USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) staff participated in multiple activities at the 2024 Land Trust Alliance Rally: The National Land Conservation Conference in Providence, R.I., Sept. 25-28.

Rally is an annual gathering of land conservation practitioners from North America who are dedicated to conserving land and natural resources. A training and networking conference, Rally offers educational sessions focused on land conservation topics, networking activities, exhibits, and plenary sessions.  NRCS presented at two workshop sessions as well as participating in panel discussions and other events.

One workshop focused on strategies for streamlining the Agricultural Conservation Easement Program-Agricultural Land Easement (ACEP-ALE) acquisition process. Presented by Matt Oliver, national ACEP-ALE program manager, the workshop outlined tips and strategies to make the easement acquisition process easier.

ACEP-ALE helps private and tribal landowners, land trusts, and other entities such as state and local governments protect croplands and grasslands on working farms and ranches by limiting nonagricultural uses of the land through conservation easements. NRCS has provided financial assistance to entities to place agricultural conservation easements on nearly 2.4 million acres of agricultural lands.

The second workshop focused on the NRCS Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP), which includes an easement option. NRCS RCPP team members Russell Ames and Seth Fiedler discussed how to streamline implementation of RCPP easement projects.

By leveraging collective resources and collaborating on common goals, RCPP demonstrates the power of public-private partnerships in delivering results for agriculture and conservation. RCPP projects fall under two different categories:  RCPP Classic and RCPP Alternative Funding Arrangements (AFAs). RCPP Classic projects are implemented using NRCS contracts and easements with producers, landowners, and communities, in collaboration with project partners. Through RCPP AFAs, NRCS provides funding to partners to support conservation activities with eligible producers and landowners on eligible land. RCPP AFA funding reimburses partners for conservation activities done for or on behalf of producers, landowners, or other entities.

As part of a panel presentation, Dr. Edwin Martinez, NRCS state conservationist in Virginia, discussed the success of the three Sentinel Landscape partnerships in his state and how they create resilient and connected landscapes. The Sentinel Landscapes partnership is a collaboration among the Department of Agriculture, the Department of the Interior, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and the Department of Defense, working with landowners to advance sustainable land use practices around military installations and ranges to buffer them from development encroachment which could impact mission delivery. There are currently 18 Sentinel Landscapes designated around the nation.

NRCS State Conservationist for Rhode Island Pooh Vongkhamdy also participated in a panel forum where he spoke about the NRCS Pathways Program to students in the Land Trust Alliance Scholars for Conservation Leadership Program. He also shared about his career with NRCS and how they too can find rewarding and diverse careers in conservation working for NRCS. Vongkhamdy and Easement Programs Division Realty Specialist Marcus Griffin were also selected to be “Rally Mentors” to scholars students to help guide them through their first Rally experience.

In addition, NRCS set up three exhibits at the conference to feature conservation easement programs and how collaborative conservation can lead to greater shared outcomes. One exhibit was dedicated to careers with NRCS to promote an NRCS direct hire event that took place at Rally. Human resources specialists met with and interviewed potential applicants helping them understand USAJobs and the NRCS hiring process.

The organizers of Rally are committed to fostering an environment where everyone feels included, valued, and supported by offering functions for indigenous peoples, conservationists of color, and the LGBTQIA+ community. In support of this effort, each year NRCS sponsors stipends to cover the costs of attending Rally for Historically Underserved land conservation practitioners to attend.  NRCS East Regional Conservationist Kasey Taylor, Easement Programs Division Director Carrie Lindig, and Acting Deputy Chief for Programs Luis Cruz-Arroyo welcomed the stipend recipients and scholars program students to Rally at the meet-and-greet opening reception where they had the opportunity to interact one-on-one with NRCS staff.

These programs and partnerships are designed to collaborate on priority areas to meet local natural resource goals. “Ensuring diversity and inclusion is critical; without these diverse partners and their contributions, these programs could not work,” Lindig said. “Our most successful projects share four common characteristics. They innovate, leverage additional resources, offer impactful solutions, and engage active and effective partnerships.”

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