Governor Kemp Appoints Vikki Consiglio to GSWCC Board

Congratulations to Vikki Consiglio, GACD Treasurer and Henry County Soil and Water Conservation District Supervisor, for being appointed by Governor Brian Kemp to the Georgia Soil and Water Conservation Commission Board.

Vikki has served as the Executive Director of the Georgia Utility Contractors Association, Inc. for twenty-four years. She has over thirty years of foundation and corporate board experience, serving on a multitude of construction industry, civic, and religious boards. In 2012, she was selected to serve as a supervisor for the Henry County Soil and Water Conservation District. Consiglio attended Columbus State College, where she majored in Business and Organizational Management, and studied Bible and Music and Gateway College of Evangelism. She is the mother of four grown children, grandmother to ten grandchildren, and married to William Consiglio. They reside in McDonough, where they attend Grace Summit Church.

Vikki is a great addition to the Board and will represent the needs and interests of Georgia's Soil and Water Conservation Districts well.

Local USDA—NRCS District Conservationist Carmen Westerfield Named Finalist in National Conservation Leadership Award

Barnesville, GA (October 5, 2020)—Carmen Westerfield, District Conservationist for both the Lamar County and Towaliga Soil and Water Conservation Districts, was one of five national finalists for the Hugh Hammond Bennett Conservation Planner Award. This national award is given to an individual who demonstrates a high standard of conservation planning and implementation for customers as well as sharing his/her expertise with others.

Recognizing the leadership and dedication of Hugh Hammond Bennett, the father of the modern soil conservation movement and the first Chief of the Soil Conservation Service (now the Natural Resources Conservation Service), the Hugh Hammond Bennett Award for Conservation Excellence recognizes individuals at the local, state and the national level for extraordinary achievements in and contributions to the soil and water conservation movement in the United States. These awards recognize producers and conservation planners from within the National Conservation Planning Partnership (NCPP) who have exemplified outstanding service through development and implementation of sound conservation planning and other conservation techniques.

In the local agricultural community, there are not many people who don’t know “Ms. Carmen.” She is widely recognized as a knowledgeable conservation and resource planner whose goal it is to provide the best customer service to her producers. One of the first things you see when you walk into the local field office is a plaque and “trophy” touting 2019 Field Office of the Year for Georgia. This is a field office she has supervised for the past two decades.

It would be fair to say that Mrs. Westerfield’s strong partnerships with her local districts led to one of these districts receiving the GACD (Georgia Association of Conservation Districts) 2019 District of the Year award. The Towaliga district is the most recent recipient, but it can’t be left out that the Lamar County SWCD has acquired the same distinction in year’s past under Ms. Westerfield’s guidance. Most recently, under her guidance and encouragement, the Lamar County SWCD was awarded a USDA/NRCS Conservation Innovation Grant where they presented a 10-month long Beef Cattle 101 Series to interested local producers. This is the first comprehensive program of its kind in the state of Georgia.

Past awards bestowed upon Ms. Westerfield include the State of Georgia House of Representatives 904 Award for continued service to the City of Barnesville and Lamar County, Georgia NRCS Conservation Communicator of the Year, Dr. O.E. Sell Award from the Mid-GA Cattlemen’s Association, and the GACDS Award for Superior Professional Support to Conservation Districts.

GACD and GSWCC Partnering for Virtual Supervisor and Staff Training

Due to COVID-19 we had to cancel all in person training for this year, but we are excited to offer you virtual training options!

The Georgia Association of Conservation Districts and the Georgia Soil and Water Conservation Commission are partnering to present two virtual training events. 

The first training event will be held on Thursday November 5th. Choose from two different times to accommodate your schedule- 10:00am and 6:00pm.
This session will cover GACD Supervisor and Staff Training Modules 1-6:
-Module 1: GACDs Partnership with the Districts
-Module 2: Conservation District Basics
-Module 3: District Responsibilities
-Module 4: Becoming a District Supervisor
-Module 5: Meeting Specifics
-Module 6: Sunshine Laws

The second training event will be held on Thursday November 12th. Chose from two different times to accommodate your schedule- 10:00am and 6:00pm.
This session will cover GACD Supervisor and Staff Training Modules 7-12:
-Module 7: Power of Partnerships
-Module 8: Legislative Advocacy
-Module 9: Development and Outreach
-Module 10: Tips for Success
-Module 11: All about DPAs
-Module 12: Erosion & Sediment Control

Training will be based off GACD's Online Supervisor and Staff Training Modules found at www.gacd.us/training. Modules will be presented by GACD and GSWCC staff.  Attendees that complete both events will be eligible for recognition at GACD's 2021 Annual Meeting. 
 For question contact GACD at 1-833-411-GACD or info@gacd.us

Introducing GACD's New Pollinator Coordinator

We are excited to introduce Irenee Payne as our new Pollinator Coordinator!

Irenee grew up on a cattle farm in North Georgia, where she spent her childhood learning about native plants and wildlife from her family. Irenee went on to receive a bachelor’s degree in biology from Young Harris College and a master’s degree in environmental science from Oregon State University. Throughout her academic endeavors, she has researched plant biochemistry, human impacts on various ecosystems, and the impact of fire on plant species composition in forests. Irenee has worked as a DPA for Hall County Soil & Water Conservation District for the last two and a half years, where she has educated her community on a variety of topics, including soil health, water quality, native species dynamics, and the importance of pollinators in our ecosystems. As the Pollinator Coordinator, Irenee hopes to implement outreach and educational opportunities that address the role pollinators play in maintaining diverse plant communities and ecosystem resilience throughout Georgia.

Irenee will be working directly with the Conservation Districts as she coordinates the implementation and installation of our pollinator gardens and habitats throughout the state!

More information on our Pollinator Initiative at www.gacd.us/pollinators

Flint River Soil and Water Conservation District awarded the Clean 13 Water Heroes Award

Congratulations to the Flint River Soil and Water Conservation District for recently being awarded the Clean 13 Water Heroes Award!

The Georgia Water Coalition consists of over 260 organizations and annually publishes a list of 13 entities to recognize their conservation efforts and demonstrating success. The Flint River Soil and Water Conservation District was recognized for several of their projects, including their Dynamic Variable Rate Irrigation (VRI), Smart Irrigation Month, On-Farm Cost Share Programs and more.

For the full article on their award click here.

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."