The Yuma County Conservation District, in Wray, is hiring a motivated, conservation-minded individual for the full-time position of District Conservation Technician. Job description and additional details are available online at https://www.ycconservation.com/news. Deadline to apply: May 10, 2024.
The Yuma County Conservation District (YCCD) had students from 5th and 6th grade, at Idalia, Liberty and Wray, design posters and submit for the 2023 Conservation District Youth Poster Contest. The theme for this year is “Watersheds - One Water.”
The poster contest is a national competition sponsored by the National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD). The contest starts at the local level through the YCCD; winners advance to the Colorado state level, and then to the national level, where they receive recognition at NACD’s annual meeting.
The top three posters from each school in the YCCD will receive: first place $20; second place $15 and third place will receive $10. In addition, the Overall Grand Champion receives $50, and the Reserve Grand Champion receives $25. These awards will be distributed at the YCCD Annual Meeting. The 2023 YCCD local contest winners are as follows:
Liberty 6th Graders: 1st place – Ryker Monahan
2nd place – Skyler Kechter
3rd place – Jarek Rojas
Idalia 5th Graders: 1st place – Saylor Weyerman
2nd place – Elliot Louthan
3rd place – Savannah Richardson
Idalia 6th Graders: 1st place – Ximena Cordova
2nd place – Charliann Soehner
3rd place – Emily Whomble
Wray 6th Graders: 1st place – Natalie Gonzalez – OVERALL GRAND CHAMPION
2nd place – Zoey Merritt – OVERALL RESERVE GRAND CHAMPION
3rd place – Heidi Garcia
The grand and reserve grand champions overall participated in the Colorado Association of Conservation District competition in Colorado Springs the first week of December.
The annual NACD and NACD Auxiliary Poster Contest provides students the chance to have their art displayed as part of a national conservation outreach initiative. Each year, the winning posters reflect NACD’s annual Stewardship theme and highlight the work of conservation districts and their state conservation associations, auxiliaries and agencies to protect and enhance natural resources.
The Yuma County Conservation District was recently awarded a $25,000 grant to fund rangeland improvement projects in partnership with funds from the Colorado Department of Agriculture through the Colorado State Conservation Board. According to Tanya Fell, YCCD District Manager, “these projects are designed to assist producers with for pipelines when water isn’t available in those areas, adding stock tanks or refurbishing tanks that include bird ladders, and installing solar powered well pumps with storage tanks to replace traditional pumps and adding tank monitoring devices.”
Applicants must be in good standing with both the FSA and NRCS. This project is specifically for agricultural uses and not to be used for a domestic well projects. Well tests will need to be provided for pipeline projects prior to the project beginning to verify that the well is good and that it will support the proposed project. Once the test confirms that the well is in good standing the size of the pipeline will need to be determined based on the production needs and the possibility of future expansion.
For the solar projects a well test will also need to be provided to determine the amount of water available. This will in turn determine the size of the pump and storage tanks needed and the number of cattle that can be used for rangeland grazing. In the same category, the size and number of tanks needed must be assessed based on the number of head grazing and available water. If tanks do exist, are they in good shape or do they need to be refurbished or replaced.
All projects will be supervised by and completed to NRCS standards and specifications. Projects must be completed by November 15, 2024 to allow adequate time for compliance inspections and final photo documentation.
The maximum amount for each grant is dependent upon the number of participants meeting the criteria to participate. Grants require matching funds amounting to 50% of the grant total. The rangeland improvement project matching grant is non-competitive in nature. Applications are due to the YCCD office by February 16, 2024.
For additional information please contact the Yuma County Conservation District in Wray at 970-332-3107 ext. 9002. An application and information are also available at www.ycconservation.com.