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On Sunday, July 21, conservation district officials and employees gathered for the start of the 2019 NACD South Central Region meeting in Thackerville, Oklahoma. Several attendees hailed from Louisiana, including John Alan Williams and Anita Manshack from the Sabine Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) in Many. The three-day meeting was hosted by the Oklahoma Conservation Partnership and the Oklahoma Association of Conservation Districts. On Monday, July 22, NACD President Tim Palmer delivered opening remarks, addressing meeting attendees with a message of encouragement for the work that conservation districts are doing across the region. The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Acting Associate Chief Kevin Norton gave updates on NRCS programs and funding. Following Norton’s message, staff from the Oklahoma Conservation Commission’s Water Quality Division presented the initial results of the Oklahoma National Water Quality Initiative pilot study and EPA 319 project. The morning session closed with representatives from the Chickasaw, Cheyenne and Arapaho, and Choctaw Nations, who gave updates on several tribal natural resource management projects. The afternoon conservation field trips featured a hands-on demonstration of a growing season prescribed burn, a tour of a recently rehabilitated upstream flood control structure, and an in-depth experience with the field crews and volunteers who conduct water quality sampling across the host state. The sessions held Tuesday, July 23 include several pollinator-focused projects, soil health initiatives and a discussion on introducing methods for saving the soil while adding profits to production agriculture operations. At the close of the meeting, NACD hosted a listening session, focusing on collecting feedback on programs, as well as guidance on how to help further the mission of conservation districts across the nation. The Sabine SWCD is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender. To ask questions or voice comments call the Sabine SWCD at (318) 256-3491 Extension 3078.
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