Association of Texas Soil and Water Conservation Districts
May 30, 2023
CALL FOR RESOLUTIONS
ATSWCD President Kent Batman has issued the Call For Resolutions. His letter contains details regarding the 2023 Resolutions process, how to submit District Resolutions electronically and the postmark deadline.
Call For Resolutions
These relevant sections of the ATSWCD By-laws cover resolutions, quota payments and active ATSWCD membership requirements.
August 30, 2023 postmark deadline
Note to Districts: Call the ATSWCD office if you have any questions about submitting Resolutions, quota payments, or to ensure that your District is an active member of the Association.
ATSWCD office: 254-778-8741
2023 STATE CONSERVATION AWARD WINNERS
CONGRATULATIONS TO THE 2023 STATE AWARD WINNERS!
Conservation Farmer
Aaron Reeves
Collin County SWCD #535
Outstanding SWCD
Gillespie County SWCD #220
Conservation Rancher
Tretha Caddell
Lamb County SWCD #131
Conservation Teacher
Lynita Foster
Bedias Creek SWCD #428
Wildlife Conservationist
Gary Gardner
Upper Llanos SWCD #225
Friend of Conservation
Keep Big Spring Beautiful
Howard SWCD #243
Junior Essay
Blaine Dahl
Hartley SWCD #152
Senior Essay
Tabor Christanelli
Lower Pease SWCD #162
Poster K-2nd Grade
Isabella Cervantez
West Nueces-Las Moras SWCD #236
Poster 3rd-6th Grade
Emme Davila
Jackson SWCD #336
Complete Listing of all Area Winners
2023 Conservation Awards Program
Award entries must be postmarked no later than February 1, 2023
The 2023 Conservation Awards packet can also be found online on the TSSWCB website at: https://www.tsswcb.texas.gov/programs/public-information-and-education/texas-conservation-awards-program
"The Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board (TSSWCB) and the Association of Texas Soil and Water Conservation Districts (ATSWCD), as directing sponsors of the Texas Conservation Awards Program, are pleased to join the 216 Texas soil and water conservation districts in the quest for 2023 area winners.
The purpose of the Texas Conservation Awards Program is to acknowledge, recognize and honor those who dedicate themselves and their talents to the conservation and wise use of our renewable natural resources. The conservation awards program provides competition and incentives to expand and improve conservation efforts, resource development, and increase the wise utilization of our renewable natural resources. As a result, soil and water conservation districts and both rural and urban citizens of Texas are benefited."
ONE WATER
THE 2023 STEWARDSHIP WEEK
AND TEXAS AWARDS CONTEST THEME
Healthy watersheds provide critical services, such as clean drinking water, productive fisheries, and outdoor recreation, that support our economies, environment, and quality of life. The health of clean waters is heavily influenced by the condition of their surrounding watersheds, mainly because pollutants can wash off from the land to the water and cause substantial harm. Utilizing Stewardship Week to inform students and communities of their dependance and responsibility to our watersheds will create guardians of one of our most precious resources, water.
DISTRICTS, TEACHERS AND OTHER EDUCATORS:
Download the 43-page
NACD Curriculum Guide to One Water
WHAT IS ONE WATER?
In 2023, NACD's Stewardship Week will be focused on watersheds and the theme of "One Water." But what is a watershed? A watershed is an area of land that channels rainfall and snowmelt to creeks, streams, and rivers, eventually leading to outflow points such as reservoirs, bays, and the ocean. Those bodies of water are all connected, so every drop that falls becomes part of one water.
Watersheds can be any size and usually have some high points of land like hills, mountains, or ridges. When rain, sleet, or snow falls to the ground, the precipitation runs from those higher points to the lower points. Gravity pulls the water downhill until it reaches a body of water. If the land in the watershed is steep, the water usually runs off into rivers or streams. If the land in the watershed is level, the water will slowly flow into lakes or ponds, or seep into the soil and add to groundwater. If the watershed is close to the ocean, then tidal marshes, estuaries, and wetlands will be part of the watershed. From the top of the mountain all the way to the coast, it is all one water.
Have you ever watched it rain? The raindrops fall on the ground and flow through the soil. Water soaks through the soil until it reaches groundwater, which is water that moves through spaces in soil and rock underground. A lot of the water we use and drink every day comes from water in the ground. As it rains and the water runs off, it collects in rivers, lakes, and oceans and then returns to the atmosphere to fall as rain somewhere else. All land across the entire earth is made up of watersheds. We all live in a watershed. We share the water in our watershed with other people, with animals, and with plants because… it is all one water.
For the 2023 "One Water" theme, also see NACD's 2018 watershed resources.
Link to 2018 NACD resources: https://www.nacdnet.org/general-resources/stewardship-and-education-materials/2018-watersheds-water-home/
More information about One Water, the 2023 Stewardship Week and Texas Awards Contest theme, can be found on the NACD website: https://www.nacdnet.org/
![NACD LOGO SEPT 2017 white bg - blue C - with text[38423].png](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/b43bc1_b04610781e8142f3af766c3527799a44~mv2.png/v1/fill/w_116,h_86,al_c,q_85,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_auto/NACD%20LOGO%20SEPT%202017%20white%20bg%20-%20blue%20C%20-%20with%20text%5B38423%5D.png)
See the NACD Website/Conservation Education Hub
https://www.nacdnet.org/conservation-education-hub/
to download curriculum and other educational material
for past years' conservation stewardship themes:
Healthy Soil: Healthy Life
Pollinator Field Day Guide
Healthy Forests = Healthy Communities
Where Would We Bee Without Pollinators?
