GACD and local Conservation Districts announce Georgia Conservation Assistance Program

In urban areas, stormwater runoff is one of the major sources of pollution that impacts watersheds. Green infrastructure practices such as cisterns, dry wells and rain gardens installed in residential areas can reduce the rate of stormwater runoff & water pollution in urban areas all while maintaining a beautiful home exterior.

Georgia Conservation Assistance Program (GCAP) is a partnership between the Georgia Association of Conservation Districts (GACD), Cobb County Conservation District and Fulton County Conservation District that will fund the installation of green infrastructure practices on residential properties located in Cobb and Fulton County.

GACD and the Conservation Districts are partnering with the University of Georgia to host a free virtual workshop that will provide information on green infrastructure practices and maintenance, and outline the GCAP program and application procedure. This virtual workshop will be

held on September 10 at 10am and again at 6:30pm. Anyone who participates in the workshop will receive extra points on their GCAP application.

GCAP application period will be open September 10- 30, 2020. For more information and to register for the virtual workshop, please visit www.gacd.us/gcap .

Gwinnett County Conservation District and Upper Ocmulgee RC&D partners with Mercer University on creation of AgSTEM project.

Launch of the pilot program, AgSTEM, is set to take place this fall within the Archer school cluster.

Lawrenceville, GA July 15, 2020: The Gwinnett County Conservation District and Upper Ocmulgee RC&D have partnered with Mercer University to create a new urban agriculture educational program titled, AgSTEM. Through the district’s “Toolbox Grant,” a USDA-NRCS Annual Conservation grant that the district received last year, Gwinnett County Conservation District was able to provide funding to get the program up and running. Tixie Fowler, the District Program Assistant for Gwinnett County Conservation District, established the connections between the district, Mercer University, and other partners to bring life to this program. Although COVID-19 altered the plans slightly, an initial pilot program started this summer with the Archer school cluster within Gwinnett County.  

The first step in the program involves the equipping of schools with aquaponics systems which will merge the STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) educational standards with agriculture. Aquaponics systems utilize a connected fish tank that provides water and nutrients to feed the growth of vegetable plants suspended in the water itself. Mercer University and their STEM Education Innovations Lab led multiple teacher workshops throughout the summer on utilizing new curriculum and their new aquaponics tanks. Teachers and leadership positions have signed on to the program and are committed to seeing the program expand and grow.  

These aquaponics systems provide an engaging method for elementary, middle and high school students to experience cross curriculum learning and broaden their understanding of agriculture. In the long term, students will be able to not only engage with the aquaponics system for just a year or so, but rather will be able to interact with the aquaponics systems in each school they attend in the Archer cluster through the 12th grade. Schools can benefit from bringing this form of agriculture and STEM education into the classroom in a contained environment that is urban friendly and connects students back with agricultural principles.

STAR District Program Assistant- Lystashia Watkins

GACD is pleased to present our Star DPA Award Recipient for Spring 2020, Lystashia Watkins, serving the Ocmulgee River Conservation District and the Fort Valley USDA-NRCS office!  This award is dedicated to a DPA that has stood out in exemplary support of their districts, agency partners, and community. 

Lystashia has been working as a District Program Assistant in the Fort Valley NRCS office since March of 2018, making her one of GACD’s longest serving DPAs.   “Lystashia displays a positive attitude when working with customers, coworkers, and partners of the agency. She is always timely for work and completes all tasks required for the position. Recently she took the initiative to read to grade school students at the Heritage Elementary School and Springdale Elementary School (Bibb Co.). We are proud of Lystashia here in Fort Valley!” said Marcus Griffin, District Conservationist, Fort Valley NRCS. 

Lystashia has worked hard and represented her district and NRCS well through daily support and administration, helping her fellow DPAs, and also in her outreach efforts.   “Lystashia has always been quick to respond to our Ocmulgee District's concerns, and she is passionate in her desire to do the job right,” Ocmulgee River Conservation District Chair, Dr. Lindsay Holliday said.  Lystashia has participated in Ag in the Classroom lessons, Stewardship Week activities, Career and Earth Day events, and reads to students. “It was a pleasure educating the students on the importance of the agricultural industry in GA,” Lystashia stated about one of her outreach opportunities. 

Lystashia’s heart to serve her communities and students doesn’t end there.  She along with seven other DPAs volunteered at the Natural Resources Conservation Workshop in 2019, where she helped as an advisor overseeing a group of girls in learning about natural resources and agriculture.   

