BANGOR — The Maine Association of Conservation Districts recently met at the Spectacular Events Center for its annual winter meeting.

The 16 conservation districts in Maine represented at the meeting serve as the bridge between citizens and local, state and federal agencies. They provide conservation leadership, teach the value of natural resources and help plan and implement voluntary programs to both prevent and solve local environmental problems. They work with many partners to provide assistance to the public for their use of land, soil, water, wildlife, forest, plants and other natural resources.

At the meeting, preparations were made for several statewide conservation initiatives, including natural resource assessments to be conducted in spring 2016 throughout all counties in Maine. These assessments will help determine local conservation priorities and also provide a comprehensive framework for evaluating NRCS technical and financial conservation assistance in Maine.

Dr. Brandon Smith, the Northeast team leader for the new NRCS Soil Health Division, and Tony Jenkins, NRCS state resource conservationist, spoke about the soil health challenges facing farmers. They also discussed plans by NRCS for a broader adoption of agriculture management practices that will maintain or enhance soil functions.

Angie Wotton, Southern Aroostook Soil and Water Conservation District director, and Kassy Michaud, Central Aroostook SWCD executive director, gave presentations on their work with multiple public and private partners, including the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry and the Maine Potato Board, to help potato farmers improve soil health.

An MACD Advisory Council meeting with DACF’s Commissioner Walt Whitcomb focused on the gains being made in local, sustainable agriculture in Maine. Whitcomb noted that “Maine is the largest agricultural producing state in New England, and the state has prime farming soils and a lot of untapped potential.” Whitcomb also noted that the DACF is going to continue to make the partnership with conservation districts a cost-efficient and effective local delivery system.

A recently awarded DACF Invasive Forest Pest grant will provide outreach and education in several counties in Maine through the MACD Employees Committee Technical Delivery Team. The outreach and education will serve to prevent the spread of invasive pests to Maine, and also to contain invasive pests that have already come to the state. Jeannie Federico, Oxford County SWCD education and outreach coordinator, spoke of the threat to Maine’s forests from the emerald ash borer and other invasive pests.

During the MACD board of directors meeting, the torch was passed to Bruce Talley of Medford to begin his three-year tenure as the newly elected MACD president.

FMI: 207-329-1399.