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New Executive Director Announced
2009 RC&D Week Dave White, Chief of USDA-NRCS, Washington, DC. "During this week dedicated to honoring Resource Conservation & Development Councils, we celebrate their critical role in making communities stronger nationwide. We all benefit from their leadership on many issues citizens are concerned about today, such as jobs creation, renewable energy development, wise land use and sustainable production of food and fiber. Congratulations!"
Councils Celebrate RC&D Week
Across the Country RC&D Week was celebrated from September 21 to the 27th . Every year, National RC&D Week commemorates the anniversary of the designation of the first 10 RC&D Areas by Congress. RC&D week was designed to celebrate the growth and success of the program. In these times of economic downturns, RC&D Councils are invaluable in solving community problems in both conservation and community development. The National Board would like to congratulate Councils across the nation who celebrated the success of the program. Celebration were as varied as Council themselves. Here are a few examples of RC&D Councils that celebrated RC&D Week this year: September 23, Joan Smith Freeman, President of the National Association of RC&D Councils along with Jim Schmidt, President of the ND RC&D Association, Helen Schatz, Past President of the ND RC&D Association, Margo Helgerson, Chairman Upper Dakota RC&D Council, and NRCS representatives visited the Backyard Conservation Project at the Zoo. The KMOT-TV news broadcast aired this clip. Shortcut to: http://www.kmot.com/News_video.asp?news=34164
On Friday August 28th Alabama RC&D Association President Johnny Flowers, Robert Harbison Southeastern RC&D Association National Board member, along with Francis Cosby Project manager for the Alabama RC&D Association, Frank Naulty Chair of the Alabama State Soil and Water Commission, Roy Kendrik President of the Alabama Soil and Water District Supervisors Association, Steve Cauthen Executive Director of Alabama State Soil and Water Commission and others joined Governor Bob Riley at his office in the Alabama State Capitol as he signed a proclamation proclaiming Sept. 21/27 as RC&D week.
Alabama Mountain, Rivers, and Valleys RC&D Council also asked the Cullman County Commission to sign a similar proclamation in honor of their council. Brief ceremonies (with photo ops) commemorated both occasions.
Chestatee-Chattahoochee RC&D Council of Georgia provided outreach grants of $1,000 each to the two area food banks that service the council’s 13-county area, the Food Bank of Northeast Georgia and the Georgia Mountain Food Bank. Representatives from the two organizations were invited to the council’s September meeting, where the checks were presented to them.
King’s Mark RC&D Council in Connecticut sponsored a recreational “Tour des Farms” bicycle ride on September 26 that provided riders with the opportunity to stop and buy produce from local farms. The ride began at the Jones Family Farm, a winery in Shelton, Connecticut, and continued to 15 area farms along routes of various distances. Jim Himes, one of Connecticut’s members in the US House of Representatives, participated in the ride, and Rosa DeLauro, another Representative from Connecticut and Chair of the House Committee on Agricultural Appropriations, spoke at the accompanying ceremonies. NRCS volunteers picked up the purchases made by riders and delivered them to a collection point at the end of the route.
Call your National Association of RC&D Councils at 202-434-4780 if you have any questions, and please let us know how your council celebrated RC&D Week.
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RC&D Making Things Happen!