Highlights below from CWSF Executive Director Caitlyn Pollihan.

National Association of Conservation Districts Annual Meeting 

The National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD) hosted its annual meeting in Denver, CO, January 28 - February 1. 

Over 800 conservation leaders attended from across the nation and the theme of the meeting was Conservation: Our Water, Our Land, Our People. CWSF Policy Director, Kelsey Delaney, attended the meeting and provided an overview of the Western Forestry Leadership Coalition (WFLC) and CWSF and some of our recent activities at the NACD Forestry Resource Policy Group Meeting. CWSF Chair and Colorado State Forester, Mike Lester, and NASF President and Wyoming State Forester, Bill Crapser, presented on the panel, State Forest Action Plans: What Conservation Districts Need to Know. Summary information and recap materials from the NACD meeting can be found here.

Great Plains Windbreak Initiative Workshop

Kelsey attended the Great Plains Windbreak Initiative Workshop in Manhattan, KS, February 7-9, along with CWSF State Foresters Larry Biles, Scott Josiah, Greg Josten, and Larry Kotchman. 

Over 30 attendees participated in the workshop from state agencies, the USDA Forest Service, the National Agroforestry Center, the Natural Resources Conservation Service, the private sector, and nonprofits among others. Among Issues discussed were windbreaks in today’s agriculture, and research and outreach. Working groups were formed to discuss and craft ideas for outreach to farmers, ranchers and forest owners; training for service providers; informing policy, program and decision makers, and advancing critical research.

CWSF Communications Meeting

The 2017 CWSF Communications meeting took place February 7-8 in San Diego, CA. This meeting served as an opportunity for western state communicators to come together to discuss timely topics and share best practices. 

Attendees included participants from nine western states along with several others who joined remotely. CAL FIRE Chief Ken Pimlott and CWSF Past Chair attended as well. The agenda featured a variety of topics including Communicating with Landowners, Social Media and Crisis Communications, Communicating with Policymakers, the Wildland Urban Interface and several breakout sessions. To learn more about this meeting, contact CWSF Communications Director Sara Goodwin.