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.

NACD Blog: NACD Technical Assistance Grant Helps District Develop Watershed Plan
By Katrina Vaitkus
06/15/20

In 2018, the Warrior Run Watershed, located in the northern part of Northumberland County in Pennsylvania, was selected to be part of the National Water Quality Initiative (NWQI).

NACD Blog: RCD, AFF partnership helping to remake post-fire forestlands
06/15/20

The Butte County Resource Conservation District (RCD) has partnered with American Forest Foundation (AFF) to replant nonindustrial, small privately-owned timberland areas within the Camp Fire burn scar in California.

NACD Blog: Education by fire: SWCD installs fire signs
06/15/20

The Jackson Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) is collaborating with other agencies to install interpretive fire signs along Bear Creek Greenway riparian corridor, where 100-plus acres were burned in Oregon’s 2018 Peninger Fire.

AgNet: Members Appointed to the EPA Farm, Ranch, and Rural Communities Federal Advisory Committee
06/18/20

Michael Crowder of West Richland to serve on the Farm, Ranch, and Rural Communities Committee (FRRCC). Michael Crowder was recommended by Rep. Newhouse to serve on the FRRCC. 

Glenn County Transcript: Glenn County Resource Conservation District to create Carbon Farm Plan for local grower
06/15/20

The Glenn County Resource Conservation District was awarded a grant from Patagonia to develop a Carbon Farm Plan for a local grower that would likely increase the amount of carbon they can capture in their landscape and improve the health of their soil, according to a press release.

Steamboat Pilot: Community Ag Alliance: New soil health initiative by Conservation District
By Lyn Halliday
06/16/20

The Routt County Conservation District (RCCD) and the Upper Yampa River Watershed Group are looking at the [Yampa River Basin] from a broader watershed health perspective and developing programs to improve and protect the river as a system.

E&E News: 'Dead zone' to be smaller this summer
By Hannah Northey
06/17/20

(Subscriber Only) A "dead zone" that has plagued the Chesapeake Bay, the largest estuary on the continent, is expected to be smaller than average this summer due to reduced rainfall and less nutrient-rich runoff, according to scientists.

Phys.org: Agroforestry is 'win win' for bees and crops, study shows
06/16/20

Planting woody plant species alongside crops could double the number of insect pollinators helping farmers produce food, new research has demonstrated for the first time.

University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Soil health gap - a concept to establish a benchmark for soil health management
06/11/20

A soil scientist at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln is proposing a name and a concept that could help establish the parameters for measuring baseline soil health and its potential for improvement. Soil Health Gap is the term coined by Dr. Bijesh Maharjan.

AgWeb: Taking Conservation to a Higher Level
By Stephanie Mercier
06/12/20

Evidence suggested that in many respects, the environmental gains from the adoption of conservation practices by U.S. farmers may have stalled in recent decades. Farm Journal Foundation, working with the Trust in Food division of Farm Journal Media, recently signed an agreement with USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service to devise ways to kick-start this process in five pilot watersheds across the country.

Prairie Star: MSU research team receives grant to further study cheatgrass
By Morgan Rose
06/15/20

With this additional grant, the team plans to continue studying cheatgrass for three more years. The hope is the research and discoveries made will do wonders for the management of cheatgrass across Montana and beyond.

Phys.org: Crop residue decisions affect soil life between planting seasons
By Rachel Schutte
06/16/20

Crop residue and its degradation by soil microbes is an important part of the carbon cycle. Plants store carbon during the growing season, then microbes use the plant residue for food. The carbon then gets stored in the soil in a chemically stable form.

Wisconsin State Farmer: Rotate corn for better soil health
06/16/20

Leveraging a 20-year field experiment, Illinois crop scientists demonstrated significant risks associated with continuous corn rotations, both for the soil microbial community and for environmental health on a larger scale.

ABC News: Senate approves $2.8B plan to boost conservation, parks
By Matthew Daly
06/17/20

The Senate has approved a bipartisan bill that would spend nearly $3 billion on conservation projects, outdoor recreation and maintenance of national parks and other public lands.

Futurism: New Trick Could Save Agriculture Even if All the Bees Keep Dying
By Dan Robitzski
06/18/20

It turns out that soap bubbles — like the ones you might make with a kid’s toy — can carry pollen as they float around, CNET reports. After mounting bubble makers onto the bottom of drones, scientists successfully pollinated a pear orchard, suggesting a possible way to grow crops should we fail to restore bee populations.

Need to update your contact information, unsubscribe or change your subscription preferences? Click here to manage your profile.