October 14, 2008 USDA Announces CRP Funding and Incentives The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) recently announced that it will distribute $1.8 billion in Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) rental payments for fiscal year 2009 (FY09). Included in the totals are 380,000 contracts totaling 4.1 million acres for the CRP continuous sign-up and 386,000 contracts totaling 30.6 million acres for general sign-up. A table that lists acreage enrollment by state, number of contracts, number of farms, acres enrolled and projected CRP rental payments for FY09 is available on the Farm Service Agency website at http://www.fsa.usda.gov/Internet/FSA_File/enroll.pdf. USDA has also announced that additional payment incentives are being provided through CRP to agricultural producers to encourage enhanced wetland and bottomland hardwood conservation. Included are practice, signing and soil rental rate incentives. More information is available at http://www.fsa.usda.gov/Internet/FSA_File/wetlandsin.pdf. BLM Announces New Rule for Land Withdrawals The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) recently announced a 15-day public comment period on a proposed rule regarding public land withdrawals. The proposed rule would eliminate existing regulations for the emergency withdrawal of BLM-managed lands from public use, but would leave in place other procedures for land withdrawals. Current emergency withdrawal regulations require the Secretary of the Interior to withdraw lands immediately upon determining that a resource emergency exists and that extraordinary measures need to be taken to protect natural resources. Under conventional withdrawal procedures which would remain, the BLM allows public participation, stakeholder involvement, and coordination with other federal bureaus in the decision-making process. The proposed rule would be of interest to those who contract with BLM for grazing, forestry or wildfire interests. The comment period is open until October 27. To view the Federal Register notice, click here. Flights to New Orleans: Get ‘em while they’re cheap! Now is the perfect time to purchase your plane tickets to travel to NACD’s 63rd Annual Meeting, scheduled for February 1-4, 2009 in New Orleans. Airfares are lower than usual right now, and you should take advantage of the chance to get a good deal. In a quick web search today, we found the following round trip fares* to New Orleans: Atlanta, GA $294 Chicago, IL $251 Denver, CO $219 Houston, TX $154 Indianapolis, IN $227 Phoenix, AZ $231 Philadelphia, PA $199 San Francisco, CA $271 Washington, D.C. $170
These aren’t the only good deals when it comes to the NACD Annual Meeting: Early-bird conference registration rates are also currently available until November 21, 2008. Plans are coming together to make this year’s meeting one of the best yet. Meeting details, registration, a draft agenda, hotel information and more can be found on NACD’s Annual Meeting website at http://www.nacdnet.org/events/annualmeeting/. See you in New Orleans! *These sample fares were found during an online search today using travel dates of January 31 through February 4, 2009. Nominate Your NRCS State Conservationist for the Forest Stewardship Award The American Forest Foundation is currently seeking nominations for the 2008 Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) State Conservationist Award for Forest Stewardship. The purpose of the award is to recognize NRCS State Conservationists for outstanding technical and financial assistance to private forestland owners on forest conservation activities. As many as three State Conservationists are recognized each year (one per NRCS Region). Any individual, organization, agency and others, including conservation districts, may nominate an NRCS State Conservationist for this award. Full details on the award, how to submit a nomination and nomination criteria are available at http://www.treefarmsystem.org/cms/pages/19_3.html. The deadline for nominations is October 30, 2008. Hardwood Forestry Fund Seeks Applications The Hardwood Forestry Fund (HFF) is once again accepting grant applications to advance sustainable hardwood forest establishment and improvement on public and non-profit lands. HFF pairs on-the-ground needs with funding from concerned companies, foundations and individuals. In 2008, HFF distributed approximately $175,000 for planting and management of more than 750,000 trees. This is a great potential funding opportunity for conservation districts. Just ask the Piscataquis County Soil and Water Conservation District in Maine, who was one successful applicant in 2008. To read more about HFF’s project, visit their website at http://www.piscataquisswcd.org/news_info.htm. The deadline for applications is October 20, 2008. Grant application guidelines, needed forms and instructions are also available at through the HFF website at http://www.hardwoodforestryfund.org/Grants.htm. Disney Offers Potential Wildlife Conservation Funding Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund Awards were established to promote and enable wildlife conservation through partnerships with scientists, educators and organizations committed to preserving earth’s biodiversity. The awards program is looking to fund projects that have a long-term focus and include a scientific component, promote education and engage the community. For a more in-depth look at the award criteria, please visit the Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund website at www.dwcf-rfp.com. The timeline to apply for this year’s awards is from November 2008 to January 21, 2009. However, letters of inquiry can be sent year-round to Claire.michael@disney.com. The Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund has also set aside funding each year to address emergency wildlife and/or habitat crises and needs. The emergency funding is within their program called “Rapid Response Funding.” The awards are capped at $5,000, but they can be used anytime throughout the year. For more information on this program, please visit http://www.dwcf-rfp.com/application/dwcf-rapid-response-form.htm. | 