Michelle Boone, GACD South Georgia Program Manager and Director of the Natural Resources Conservation Workshop said, “Lystashia continues to provide a standard of excellence in support of her NRCS office, district, and GACD.  She is quick to volunteer where needed, helps her fellow DPAs, and shows her love for her community through her hard work and efforts. We are blessed to have her as part of our team in South Georgia.”

2020 Natural Resources Conservation Workshop CANCELLED

Due to COVID- 19 concerns, the 2020 Natural Resources Conservation Workshop is being cancelled for the first time in its history.  All University System of Georgia institutions will remain closed to students this summer.  This includes non-campus students. This would have been the 59th workshop and we are heartbroken that students across the state will not be able to experience this fantastic opportunity this year.  

We appreciate all the support our Conservation Districts do to make the workshop a success every year through student sponsorships, scholarships, and through supervisor and DPA volunteers.  It's thanks to your support and the commitment of our partners that NRCW has been the huge success it's been for decades and continues to educate the conservationists of tomorrow.  

We would like for our Supervisors to know that Districts can still support NRCW this year by making arrangements to make next year even better.   Since students are not able to attend NRCW this year, we would like to provide one of two opportunities. The first is for Districts to pre-pay for student sponsorships to be used next year. 

The other option is to provide college scholarships for next year. Some Districts already provide college scholarships, but others have not had the opportunity to provide a scholarship in the past, and this would be a great way to bless a student looking toward a future in Natural Resources.  District scholarships can be awarded statewide, or awarded to students who reside in their District.  Districts can also choose to offer more than one scholarship. 

As a reminder, the Georgia Soil & Water Conservation Commission is requesting all district funds be used by May 15. 

Districts wanting to create a scholarship for next year should contact Vonda Fenn, Special Projects Coordinator at ABAC and she will assist with the process. Vonda can be reached at vfenn@abac.edu or phone, 229-391-5067.

GACD Receives Third Year of Technical Assistance Funding

The National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD) recently announced the award of $8.5 million in new technical assistance grants to over 300 conservation districts in 49 states and territories.

This is the third year GACD has been a recipient of NACD’s Technical Assistance Grants program, created with funds from the United States Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS).

This agreement has helped NRCS offices across Georgia increase staffing at the field level to provide conservation services to farmers, forestland owners and local communities.

“As our nation’s private lands continue to provide an abundant supply of foods, goods and services, even in times of crisis, we must also remember to take care of the land,” NACD President Tim Palmer said. “By providing additional conservation technical assistance through these awards, NACD and its conservation districts will stand armed and ready to provide local knowledge and decision making for their customers and cooperators, so they can continue to grow and provide the nation’s food, fuel, feed and fiber."

GACD Annual Meeting Rescheduled

GACD is pleased to announce that our Annual Meeting originally scheduled for April 5-7, 2020 has been rescheduled to January 15-17, 2021 at Callaway Resort and Gardens. 
We are confident that our outstanding group of speakers, presenters and special guests originally scheduled will join us in January.
 
If you have made a room reservation with the hotel, it will be automatically moved to the January dates, unless you feel the need to cancel, which you can do directly with the hotel.
 
Registration payments will be automatically moved to the new date in January unless otherwise noted.

POSTPONEMENT OF GACD ANNUAL MEETING

We regret to inform you, but in light of the current situation and concerns regarding the COVID-19 (Coronavirus), we feel that it is best to act with an abundance of caution and postpone our Annual Meeting. The GACD Board of Directors has made the unanimous decision to reschedule as the health and well-being of our District Supervisors, partners and friends is of paramount importance We must consider everyone’s health a top priority and eliminate as many risks as possible.

Information regarding the new date of our re-scheduled Annual Meeting and details regarding registration fees, etc. will be communicated as soon as possible. The current
reservations made in our GACD room block at Callaway Gardens will be rolled over to the re-scheduled meeting dates.

Your board will evaluate other planned GACD events, and we will advise of any changes as promptly as possible.

We greatly appreciate everyone’s understanding in this matter.

Woody Snell, President, GACD

Mark Masters, Vice- Chair of the Lower Chattahoochee River Conservation District, Accepted into Inaugural Cohort of the Next Generation Leadership Institute

GACD is excited to announce the selection of Mark Masters, Vice- Chair of the Lower Chattahoochee River Conservation District, to the National Conservation Foundation's "Next Generation Leadership Institute" cohort.

