Arkansas Conservation Partnership Wins Two Chiefs' Award

An Arkansas conservation partnership was one of five recipients of the Two Chiefs' Partnership Award from Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Chief Arlen Lancaster and U.S. Forest Service (USFS) Chief Gail Kimball.

The Outreach to Limited Resource and Minority Forest Landowners in Arkansas partnership includes NRCS; the Arkansas Forestry Commission; the Arkansas Resource Conservation and Development Council; and the Arkansas Association of Conservation Districts.

The group set up several workshops targeting minority and limited resource forest landowners, an effort that tripled assistance given to this group of landowners. To further target minority communities, the partners created an outreach coordinator position.

The partnership also developed a Revolving Loan Program for the cost share portion of the Forest Land Enhancement Program and Southern Pine Beetle Prevention and Restoration Program; this has reduced the financial burden for minority landowners who want to join those programs. To help Arkansas’ female landowners, partners created the Forestry for Women Program that provides forestry education.

The Two Chiefs’ Partnership Awards, begun last year by Chief Lancaster and then-Forest Chief Dale Bosworth, recognize outstanding partnerships in forest conservation work among conservation districts, state foresters, the Forest Service and NRCS.

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