Message from Connie Richmeier

Your national board is working hard on NCDEA business. We had an excellent annual meeting in February. The new NCDEA officers were installed and are identified on our website directory.

I attended a national Conservation Partnership Leaders meeting in Washington D.C. last month. Representatives from the National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD), the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), the National Conservation District Employees Association (NCDEA), the National Association of State Conservation Agencies (NASCA), and the National Association of Resource Conservation and Development Councils (NARC&DC) met last week for the quarterly Conservation Partnership meeting. Leaders discussed issues of common interest, including NRCS’ implementation of the economic stimulus funds, farm bill conservation program regulation status, the NRCS audit, and plans for a 2010 national leadership training session.

See above picture of the five partner leaders. Pictured are (back, l-r) NRCS Chief Dave White, NCDEA President Connie Richmeier, (front, l-r) NACD President Steve Robinson, NARC&DC President Joan Smith Freeman and NASCA President Mike Brown.

We will have a board conference call next week. We are also making plans for our mid year board meeting and will have updates following those meetings.