National Association of Conservation Districts

News Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

NACD KICKS OFF 63rd ANNUAL MEETING

NEW ORLEANS—February 2, 2009—The opening session of the 63rd annual meeting of the National Association of Conservation Districts Monday helped conservationists from across the nation lay the foundation for the future.

NACD officials and other speakers built their presentations around the theme, “Building a Better Tomorrow.”

President John Redding of Monroe, Georgia, had five requests for the hundreds who gathered in the Grand Ballroom at the Sheraton Hotel in New Orleans. He asked them to return home and tell the conservation district story directly to local media. He also asked for support of 509 Capital Court remodeling campaign at NACD headquarters and NACD operations in general during a difficult economy. He also requested that they plant trees in their home districts as part of the Olin Sims Legacy Program. Sims was president of NACD when he died unexpectedly in December 2007. Redding, who steps down as president after this meeting, also asked for support of incoming President Steve Robinson and his officer team.

Chief Executive Officer Krysta Harden, relayed an anecdote about a grandma in Mississippi who lost her home to a hurricane but was determined to rebuild, against all odds. She asked for a similar commitment from conservation districts. “It would be easy in this economy to let others do it, and I assure you they will. But just like that nana, I think we want to do it.”

Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry Commissioner Mike Strain noted that in addition to pounding heavily populated areas, hurricanes and tropical storms ravaged productive working lands along the U.S. southern coast. Combined with the current economic downturn, the challenges of practicing good conservation and keeping working lands productive are greater than ever, he said.

America has witnessed the greatest resurgence of wildlife such as wild turkeys and deer in world history, said James Earl Kennamer, chief conservation officer for the National Wild Turkey Federation. It’s important to tell that story to the public, he said, noting that turkey hunters alone pump $2 billion into the nation’s economy every year. “We need to tell that story to our local garden clubs and Boy Scout chapters,” he said.

Conference attendees will continue to enjoy general sessions, breakouts and networking opportunities throughout the next two days. Keep tabs on conference happenings at http://nacdnet.org/events/annualmeeting/.

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The National Association of Conservation Districts is the non-profit organization that represents the nation’s 3,000 conservation districts and 17,000 men and women who serve on their governing boards. For almost 70 years, local conservation districts have worked with cooperating landowners and managers of private working lands to help them plan and apply effective conservation practices. NACD’s website is at www.nacdnet.org.