P ROGRAMMING THROUGH P ARTNERSHIPS

T HE I MPORTANCE OF P ARTNERSHIPS Districts are most effective when working with the many partnerships available. Partnerships are what enable Districts to deliver educational programs to their Officers and communities. Partnerships also allow for a wider variety of ideas and opportunities.

U TILIZING P ROGRAMS A great way to build a relationship with the community in your district is to implement and/or spread awareness of programs offered by our partnerships. In this slide show, programs offered by a few partners are reviewed. Note that there are programs offered by almost all of our partnerships! (all listed in the acronym document) Using these programs will also strengthen relationships with our partners. The purpose of this presentation is not to make you memorize all the programs, but to be aware of the different programs available. Your district may even be using programs listed here already!

NACD Stewardship Program In 1955, the National Association of Conservation Districts began a national program to encourage Americans to focus on stewardship. Stewardship Week is officially celebrated from the last Sunday in April to the first Sunday in May. The program relies on locally-led conservation districts sharing and promoting stewardship and conservation activities. Districts provide conservation and stewardship field days, programs, workshops and additional outreach efforts throughout their community to educate citizens about the need to care for our resources. The Stewardship concept involves personal and social responsibility, including a duty to learn about and improve natural resources as we use them wisely, leaving a rich legacy for future generations. Stewardship Week helps to remind us all of the power each person has to conserve natural resources and improve the world.

NACD Contests Contests provide an excellent opportunity for students to enjoy healthy competition while learning about conservation. NACD and the NACD Auxiliary annually partner to host the National Poster Contest and the Photo Contest. NACD also serves as a sponsor and judge for the annual Canon Envirothon contest. National Poster Contest The annual National Conservation Poster Contest provides kindergarten through twelfth grade students an opportunity to convey their thoughts about soil, water and related natural resource issues through art. It also highlights the educational outreach efforts of conservation districts and their state conservation associations, auxiliaries and agencies. The poster contest theme follows the annual Stewardship theme and is co- sponsored by the National Association of Conservation Districts and the NACD Auxiliary. Each year, the poster contest starts at the district level. District winners advance to the state level. National winners are recognized each year at the NACD Annual Meeting.

NACD Contests Photo Contest A picture can be worth even more than a thousand words. Good photographs can lend a helping hand to numerous projects: they strengthen publicity for a fund-raiser, make a newsletter more appealing and reveal the beauty of wetlands to elementary students. To recognize individuals who use this tool effectively and creatively, NACD and the NACD Auxiliary join forces to host an annual Photo Contest.

NACD Contests Canon Envirothon Each year, Envirothon provides more and more students with a chance to get "up-close and personal" with North America's natural resources. Envirothon offers both in-class curriculum and hands-on field experiences focused around ecology, natural resource management and current environmental issues. This unique combination of learning experiences and breadth of study is part of what has made the Envirothon a huge success with students and educators across the United States and Canada. It is sponsored by Canon U.S.A., Inc.

VASWCD The VASWCD ( AND YOU! ) plays a major role in making the programs provided by the NACD happen on the local and state level. Envirothon The VASWCD coordinates both Area (of which there are 6) and State Envirothon competitions Poster and Photo Contests Districts are responsible for submitting posters and photos to the VASWCD VASWCD judges the submissions and sends winners to the national level

VASWCD VASWCD Educational Foundation, Inc. Scholarship Awards Program Purpose: To promote the education of Virginia citizens in technical fields with natural resource conservation and environmental protection. To give financial support to students majoring in or showing a strong desire to major in a course curriculum related to natural resource conservation and/or environmental studies. Two Educational Foundation, Inc. scholarships will be awarded annually on behalf of the Virginia Chapter of the Soil and Water Conservation Society. One will be awarded annually on behalf of the VASWCD and one will be awarded annually on behalf of the VASWCD Auxiliary to an eligible individual nominated by Virginias SWCDs.

VASWCD Youth Conservation Camp (YCC) For 34 years, the Virginia Association of Soil and Water Conservation Districts has sponsored a week long summer conservation camp for Virginia high school students ( currently enrolled in grades 9-12) on the campus of Virginia Tech. The program brings together about 70 interested students for a week of learning about Virginia's natural resources from conservation professionals and faculty from Virginia Tech. Most of the instruction is hands-on and outdoors.

VASWCD Not only does the VASWCD provide programs for students, but also provides programs for Officers, teachers, and interested individuals: Field Days Statewide training Employee training Director training Coaching and workshops for educators MWEE curriculum Watershed instruction plus other workshops

DCR Virginia Agricultural BMP Cost-Share Program The cost-share program supports using various practices in conservation planning to treat animal waste, cropland, pastureland and forested land. Some are paid for at a straight per-acre rate. Others are cost-shared on a percentage basis up to 75 percent. In some cases, USDA also pays a percentage. The cost-share program's practices can often be funded by a combination of state and federal funds, reducing the landowner s expense to less than 30 percent of the total cost. Because demand for cost-share assistance is great, districts support the implementation of only those plans which meet local water quality guidelines. Since all requests can't be satisfied, priority ranking of practices must be used to make sure money is distributed and spent wisely.

DCR Cost-Share Program The most an individual may receive is $50,000. Cost-share funds are also available for approved innovative BMP demonstration projects intended to improve water quality. All practices in the program have been included because of their ability to improve or protect water quality. Virginia BMP Tax Credit Program The program supports voluntary installation of BMPs that will address Virginia's nonpoint source pollution water quality objectives. Agricultural producers with an approved conservation plan can take a credit against state income tax of 25 percent of the first $70,000 spent on agricultural BMPs.

DCR Virginia Adopt-A-Stream Program The waterway cleanups supported by this anti-litter campaign provide a chance for local businesses, civic groups, watershed associations, churches, schools, environmental concerns and scouts to work together or separately to do their part. The statewide program aims to reduce litter while advancing citizen stewardship and understanding of the commonwealth's precious waterways. Adopt-A-Stream promotes education, public outreach, citizen involvement, partnership and community capacity-building through Virginia's diverse constituencies.

L OCAL P ARTNERSHIPS Local partnerships, of course, will vary depending on the District Here are some examples of local groups good to partner with that apply to various Districts: JRA- James River Association JRA TVA- Tennessee Valley Authority TVA CC- Chesapeake Club CC