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Conservation Clips is a weekly collection of articles distributed by NACD that provides our members and partners with the latest news in what's driving conservation. These articles are not indicative of NACD policy and are the opinions of their authors, unless otherwise noted. If you have a relevant submission or need assistance with accessing articles, please contact the NACD Communications Team.


 
"The National Association of Conservation Districts welcomes the Save Our Forests Act, which is aimed to ensure the U.S. Forest Service is well staffed and able to conduct critical work, especially in highly visited and high-risk areas, while continuing to promote the benefits of recreation on public lands,” said Michael Crowder, President of the National Association of Conservation Districts.
 
 
Sussex Conservation District is accepting entries for its annual conservation poster contest from Delaware public, charter, private or homeschooled students in kindergarten through 12th grade. The contest follows the annual stewardship theme developed and sponsored by the National Association of Conservation Districts.
 
 
“The New Mexico Association of Conservation Districts (NMACD) is proud to work through our local Soil and Water Conservation Districts along with the Quivira Coalition to recognize the hard work that our New Mexico farmers and ranchers do every day to improve our natural resources,” said Willard Hall, NMACD President.
 
 
As Nebraska farmers prepare to harvest another record crop, along with improved technology, good management practices involving conservation have played an important role in the yield growth of state crops.
 
 
Wildman relies on the hand-held soil moisture sensor, along with a stationary one planted in the middle of the field, to provide accurate information about how much water he needs to apply to his corn.
 
High Plains Journal: Saving the Great Plains with prescribed fire, mixed grazing
By Adam Russell
09/22/21
 
Ranchers are under increasing stress due to changing environmental conditions and subsequent losses of rangelands to woody plants, but a relatively new management approach shows promise in turning the tide against encroaching brush and shrubs.
 
 
(Subscriber Only) Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Michael Regan says a proposal to restore regulations defining "waters of the U.S." to those that were in place before the Obama administration's 2015 rule could be issued by November, with another proposal redefining WOTUS to follow a year after that.
 
The Western Producer: CO2 release test can help assess soil health
By Robert Arnason
09/16/21
 
American scientists have found that measuring the amount of carbon dioxide that is released after wetting a sample of dry soil and letting it sit for one day is a good way to determine soil health.
 
 
Gloria Montaño-Green, USDA Deputy Undersecretary for Farm Production and Conservation, says the Grassland acres helped the total CRP signup to bypass five million acres.
 
 
Wisconsin farmers are looking ahead to the fall harvest, and those who use cover crops face a deadline to sign up for a research project to measure the effectiveness of this form of sustainable farming.
 
UGA Today: To keep forests sustainable, education for women is key
By Kirsten Morales
09/20/21

It’s a story University of Georgia student Jacqueline Miner hears again and again: Women come to own forestland through a family member but don’t know what to do with it.
 
 
New University of Illinois research integrates field data and advanced mathematical modeling to understand how cover crops affect soil water, nitrogen and oxygen dynamics, and may compete with summer cash crops.
 
Agri-Pulse: BLM headquarters moving back to D.C. from Colorado
By Steve Davies
09/17/21

(Subscriber Only) The Bureau of Land Management’s headquarters is moving back to Washington, D.C., from Grand Junction, Colo., the Interior Department announced Friday.
 
 
The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) announced 41 grant awards totaling nearly $11.5 million to clean up and restore polluted waters, enhance fish and wildlife habitat, and increase access to nature throughout the Delaware River watershed.
 
 
The idea of urban farming is a straightforward one. Take vacant, unused land in an urban setting and transform it into something that gives back to the community. And while urban farming is growing in Northeast Ohio, the farmers are still facing a host of challenges.
 
Napa Valley Register: Drought takes a toll on Napa County wildlife
By Barry Eberling
09/20/21
 
A deep two-year drought is posing challenges in Napa County not only for humans but also for wildlife.
 
Wilkes Journal-Patriot: Many cover crop options available
By John Cothren
09/20/21
 
Not only do cover crops help prevent erosion and keep our friends at U.S. Natural Resources Conservation Service happy, they also scavenge leftover nitrogen and help suppress weed growth.


By Emily Scott
09/13/21
 
The National Association of State Foresters was formed in 1920, with its first meeting in Harrisburg amid an increase in large wildfires throughout the country. One hundred and one years later, it met back in Pennsylvania to learn best practices to help fight forest-health issues similar to what they saw a century ago.
 
 
The Five Star and Urban Waters Restoration Program will provide conservation grants to the South Alabama Land Trust (SALT) and the Little River Waterkeeper to support their efforts to protect and enhance portions of the Fish River in Baldwin County and the Little River watershed in northeast Alabama.
 
 
“The family conversation was we either need to be involved and create some positive change or we need to go,” Bruchez recalled. “Dad said we’re going to fight for what we have. I’ve been doing it ever since then.”
 
 
(Subscriber Only) Entomologists say they haven’t seen an outbreak this aggressive since the 1970s.
 
 
Native wildflowers are so beneficial to native pollinator insects, and can also help to attract beneficial insects to your yard to assist in keeping the “bad” bug populations under control. In addition, by supporting native insects you are also supporting native birds, creating a mini ecosystem within your yard.
 
 
(Subscriber Only) “We're going to have to continue to deep dig in deeper,” said Joaquin Esquivel, chair of the State Water Resources Control Board, during a press conference Monday. “Conservation is a really critical tool.”
 
 
Scientists say it's too soon to draw conclusions about the lasting damage that record-setting wildfires will have on Lake Tahoe. But they're not wasting time. 
 
The past 20 months of rain, snow, heat and wildfire have been exceptional in our records of weather and climate. And they have conspired to make the most severe and widespread drought the region has experienced in the modern era, punctuating a 20-year period as dry as any time in at least the past 1,200 years.
 
Phys.org: Digital data drives better soil management
By Cecilie Jensen
09/20/21
 
When we think about limited resources in agriculture, water is normally the first that springs to mind. The bad news is that just like water, soil is a finite resource that is fast deteriorating as a result of human activity. The good news: Research is providing farmers, landowners and policymakers with new tools to turn the tide.
 
 
An invasive species of grass is taking over pastures and grasslands. As David Condos of the Kansas News Service reports, some researchers and landowners are trying to stop it from changing the Kansas prairie forever — if it’s not already too late.
 
Ohio's Country Journal: All things working together
By Dusty Sonnenberg
09/20/21
 
To be successful in agriculture today folks need to work together, according to Darke County Farmer Greg McGlinch. Greg and his family operate Down Home Farms near Versailles.
 
 
Farmers thinking of planting cover crops this fall can access cost-share funds from one of seven private cost-share programs thanks to cost-share initiatives Practical Farmers of Iowa has launched over the past seven years with supply chain partners.
 
 
The Japanese beetle infestation in Grandview has exploded in size. The Department of Agriculture is warning the damage could be devastating to local growers.
 
 
States are rushing to get residents to stomp out the invasive spotted lanternfly before the moth-looking bugs destroy more agriculture. Each fall, the bugs will lay egg masses with 30-50 eggs each.

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