National Association of Conservation Districts

News Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

NACD URGES CONGRESS TO TAKE A LONG-TERM APPROACH
TO ADDRESSING DROUGHT ASSISTANCE

WASHINGTON, D.C.—September 18, 2006—National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD) President Bill Wilson today sent a letter to House and Senate Leadership urging Congress to take a long-term approach in drought assistance considerations.

NACD recognizes that the drought conditions facing many areas of the country are resulting in calls for emergency aid. The letter urged leaders to think not only about short-term answers but to also recognize that wise conservation practices minimize the negative effects of drought and should be part of a long-term solution. Conservation practices such as no till, conservation buffers and land set-aside programs have had a tremendous impact on soil quality and water retention. It stressed that emergency aid should ensure continued economic viability for farmers, maintaining their ability to manage lands in a sustainable manner.

Wilson, a rancher-surveyor from Kinta, Okla., said “Given the severity of the current drought, it is very likely we would be experiencing a disaster similar to the Dust Bowl were it not for conservation practices on the land.”

Full text of the letter can be found on NACD’s website at www.nacdnet.org.

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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.