Every year NRCS employees and partners, including conservation district employees, technical service providers and contractors, who have access to government information systems are required to complete security awareness training under the Federal Information Security Management Act (FISMA) of 2002.

NACD recently learned that partner course completion percentages to-date fall significantly below the required 100 percent completion. NRCS is required report 100 percent training course completion to USDA by April 1, 2008. NRCS may also be required to deactivate accounts for those who do not complete the training. NACD encourages all CCE computer users to complete the training as soon as possible. The deadline to complete this training is March 31, 2008.

Security awareness training for fiscal year 2008 is available on the USDA’s AgLearn site at http://www.aglearn.usda.gov/. If you have trouble accessing the training course through AgLearn, please contact your state NRCS training officer. For more information on the Computer Security and Privacy Basics training requirements, go to http://directives.sc.egov.usda.gov/viewerFS.aspx?id=3546 to view the official NRCS bulletin.

9. NACD Alters Web Hosting Offerings
NACD’s Executive Board recently decided to narrow NACD’s business lines to those that are financially self-sustaining and relate directly to the mission of conservation districts. As a result, NACD will no longer provide web hosting services as of April 18, 2008. NACD has reached an agreement with Khimaira Web Hosting Solutions to take over the NACD hosting service. Khimaira will continue to provide hosting services and support for NACD clients. Khimaira will honor and continue existing hosting contracts and will be offering the same packages as currently available from NACD, with additional free features and enhancements to be added in the near future.

Khimaira Web Hosting Solutions has specialized in web hosting for over 10 years and has the knowledge and resources to provide service to NACD’s current hosting customers. Linda Campbell, co-owner of Khimaira, has been contracted by NACD since June to provide technical support for NACD customers, and is very familiar with the needs of conservation districts and their partners.

If you have questions about the transition, please contact Arthur Ganta or Krysta Harden.

10. NACD Calendar of Events
May 14-17, 2008 Executive Directors’ Conference, Saratoga, WY
June 8-10, NACD Northern Plains Region Leaders Meeting, Nebraska City, NE
July 18-23, NACD Summer Board Meeting and Legislative Conference, Washington, D.C.
Aug. 3-5, Northeast Region Meeting, Portsmouth, NH
Aug 10-12, Southeast Region Meeting, Biloxi, MS
Aug 21-23, South Central Region Meeting, Hot Springs, AR

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