Of all the applicants, only seven were selected in the nation and two in the Southeast.

"Mark is an excellent representative for Georgia, and the Southeast, as he continues to showcase his passion for locally led conservation and remains committed to growing his natural resource expertise and leadership skills," Woody Snell, GACD President says. "We are proud to have him representing us and congratulate him on this opportunity."

The goals of the Next Generation Leadership Institute are to equip Conservation District leaders with personal, civic and organizational development so they can ensure future needs of resource management are met and represent Districts and challenges they face on the national level. For more information on the program go to https://www.nacdnet.org/…/national-conservati…/ncf-next-gen/.

Mark has been a District Supervisor serving the Lower Chattahoochee River Conservation District since 2013 and also serves as the Director of the Georgia Water Policy and Planning Center in Albany. He resides in Dawson, GA with his wife Amy and daughters Lilly, Sally and Molly.

District Program Assistant Wesley Doyle Honored for Work

GACD is pleased to announce the new Star DPA Award recipient, Wesley Doyle, our DPA in the Lamar and Towaliga Conservation Districts. This award is dedicated to a DPA that stood out in exemplary support of their districts, agency partners, and community. 

Wesley has served as a DPA since April of 2018 out of the Barnesville NRCS office. His District Conservationist, Carmen Westerfield is very proud of his hard work. She says, “Wesley has been instrumental in significantly increasing the visibility of the 2 districts, Lamar and Towaliga, which impacts 2 field offices and 7 counties. His public relations and marketing skills are an invaluable asset to the Barnesville field office conservation partnership which includes the two districts, our service center partners, FSA and RD, UGA Extension and the Georgia Forestry Commission.” 

With both of his conservation districts, Wesley has been immensely helpful in putting together events and working to promote the work of the districts within their community. For the Towaliga District, Wesley has been working on the newly created “Conservation Education Initiative” that provides garden raised beds for educational purposes. In the Lamar District, Wesley has been instrumental in the promotion and creation of the district’s “Beef Cattle 101 Educational Series.” This series of workshops provides landowners and farmers opportunities to learn about grazing systems and cattle farm operations. The Lamar County Conservation District Chairman Chad Thompson says, “He is organized, dedicated, timely with responses and actions, and always willing to jump in and help.”

Katie Sanders, GACD North Georgia Program Manager says, “Wesley is a major asset to our team. He is always ready to lend a hand or offer suggestions that have benefitted DPAs across the state.”

Upper Chattahoochee River SWCD Annual Farmer of the Year Banquet

The Upper Chattahoochee River Soil and Water Conservation District held its annual Farmer of the Year Banquet on November 14, 2019 at the Lumpkin County Parks and Recreation Department Community Center in Dahlonega, GA. The board consists of district supervisors representing five counties: Habersham, White, Lumpkin, Dawson and Forsyth. A farm family was selected from each of the counties as farm family of the year.  Supervisor Gilbert Barrett was also honored for his 15 years of service to the Upper Chattahoochee River SWCD board. 

Gilbert Barrett grew up on a farm outside of Cornelia, Georgia.  It was there he learned the value of hard work, conservation, and the value of a dollar.   His agricultural roots and the AG industry taught Barrett that when you take care of the land, it will take care of you.  Barrett says the best environmental stewards that he knows are indeed farmers. Barrett runs a grandparent-seed stock poultry operation and maintains a commercial cow/calf operation along with a small purebred Simmental herd.  He also grows hay and other feeds to sustain the livestock.  Aside from his duties as President/CEO of Farmers Exchange, an agricultural cooperative, Gilbert is active in civic, church and professional organizations.  Gilbert serves on the boards of Habersham County Farm Bureau, North GA Technical College, State Department of Community Affairs, and the State Veterinary Education Board.  Gilbert and his wife, Donna, have three grown children.  They are members of Chattahoochee Baptist where Gilbert teaches Sunday School and serves as a deacon.

The Upper Chattahoochee River Soil and Water Conservation District thanks Mr. Barrett for his dedication to the board and wishes him well on his future farming endeavors. The board also congratulates the farm families for their continuous implementation of conservation practices on their lands. The board supports soil and water conservation efforts by providing technical assistance through a partnership with USDA-NRCS and providing educational outreach to all in their communities.  

Gilbert Barrett posing with his plaque from the banquet.