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At the July 18, 2024 Commission meeting, the Commissioners approved the 17 budget packages, as presented, for further development and submittal to the Office of Financial Management. Commission staff are currently collaborating with conservation districts who volunteered their assistance in the development of the packages. Thank you in advance for your help! Reach out to your regional manager or respective program manager if you have any questions.
It's that time of year again — SCC is working on creating an annual report for both 2022 and 2024! These even-year reports are shorter and punchier than the biennial report from last year. The even-year annual reports will feature a handful of district stories, projects, or initiatives from that fiscal year in various subject areas. For an example of an even-year report you can see the 2020 Annual Report here.
Read more and learn how to submit here.
Planning on inviting SCC's Executive Director, James Thompson, to your district for a tour? Please do! Just make sure to coordinate with Lori Gonzalez, SCC's Executive Assistant. You can reach Lori at 360-407-7417 or by email here.
SCC is excited to announce a new social media series called "Conservation Champions."
Across Washington's 45 conservation districts, there are hundreds of incredible staff, supervisors, managers, and volunteers working in countless different capacities to support conservation work in our state. Their efforts often go unrecognized— something we hope to change!
Is there a conservation district staff member who inspires you? Someone who makes a difference in the world who you would like to recognize? Tell us a little about them using our submission form, and we'll honor their contributions on SCC's social media platforms.
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District Operations
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From SAO: Best practices for tracking small and attractive assets
The State Auditor's Office's (SAO) updated guide helps local governments (like conservation districts) keep tabs on small and attractive assets, such as laptops and shop tools. You can learn more in this SAO blog post.
Reminder: L&I heat rules to protect outdoor workers
Sharing a reminder that there are rules overseen by the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries (L&I) that require frequent breaks, access to shade, and water cool enough to drink, among other things. Read more here.
Applications are open for conservation districts only to support cultivation sites. The deadline for application submittals for the first review is August 5, 2024 at 5 p.m. Please review the application here.
Additional rounds of reviews will occur monthly, contingent upon available funding, with the exception of repairs, which will be reviewed on a case by case basis throughout the fiscal year.
All deliverables must be received and all installation work completed no later than June 30th, 2025.
Please review the funding guidelines here.
This round of funding is open to Washington conservation districts to support:
- The procurement of native trees and shrubs,
- The creation, improvement, and expansion of a holding facility, and
- Maintenance of plants at existing holding facilities.
Sustainable Farms and Fields received a large number of applications during the round that closed 7/19. These applications are currently under review and all applicants will be notified in late August regarding funding decisions. At this time, we do not expect to have additional funding for SFF projects until next year. Learn more about Sustainable Farms and Fields here.
Please submit your outstanding Natural Resource Investments (NRI) projects to your regional manager by September 2024
We are over halfway through the biennium! That means the regional managers are taking a look at the NRI program, seeing what is currently allocated, and what remains to be awarded.
If you have not submitted a project for NRI funds, have not made a determination on a 'TBD' outcome, and/or have not submitted plans for the additional $19,500 made available in January (including declining the funds) - please reach out to your regional manager!
We will need to know your confirmed plans by September 30, 2024. A reminder that any funding that is reallocated will not be available to the district for the remainder of the biennium. Your regional manager is happy to work with you on determining your NRI outcomes.
Have you ever wanted to tour a premier bare root native plant nursery? Well, now is your chance. WACD's Plant Materials Center (PMC) in Bow, WA, will be hosting a tour on Tuesday, August 13th from 9:30 a.m. until noon.
Come learn about the history of the Plant Materials Center, plant production, services provided to conservation districts, and enjoy a field walk to see the extensive variety of plants, pollinators, and other wildlife.
Register by July 31 and enjoy lunch on WACD!
Questions? Please contact Jacquie at 360-757-1094 or pmcsales@gmx.com
But wait there's more - New PMC User Guide Available
Whether or not you are able to join the tour on the 13th, WACD wants to let you know that there is a new updated PMC user guide for conservation districts available! You can find it here. Learn more about the PMC at their website.
Q: May members of a governing body approve minutes of a meeting they did not attend?
A: (from MRSC)
MRSC’s position is that members of a governing body can vote to approve minutes even if they did not attend the meeting for which they are approving minutes. There is no law that prohibits members from voting to approve minutes for a meeting they did not attend.
