Partner Spotlight: NRCS State Conservationist Carlos Suarez
1/19/21Carlos Suarez is the California State Conservationist for USDA-NRCS. After his parents emigrated from Cuba in the sixties to Puerto Rico, Suarez grew up aiming for a career in mechanical or electrical engineering. Attending University of Puerto Rico-Mayaguez on a…
California’s resource conservation districts are restoring the habitat the imperiled monarch butterfly needs to survive
12/16/20Early counts of western monarchs arriving to coastal California for overwintering this year are alarmingly low, making work to save the species more urgent than ever. Fortunately, resource...
The Grassland Environmental Education Center connects youth to wildlife and wetlands
6/29/20Candace Sigmond, the Grassland Environmental Education Center’s education coordinator, can get a class of thirty students and ten parents outfitted in thick, chest-high, waterproof waders in 15 minutes flat. Her goal is to minimize the amount of time spent getting…
Partner Spotlight: Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program
6/23/20The Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program (“Partners Program”) is one of the habitat restoration and enhancement programs of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The Partners Program supports voluntary conservation projects on private lands (non-federal/non-state owned) in order to…
COVID-19 Can’t Stop California’s Monarch Butterfly Conservation Efforts
6/2/20Responding to a drastic decline in the population of western monarchs, California’s resource conservation districts work with land managers and communities to protect and enhance habitat for monarchs. SACRAMENTO, CA, May 12, 2020 – The California Association of Resource Conservation…
Partner Spotlight: Monarch Joint Venture
5/29/20The Monarch Joint Venture is a “partnership of federal and state agencies, non-governmental organizations, businesses and academic programs working together to protect the monarch migration across the United States.” They were founded in 2009 with the mission of protecting “monarchs…
Ventura County RCD takes creative approaches to save the monarch butterfly
Ventura County provides a wealth of opportunities for monarch conservation. The region contains both coastal overwintering sites as well as inland locations that are prime areas for breeding and nectar habitat restoration. The Ventura County Resource Conservation District (Ventura RCD)…
Resource conservation districts jump into action to help save the monarch butterfly
The recent staggering decline of the population of the western monarch butterfly to just 1% of its levels 20 years ago has prompted resource conservation districts (RCDs) throughout the state into...
National grant funds wildfire mitigation and soil health through California Resource Conservation Districts
4/29/20Funding from the Technical Assistance grant will increase on-the-ground conservation by allowing RCDs to hire foresters, soil health specialists, and other technical staff....
Cutting Green Tape: San Mateo RCD Collaborates to Shift the Regulatory Paradigm
3/31/20Kellyx Nelson, executive director for the San Mateo Resource Conservation District (RCD) and board member for the California Association of RCDs, is diving head first into working with the California Natural Resources Agency on their Cutting Green Tape Initiative. It…