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We would like to thank all of the 2007 NACD Annual Meeting The Grazing Lands Conservation Initiative (GLCI) was founded to provide high quality technical assistance on privately owned grazing lands on a voluntary basis and to increase the awareness of the importance of grazing land resources. Established in 1991, GLCI is carried out through coalitions of individuals and organizations functioning at the local, state, regional and national levels. The coalitions include livestock producer organizations, scientific and professional grazing resource organizations, conservation and environmental groups, and state and federal natural resource and agriculture agencies. California Association of Resource Conservation Districts (CARCD) - www.carcd.org Welcome to California’s agricultural diversity and the role of Resource Conservation Districts. Our goal is to inform attendees of the NACD Conference on the many crops produced in California and the complexity of the state’s resource issues. A cornucopia of the crops produced as well as a continual DVD will showcase the many advertisements shown on TV to promote California’s products. Display will highlight the RCD’s in the state with the concerns and goals for protecting California’s resources. President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s statement of “Men and nature must work hand in hand. The throwing out of balance of the resources and nature throws out of balance also the lives of men” is our theme. "25 X '25" is a rallying cry for renewable energy and a goal for America – to get 25 percent of our energy from renewable resources like wind, solar, and biofuels by the year 2025. Increasing America's renewable energy use will:
Over 300 agricultural, renewable energy and environmental organizations at the national, regional, state and local levels have endorsed the 25 X '25 vision. Endorsements have also been made by 20 governors and 4 state legislatures. Congressional resolutions that would make 25 X '25 a national goal have 28 senators and 93 representatives listed as co-sponsors. top
Sponsored in your state by your local conservation District, the Envirothon program advances natural resources education awareness across North America and offers the opportunity to achieve assistance for academic scholarships. The program introduces high school-age students of all ethnic backgrounds and socio-economic status to environmental education through hands-on activities guided by resource professionals, traditional and non-traditional educators and volunteers. It prepares them to compete with other students to test their knowledge and problem-solving abilities. This educational opportunity is conducted in the traditional as well as non-traditional school settings throughout the school year and summer months. The objectives of the program focus on the introduction of natural resource conservation ideas and choices and how to apply this knowledge to problem analysis and solution. The opportunity to compete on the local, state, provincial and North American level for post high school scholarship dollars for continued study builds character and self-worth. The North American contest is held in different ecosystems each summer to expose students to new and unique environments and their challenges. top
Sponsor: Marcia Patton-Mallory, PhD, Woody Biomass and Bio-energy Coordinator, USDA Forest Service, Fort Collins, CO The overarching goal is to increase the utilization of woody biomass from hazardous fuel reduction, restoration, and other vegetation management activities on public and private lands to help offset the costs of these activities, provide economic opportunities to rural communities, and enhance environmental benefits for the American public. An integrated woody biomass strategy is identified through a Department of Energy, Department of Interior, and Department of Agriculture Interagency Memorandum on Woody Biomass Utilization, signed by the Secretaries in 2003. Additional key partners in this effort are the Western Governors, State forestry organizations, the Natural Association of Conservation Districts, and local governments. Success stories include increased use of biomass for heating schools, federal facilities, and municipal buildings; changing economics of biomass power generation with renewable energy credits; and diversification of wood products industries to right-size the solution to meet the resource options. The California Department of Conservation's Division of Land Resource Protection partners with the state's 102 Resource Conservation Districts to provide training, technical and permit assistance, and funding for watershed coordinators. The Division also has programs to conserve the state's valuable agricultural lands, including: the Farmland Mapping and Monitoring Program, which uses GIS mapping to track agricultural lands and their conversion to other uses; the California Land Conservation Act, which provides tax incentives to farmers and ranchers in exchange for contracts to restrict development; and the California Farmland Conservancy Program, which provides funding for permanent agricultural easements. The Department of Conservation is also responsible for identifying and monitoring the state's geological hazards and mineral resources, for administering the state's bottle and can recycling program, for regulating oil gas, and geothermal wells, and for ensuring that mining operations are reclaimed. top
NACD Stewardship and Education Stop by and see the new products for 2007 Stewardship Week. Limited supply of free sample packets of Stewardship materials will be available. Visit with Susan, NACD Stewardship and Education Project Manager and share your ideas for future Stewardship materials and education needs for your district. Stewardship week can be celebrated during the traditional time April 29 – May 6, 2007 or throughout the year in your local schools and community. top
North American Association for Environmental Education NAAEE is the professional association for environmental education. Our members promote professional excellence in non-formal organizations, K-12 classrooms, universities (both instructors and students), government agencies, and corporate settings throughout North America and in over 55 other countries. Since 1971, the Association has created opportunities for its members to improve their skills in creating and delivering programs and services that teach people how to think, not what to think. The National Project for Excellence in Environmental Education, initiated by NAAEE in 1993, has developed a series of Guidelines that set the standards for high-quality environmental education. Each of these publications was developed by a diverse team of professionals, and each has gone through a substantive review by thousands of professionals prior to its publication. Through the National Project for Excellence in Environmental Education, NAAEE is taking the lead in establishing guidelines for the development of balanced, scientifically accurate, and comprehensive environmental education programs. Quality environmental education programs help develop an environmentally literate citizenry that can compete in our global economy; has the skills, knowledge, and inclinations to make well-informed choices; and exercises the rights and responsibilities of members of a community.
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Grazing Lands Conservation Initiative - 
25 X '25 Work Group - 
Envirothon - 
USDA Forest Service - 
California Department of Conservation - 
Oregon Ryegrass Growers Seed Commission 
Resource Action Programs® are a family of community conservation programs designed to teach families and communities about conservation and increase environmental awareness. The programs are proven, effective, and generate immediate water and energy savings. Every program combines
complete implementation services, high quality products and
education materials which result in immediate and lasting effects! For over 10 years we have helped sponsors meet and exceed their resource conservation goals. Each resource action program is completely customizable and fully implemented by our in-house program staff mission.
Environmentalists, land managers, and scientists have long debated the condition of rangeland ecosystems. Absence of comprehensive ecological, economic and social data fuels these arguments. To remedy this problem, stakeholders representing conservation groups, the livestock industry, local, state, and federal government, and university partners formed the Sustainable Rangelands Roundtable (SRR) to develop an indicator-based framework for examining sustainability of rangeland goods and services.
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and others who have helped to make this meeting possible! |
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