Life in the Soil: Dig Deeper
Watersheds: Our Water, Our Home
Healthy Soils are Full of Life
SOIL AND WATER STEWARDSHIP WEEK
APRIL 30 -- MAY 7, 2023
NACD ANNOUNCES
2023 STEWARDSHIP WEEK THEME
The Soil and Water Stewardship Week message
is a joint effort of ATSWCD and TSSWCB, in partnership with these
sponsoring ag and conservation agencies
2022
Poster and Essay Contests and Stewardship Week
"HEALTHY SOIL: HEALTHY LIFE"
RESOURCES FOR THE
NACD’s 67th Stewardship Week
will be celebrated
April 24 – May 1, 2022
with the theme
“Healthy Soil: Healthy Life"
![NACD LOGO SEPT 2017 white bg - blue C - with text[38423].png](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/b43bc1_b04610781e8142f3af766c3527799a44~mv2.png/v1/fill/w_163,h_121,al_c,q_85,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_auto/NACD%20LOGO%20SEPT%202017%20white%20bg%20-%20blue%20C%20-%20with%20text%5B38423%5D.png)
NACD'S 2022 STEWARDSHIP WEEK MATERIALS NOW AVAILABLE ONLINE
September 27, 2021 -- Soil is maybe not something everyone thinks about every day. However, soil is an important resource in our lives. It’s the foundation for healthy food production, clean air and water, abundant crops and forests, diverse wildlife and beautiful landscapes. For these reasons, it is extremely important to preserve and protect soils by advocating and educating generations to come. NACD’s 2022 Stewardship and Education materials, celebrating the theme “Healthy Soil: Healthy Life,” are now available for free download through NACD's Conservation Education Hub. The development of the K-8 curriculum was made possible through the support and funding of the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). NRCS conservationists provide technical expertise and conservation planning for farmers, ranchers and forest landowners wanting to make conservation improvements to their land and conserve the nation's soil, water, air and wildlife. These free, downloadable materials provide a great opportunity for K-8 students to learn about soil health, its benefits and the role it plays in our everyday life. Students will also gain an appreciation for the number of people and amount of work involved in food production and learn how to pursue soil scientist careers. Next year's Stewardship Week, scheduled for April 24-May 1, 2022, will highlight the importance of conserving and protecting our soil. In the coming weeks, conservation districts will be able to place orders for print-on-demand 2022 materials. Rules and other resources for the 2022 NACD Poster Contest are also available for free download on NACD's Contests webpage. To learn more, visit NACD's Stewardship Program webpage or contact stewardship@nacdnet.org.
. . . Tamara Daniel, ATSWCD Executive Director
Monday Minutes 9/27/2021
From NACD about the importance and impact of Stewardship Week
Why Stewardship Week?
Each spring, NACD and thousands of dedicated conservationists organize a multitude of outreach events and educational learning experiences for students and adults in order to increase awareness about the importance of natural resource conservation. During Stewardship Week, local conservation districts and their state associations educate the public on the importance of soil health, water quality, pollinator habitat and other conservation topics. Different classroom activities, field visits and community events are hosted to honor and recognize efforts in conservation at the local level.
https://www.nacdnet.org/news-and-events/stewardship-week/
FFA LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM
2023 SOIL STEWARDSHIP PUBLIC SPEAKING CONTEST
Three scholarships will be awarded by the
Association of Texas Soil and Water Conservation Districts:
-
$3,000.00 scholarship
will be awarded to the first place contestant
-
$2,000.00 scholarship
will be awarded to the second place contestant
-
$1,000.00 scholarship
will be awarded to the third place contestant
The contest is a partnership between the Texas FFA, the Vocational Agriculture Teachers Association of Texas, the Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board and the Association of Texas Soil and Water Conservation Districts.
Contact: Molly Christensen, TSSWCB
email: mchristensen@tsswcb.texas.gov
For more information:
FFA LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM
2021 Soil Stewardship Public Speaking Contest
Winners of the Texas FFA State Soil Stewardship Public Speaking Contest were announced at the 93rd Annual FFA Convention held July 5-9, 2021 in Fort Worth, Texas. ATSWCD sponsors the Stewardship Public Speaking Contest, providing scholarships to three top winners.
ATSWCD President Rick Schilling Congratulates the 2021 State Winners!
State Champion Breanna Jimenez - East Central FFA
Hailey Tucker, Second Place - Katy FFA
Avery Maas, Third Place - Magnolia FFA
FFA LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM
Winners of the 2020 Soil Stewardship Public Speaking Contest
(AUSTIN, Texas) – July 6, 2020 – This week, the Texas FFA Association will hold its 92nd annual state convention virtually for the very first time since its founding in 1928. The virtual convention, themed Strive, is taking place July 8 through 10 and will provide access to the specialized event to more than 139,500 members across the state of Texas from the comfort of their homes.
Winner of the 2019 Soil Stewardship
Public Speaking Contest
Hannah Norwood, member of Warren FFA, was the winner of the 2019 FFA Leadership Development Program Soil Stewardship Public Speaking Contest.
She delivered her award-winning speech during the General Session at the 79th Annual Meeting of SWCD Directors held October 28-30, 2019 at the Hyatt Regency Hill Country Resort in San Antonio, TX.
Waiting to announce the winner of the 2019
FFA Leadership Development Program Soil Stewardship Public Speaking Contest at the 91st annual Texas FFA State Convention held in Fort Worth, July 15-19, 2019
Left to right: TSSWCB Information Specialist Clyde Gottschalk, contest chairman; ATSWCD Directors, J.C. Mathiews, District 5 and W.T. (Bill) Gray, District 1.