Pope SWCD to celebrate ‘Stewardship Week’ April 28-May 5
News | Published on April 22, 2024 at 12:27pm CDT
The Pope Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD), in partnership with the National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD), is celebrating Stewardship Week from April 28 – May 5, 2024, focusing on the theme “May the Forest be with You Always”.
Pope SWCD is a member of NACD, which oversees the annual Stewardship Week program, now in its 69th year. Stewardship Week is one of the largest national annual programs to promote conservation.
“Soil and water conservation are intimately intertwined with forest health,” said NACD President Kim LaFleur in a recent news release. “This year’s Stewardship Week recognizes the importance forests serve in the protection of soil and water resources, preventing erosion, purifying contaminants, and nurturing healthy watersheds.”
The Pope SWCD was formed to assist people in Pope County with technical assistance towards conservation of land and water resources, through project implementation. During Stewardship Week, Pope SWCD will provide stewardship week materials to local churches and will have presented this year’s poster contest theme “May the Forest be with You Always” to fourth, fifth and sixth graders in three area schools.
This theme underscores the relationship between soil and water conservation and the resilience of our forests. Forests and trees play multifaceted roles in sustaining our planet, serving as sources of oxygen, storing large amounts of carbon, and are lively biodiversity centers.
Pope SWCD can assist residents in learning more about trees and the species native to your area of the country. Pope SWCD can also provide insight on tree planting, care, and maintenance, as well as information on how to protect trees from invasive species.
The office encourages the public to participate in conservation activities through the entire year. For more information about Stewardship Week and conservation, contact Pope SWCD at 320-634-5327 or www.popeswcd.org .
About the NACD
The National Association of Conservation Districts is the nonprofit organization that represents the nearly 3,000 conservation districts across the United States, their state and territory associations, and the 17,000 individuals who serve on their governing boards. For more than 75 years, local conservation districts have worked with cooperating landowners and managers of private working lands to help them plan and apply effective conservation practices. For more information about NACD, visit www.nacdnet.org.
