Association of Texas Soil and Water Conservation Districts
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The National Association of Conservation Districts on The Basics of Conservation Delivery
"The National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD) is the nonprofit organization that represents America’s 3,000 conservation districts, their state and territory associations, and the 17,000 men and women who serve on their governing boards. The association was founded on the philosophy that conservation decisions should be made voluntarily at the local level with technical and funding assistance from federal, state, and local governments, as well as the private sector."
NACD Annual Meeting
San Diego, CA
February 10-14, 2024
ATSWCD President Kent Batman, Immediate Past President Rick Schilling and Area 5 Board member John Tate all traveled to San Diego to the NACD Annual Meeting. Kent, Rick and John sat through many different board and committee meetings to ensure Texas’ voice was heard loud and strong. Texas did send one resolution to the NACD meeting that was approved at the Annual State Meeting, However, the resolution was ruled out of order and was never heard by the delegates.
. . . Monday Minutes, February 26, 2024
Tamara Daniel, ATSWCD Executive Director
NACD South Central Region Meeting
August 13-15, 2023
Arlington, TX
![NACD LOGO SEPT 2017 white bg - blue C - with text[38423].png](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/b43bc1_d9661f4d774e4bd1a390badd05993ac5~mv2_d_11433_8463_s_4_2.png/v1/fill/w_88,h_65,al_c,q_85,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,blur_3,enc_auto/NACD%20LOGO%20SEPT%202017%20white%20bg%20-%20blue%20C%20-%20with%20text%5B38423%5D.png)
The NACD South Central Region Meeting was held in Arlington, August 13-15, 2023. The meeting kicked off on Sunday afternoon with a welcome reception and registration. Monday morning participants boarded buses and headed to the 77 Ranch in Navarro County for a ranch tour, to learn more about Gary Price's award winning conservation work on his ranch. The day ended with a fun evening on the patio at Joe T. Garcia’s restaurant. The general session and business session were held on Tuesday.
NACD South Central Region Meeting and Ranch Tour Gallery
Click on a photo to expand and scroll through the galleries
Gallery 1
Gallery 2
All NACD SC Region Meeting Photos Credit: Elizabeth Daniel Photography
Annual Spring Fly-in
March 13, 2019 Washington, DC
March 18, 2019 -- Last week the Association Board traveled to Washington, DC to participate in the NACD Fly In. Board members spent 2 days on Capitol Hill meeting with members of the Texas delegation. Members were provide information on conservation activities in their districts and discussed the importance of the implementation of the new Farm Bill. They also highlighted the important of federal support for the Watershed Protection Program and the Carrizo Cane Eradication Program.
. . . Tamara Daniel, ATSWCD Executive Director
Monday Minutes, 3/18/2019
Members of the ATSWCD group are pictured with Texas Senator Ted Cruz in Washington, DC during the 2019 Spring Fly-in.
ANNUAL SPRING FLY-IN
Every March, ATSWCD joins the NACD staff on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., to visit with legislators and promote the interests of conservation districts.
NACD MEETING ARCHIVES:
ATSWCD INVOLVEMENT ON THE NATIONAL LEVEL
ATSWCD REPRESENTATIVES ATTEND 2022 NACD REGIONAL MEETING
Association President Rick Schilling, Vice President Kent Batman and Immediate Past President Volney Hough represented the Association at the South Central Region Meeting in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The meeting included members of the conservation partnership from Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Louisiana. The group toured the LSU Center for River Studies to learn more about research and the importance of the Mississippi River. They also heard from Louisiana Commissioner of Agriculture Mike Strain. Rick Schilling is currently serving as the South Central Region Chairman. The 2023 meeting will be held in Texas.
. . . Monday Minutes 9/12/22
Tamara Daniel, ATSWCD Executive Director
Photos:
San Antonio
River Authority
Texas Night was hosted by
Association of Texas Soil and Water Conservation Districts
Boots were dusted off and a night of dancing was enjoyed in the world-famous Buckhorn Saloon! Live music was provided by the “Old Friends” band. Admission included all-you-can-eat and all-you-can-drink for the night, as well as access to the Buckhorn Museum. We strolled over to the Buckhorn located at 318 E. Houston and stopped to take a quick picture at the Alamo along the way!
-- TOURS --
Protecting the Alamo City from Flooding
Texas Night
Hill Country Tour
The Meadows Center for Water and Environment
IMAX Movie "The Alamo"
Lyndon B. Johnson Ranch and Fredericksburg Tour
National Museum of Pacific War Tour
Natural Bridge Caverns and Gruene, TX Tour
Missions and San Antonio Architecture Tour
![2019 NACD ANNUAL MTG IMG_1478[129079].jp](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/b43bc1_7387bb8c37a44666b6547b27d58fd13a~mv2_d_4032_3024_s_4_2.jpeg/v1/crop/x_598,y_0,w_3434,h_2325/fill/w_72,h_49,al_c,q_80,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,blur_2,enc_auto/2019%20NACD%20ANNUAL%20MTG%20IMG_1478%5B129079%5D_jp.jpeg)
Highlights of the
73rd Annual NACD Meeting
February 2-6, 2019 San Antonio, TX
2019 ANNUAL NACD MEETING TOUR
Protecting the Alamo City from Flooding
hosted by Association of Texas Soil and Water Conservation Districts
The Association of Texas Soil and Water Conservation Districts has partnered with the San Antonio River Authority to provide a tour of the improvements made to both ends of the river to improve the quality of life for residents and business owners and increase the water quality, quantity and diversity of plant and animal species.
2018 NACD South Central Regional Conference
September 4-6, 2018 San Marcos, TX
Nathan Haile (far right), Soil Health Specialist for Texas NRCS, addresses tour participants at the NACD South Central Regional Conference.
ATSWCD president Volney Hough (standing, left) and Marty Graham, TSSWCB Director/Area II (standing, right) visit with David Basinger, TSSWCB Director/Area IV (seated, left) and Barry Mahler, TSSWCB Director/Area V, (seated, right) during one of the tours at the NACD South Central Conference.
(Tour pictures by Molly Christensen, TSSWCB)
September 4-6, 2018 -- ATSWCD hosted the NACD South Central Regional Conference in San Marcos, TX. Participants from around the region toured field locations where they learned about local agricultural operations from Texas NRCS specialists and other speakers.
A highlight of the day was the final stop at The Meadows Center for Water and the Environment, formerly Aquarena Springs. Glass-bottomed boats were boarded for a tour of the lake and the famous springs, which are said to be one of the largest artesian springs in the world.
The facility is now owned by Texas State University, and the staff provided information about their research, through which they "promote sustainable management of water systems and seek to increase the understanding of complex water and natural resource topics".
The tour day concluded with dinner on the banks of the lake.
The Meadows Center for Water and the Environment in San Marcos, TX, where NACD South Central Conference attendees toured the lake in glass-bottomed boats, seeing the famous artesian springs. (The Meadows Center website photo)
ATSWCD President Volney Hough (left), accepts the Top Ten Award for Texas membership contributions from NACD President Brent Van Dyke at the 2018 NACD Annual Meeting in Nashville, TN.