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March 31, 2009
NACD Provides Testimony on Interior Appropriations
Priorities
Last week, the House Interior Appropriations Subcommittee
held a public witness hearing to gather information related
to programs in the fiscal year 2010 (FY 2010) Interior
Appropriations Bill. NACD provided testimony on two key
priorities under the Interior bill: the Forest Service’s
State and Private Forestry Programs and the Environmental
Protection Agency’s 319 Nonpoint Source Pollution Grants.
NACD’s testimony highlighted the importance of both
programs in working with landowners and getting
conservation results on the ground. It focused on the need
for changes in wildfire suppression funding related to
State and Private Forestry Programs, as well as NACD’s
recently signed Memorandum of Understanding with the Forest
Service to work collaboratively with the National
Association of State Foresters and the Natural Resources
Conservation Service toward improved and integrated
delivery of assistance to forestland owners and managers.
The testimony also stressed the importance of 319 Nonpoint
Source Grants for implementation of locally-led projects
to improve and protect water quality.
The House Appropriations Subcommittees are busy
conducting hearings to review federal program priorities
before writing legislation later this spring. State and
Private Forestry Programs and 319 Nonpoint Source Pollution
Grants continue to receive support of NACD’s Board of
Directors as funding priorities for conservation districts.
Read NACD’s full testimony on our website at
http://nacdnet.org/policy/input/testimony/approps_3-26-09.pdf.
Wildfire Funding Legislation Passes House of
Representatives
On a vote of 412-3 the House of Representatives passed the
Federal Land Assistance, Management and Enhancement (FLAME)
Act (HR1404) on March 25. The legislation was introduced in
both houses of Congress on March 12. The bill will now go
to the Senate for consideration. NACD is currently working
as a member of the Partner Caucus on Fire Suppression
Funding Solutions to ensure passage of the bill. This group
of 114 organizations agreed to support principles changing
the manner in which wildfire suppression is funded. In
keeping with these principles, the FLAME Act provides for a
separate fire suppression budget for large, complex
wildfires. Currently, USDA-Forest Service reprograms funds
from other non-emergency program areas to address wildfire
at the expense of the source program areas. Additional
background and reporting of NACD involvement in this
legislation can be viewed in last week’s edition of eNotes.
Omnibus Lands Bill Approved by House, Sent to President
Last week the House gave final approval to the Omnibus
Lands bill that was passed by the Senate on March 19, 2009.
Contained in the legislation is the Cooperative Watershed
Management Program, which was originally introduced by
Senator John Tester (D-MT). The Cooperative Watershed
Management Program provides authority for the Department
of Interior to establish grants to form or enlarge a
watershed group or conduct water management projects. The
NACD Board of Directors passed a resolution in February
regarding conservation district eligibility to participate
in this program. NACD will inform the Association
membership as regulations regarding this program are
written so comments can be submitted on potential roles
for districts and eligibility requirements. The Omnibus
Lands bill authorized appropriations for the Cooperative
Watershed Management Program, but no specific funding was
included.
In addition to the Cooperative Watershed Management
Program, the Omnibus Lands bill also includes new
wilderness designations, national conservation areas, one
thousand miles of national wild and scenic rivers, new
national trails, a new national monument and new national
park units. The bill will now be sent to the President for
his signature.
NACD Urges Senators to Protect Conservation Funding
Last week the Senate Budget Committee approved a budget for
FY 2010. The full Senate will review the proposal today,
and a vote is expected shortly. During Committee
preparation of the budget proposal, NACD was concerned
about potential cuts to mandatory farm bill conservation
programs such as the Environmental Quality Incentives
Program and the Conservation Reserve Program. NACD wrote to
each member of the Senate Budget Committee stressing the
importance of maintaining funding for programs as approved
by the Senate only nine months ago in the 2008 Farm Bill.
At this point, conservation spending has not been reduced
in the proposal being considered today by the full Senate.
NACD will continue to monitor the progress of the budget as
the House and Senate negotiate a final budget agreement. To
view the full text of NACD’s letter to Senate Budget
Committee Chairman Conrad, click here.
NACD Works with Public Lands Council
As reported in the March 3 edition of eNotes,
NACD recently participated in a meeting of the Public Lands
Council (PLC) to assess the need to organize in support of
ranching and its conservation benefits in the West. As
follow-up to that meeting, NACD has been invited to serve
on the steering committee of the newly-formed Coalition for
Ranching and Conservation in the West. Steering committee
members include PLC, the National Cattlemen’s Beef
Association (NCBA), the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF)
and the World Wildlife Foundation (WWF). The Coalition’s
goals are to raise the public and legislative profile of
ranching and conservation in the West by developing and
distributing public information and engaging in both
legislative and administrative activities in support of
economically viable ranching.
NACD also recently joined PLC, NCBA, EDF, WWF and 13 other
groups in providing comment to NRCS regarding the funding
of conservation projects on federal lands using
Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) funds.
The letter points out that production agriculture in the
West occurs on private, state and federal lands and
recognizes that both production and conservation will be
harmed if the use of EQIP funds is limited to private
lands. The letter recommends that EQIP be available for
application on public lands where conservation practices
will improve resources on the public lands and benefit
private lands. The full text of the joint comments can be
viewed here.
Webcast on Working with State Urban Forest Councils
Scheduled
The Alliance for Community Trees will host a webcast on the
topic of State Urban Forest Councils on April 16, 2009,
1:00–2:00 p.m. EST. Webcast participants will learn how
urban forest councils can help them gain timely access to
grant opportunities; invitations to a variety of training
and educational programs; networking opportunities with
urban forestry professionals, organizations, cities, and
counties; up-to-date urban forestry news, research and
information; and more.
NACD has long promoted conservation district representation
on State Urban Forest Councils. If your district is not
involved with your state forestry council, we encourage
you to engage. These councils are collaborative
organizations comprised of individuals, citizen groups,
nonprofits, businesses, and agencies that share an
interest in urban and community forestry. They exist to
help communities strengthen the efforts of local groups by
serving as a resource, a forum for networking and
discussion, and an advocate of the urban forest.
If you would like to learn more about your state’s urban
forestry council, register for this free webcast.
Fellowship Program Supports Emerging Conservation Leaders
The National Audubon Society is currently taking
applications for the second year of their TogetherGreen
Conservation Leadership Program. The program is one part
of a larger series to build conservation leadership and
engage people in conservation action with lasting
conservation results. It is intended to encourage
established and emerging conservation leaders to become
part of a community of conservation fellows.
While the program is focused on conservation leadership
development through a fellowship, one of the benefits is a
$10,000 grant to be received by each fellow to help support
an innovative Conservation Action project. To learn more
about this opportunity for professional development as well
as additional funding for a conservation project, please click here to
visit the website. The
application deadline is April 15, 2009.
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