News & Notes March 2007

PA Well Represented at NACD Annual Convention

Nearly 20 Pennsylvanians converged with other nationwide delegates in Los Angeles, California to attend the National Association of Conservation Districts annual convention February 4 - 8, 2007.
The conservationists met to discuss key conservation issues, recognize
national award winners, and celebrate over 60 years of conservation.
After four solid days of meetings, networking and strategizing, NACD
annual meeting attendees left sunny California reenergized with new
ideas. Work at the annual meeting included developing a clear set of
priorities for the organization as it moves toward the 2007 Farm Bill
and other conservation challenges.
(For the complete NACD 2007 Farm Bill report go to http://www.nacdnet.org/FB07/FB07/FBCoresStatements.htm)

Olin Sims, a rancher and conservation leader from McFadden,
Wyoming was elected to a two-year term as President by NACD’s
Board of Directors. “Our future is bright,” said Sims. The work of
members from throughout the country at NACD’s 61st annual meeting
will set the stage for future success, he said. “We’re getting extremely
close as an organization to being able to speak with one, powerful
voice for conservation, and we’re also getting close to achieving that
goal with our partners.”

Other officers elected included First-Vice President Steve Robinson,
a Marysville Ohio farmer and business operator. “I look forward
to continuing to work for conservation districts across the country.
That’s always been my goal.” Robinson is a row-crop farmer and also
operates a construction company. He has installed numerous conservation
practices on his farm, which was the site of a wild turkey release
by the Ohio wildlife agency last week.

Elected Second Vice President was Bob Cordova, a rancher and
conservation district official from Colorado Springs, Colorado. Also,
re-elected Secretary-Treasurer was John Redding of Monroe, Georgia.
Redding is a longtime conservation district official and community leader.

President Sims thanked conference attendees for hard work throughout
the conference. “I’d like to commend everyone here for coming to
this convention with their sleeves rolled up. We had a very ambitious and
demanding workload, but folks really responded,” he said.

Victor Cappucci, PACD President, attended the convention and
was excited to participate. He stated, “I had the privilege of being a
member of the District and Partnership Operations Issues Committees.
I saw history in the making in preparing for the 2007 Farm Bill. In the past, districts and states had worked in parallel lines, but I saw those lines coming together at the NACD meting. We need to speak with one voice if we are going to get the job done in conservation.” President Cappucci was pleased that Westmoreland Conservation District Director Ron Rohall was publicly recognized for his national efforts on the passage of legislation authorizing federal abandoned mine funds to be released to the states. Ron’s tireless efforts will net Pennsylvania millions of dollars for acid mine cleanup.

Irvil Kear, PACD Second Vice-President, also attended the convention.
She spent the bulk of her time with the NACD Legislative Committee and the Urban, Community and Coastal Conservation Strategy Committee. The Legislative Committee concurred with PACD President Cappucci and stressed that districts need to speak with one voice and concentrate on a few key issues. They concentrated primarily on the 2007 Farm Bill. The Urban Committee named its proposal, “Every Acre Counts.” The strategy included increasing district visibility in urban, community and coastal areas; strengthening district capabilities and funding; and showcasing and networking districts’ work on water quality/quantity, urban-rural interface, and coastal/estuarine resource issues. Kear stated, “The NACD convention experience was incredible, especially when PA has been one of the top ten winners consistently in many competitions. Much of what occurs nationally impacts us locally, and knowing that helps knowing what to do locally to influence national legislation.”

Pat Sueck, NACD Director, said that PA folks were kept quite busy. She stated, “Board meetings were held each day, policy items were discussed at general meetings, financial reports were explained, and resolutions were voted on. It is very rewarding to serve on the board in PACD’s name.”

Governor Presents Annual Budget Proposal
Governor Ed Rendell presented his budget address on Tuesday, February 6, 2007. It seems the big winners this year are public healthcare reform and education. Within the PDA budget, the Governor proposes to cut the Local Soil and Water District Assistance line item $590,000 from $1.8 million to $1.21 million. In fact, for the last seven years the reigning Governor proposed $1.21 million and the last three years the legislature
increased the CDFAP funding. The transfer to the Nutrient Management Fund remained the same as previous years at $3.28 million. The State Conservation Commission anticipates that $5 million will have to be appropriated to sustain the program because carry-over funds from past years are depleted.

On the DEP side, the Local Soil and Water District Assistance
line item was cut $500,000 from last year to $3.1 million. Again, this is the same scenario as the funding levels in the PDA budget. For the last nine years, the reigning Governor proposed $3.1 million and the last three years the General Assembly increased the funding level to $3.6 million. PACD will work with the legislature to restore and increase all of these lines. The entire budget can be viewed on the web at http://www.budget.state.pa.us/budget/site/default.asp and click on Governor’s 2007-08 Executive Budget.

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