Recognizing long-term water conservation, innovation and implementation, the 2013 Master Conservationist recognition program is seeking nominations.
A winner will be selected from each of the three established categories: agriculture, community and youth. Production agriculture includes individual producers, partnerships and family farm or ranch corporations. The community category is for groups, individual agencies or businesses that have carried out a water and/or soil conservation program for a minimum of two years. The youth category seeks to recognize any individual or group of individuals 19 years old or younger for their conservation efforts.
Master Conservationist brochures, which include details on the program, are available at local Natural Resources District and USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service offices. Applications can also be found online by visiting http://www.owh.com and clicking on "In the Community" link. Entries are due Feb. 1, 2013.
All entries are judged by members of the Nebraska Association of Resources Districts, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service and the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Master Conservationists will be recognized at the annual banquet of the Nebraska Association of Resources Districts, Sept. 23, 2013, at the Younes Conference Centre in Kearney. They will also be featured in the Omaha World Herald in September.
The Master Conservationist program is sponsored by the Omaha World-Herald and the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources at UNL.