While it may seem irregular for members to vote on something of which they have no knowledge, we think, as a practical matter, that members who did not attend the meeting would defer to those who did and vote along with them (whether to approve or to amend the minutes). Of course, if members do not feel comfortable voting to approve minutes for a meeting they did not attend, then those members may certainly abstain from voting.
Robert’s Rules of Order (Section 41, page 355) recognizes the right of absent members to vote on minutes: “It should be noted that a member’s absence from the meeting for which minutes are being approved does not prevent the member from participating in their correction or approval.” |
Important Dates
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Events
Deadlines
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August 5 - First Round of Riparian Plant Propagation Program (RPPP) RFAs are due, read more below
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August 16 - Engineering additional funds opportunity forms due. Read more here.
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August 16 - Submit your community garden photos in the mini contest! Read more below.
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September 30 - Let your regional manager know about your NRI plans, read more below
Seeking Participants for Focus Groups |
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The Washington State Conservation Commission is seeking participants for focus groups to inform an outreach campaign on Washington state’s water ecosystems and the future of salmon species. 90-minute focus groups will be hosted in person in the following cities:
- August 20, Seattle & Renton
- August 21, Ellensburg
- August 22, Spokane
All Washington residents are welcome to participate. Please indicate your interest by completing this survey.
Thank you for sharing this announcement with your land managers, community members, partners, and networks.
The Food Policy Forum’s bi-monthly meeting is set for August 1, 2024, from 1:00 – 4:00 pm. Agenda topics include reporting out by Diversifying Voices on the Forum and Advancing Irrigated Ag Lands small teams. An update on the Washington State Department of Agriculture’s (WSDA) Promotions and Labeling Program. Discussion will also include learning about local food policy entity activities in the state as well as opportunities and challenges of urban and peri-urban agriculture in Washington.
In addition to the individual allocations of funds to engineering areas, there is an opportunity for engineering areas or individual conservation districts to request additional funds above the $200,000 allocation to provide additional support for the area or member districts.
For this purpose, $450,000 has been set aside. There is currently no limit to the amount that can be requested, but all requests will be considered on a case by case basis. We anticipate that the need will be greater than the funds available, and are establishing a deadline for applications, see below.
Please submit your request by 5:00 p.m. on Friday, August 16, 2024. The regional managers will review applications and determine awards soon after this deadline.
All awarded engineering funds must be spent by June 30, 2025.
To apply for additional funds, please complete the Engineering Additional Funds Opportunity form.
If you have any questions, please contact your regional manager.
 Variety of Beets by Zorah Oppenheimer, Clark CD
Our last mini competition in the 2024 Conservation District Photo Contest is here!
The theme of the final mini comp is community gardens. Between now and Friday, August 16, send us photos of the community gardens your district is involved with, and the people who love them. Whether they are planting, harvesting, or simply enjoying the scenery, we want to see it! Help us highlight the joy and value green spaces can bring to communities, especially in urban areas.
Submit your photos via our form, and make sure to select "COMMUNITY GARDENS" as the photo category.
Don't forget— all photos submitted to the photo contest will be accessible in our Flickr library at the end of the year. Meaning, the more photos we receive, the more you will have access to for developing promotional materials for urban ag and other programs!
For more information on the 2024 Conservation District Photo Contest, including rules and regulations, please see the submission form.
Training Tidbits |
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 WADE 2024 Feedback Survey Available!
Thank you to everyone who attended the WADE Conference in Leavenworth this year.
Please take a few moments to give us your feedback to make WADE even better next year.
Click HERE to take the survey.
If you were not able to attend, you can find the recorded sessions HERE.
The CTD would like to thank all the presenters and those who helped to make this WADE Conference a success!
FY25 Training Needs Inventory
The FY25 Training Needs Inventory (TNI) is here! This is the place to request your training needs for the coming fiscal year. The TNI is not just for planners! Please fill out the TNI no matter your role at your district -- we want to hear from you on the training you need.
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MRSC Trainings |
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Enduris Training Seminars |
Visit the Enduris seminars page to learn about and register for training opportunities, a few upcoming offerings are listed below. Remember, they are free for conservation districts and most of the seminars are virtual. They tend to fill up fast! Check out upcoming seminars in August:
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