Palouse Conservation District receives urban agriculture conservation grant

PULLMAN – Palouse Conservation District (PCD) in Pullman announced it was awarded an urban agriculture conservation grant through a partnership with the National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)

Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) to boost technical capacity nationwide.

PCD was one of 21 conservation districts across 13 states to receive funding. NACD and NRCS established the Urban Agriculture Conservation Grant Initiative in 2016 to help conservation

districts and their partners provide much-needed technical assistance for agricultural conservation in developed or predominantly developing areas.

Palouse CD proposes to continue the preservation of Historic Koppel Farm by developing a long-term conservation plan, to provide soil health, water quality and invasive species mitigation. Palouse CD aims to encourage and support social programs that engage the

community in access to healthy, fresh produce regardless of income.

“Conservation districts continue to expand their urban outreach, growing their technical capacity at the same time as they grow their reach, forging relationships with nontraditional partners and customers that they might not have directly assisted before,” NACD President Tim Palmer said. “We are proud to offer support to bolster their work to improve our nation’s natural resources.”

NACD and NRCS have issued grants in 2016, 2017 and 2019, and including the Friday, May 15, announcement, have awarded more than $5 million in funding for 102 grants across 34 states.

This round of funding marks the first year where previous grant recipients were eligible to apply for funding for new projects.

“It’s a testament to the leadership of conservation districts within their communities, of the strength of our partnerships, and of the importance of conservation on every acre, no matter what or where the landscape,” Palmer said.