NACD Stewardship Week (also known historically as Soil Stewardship Week) is a U.S. national conservation education program hosted by the National Association of Conservation Districts. Since 1955, it has united thousands of local conservation districts in celebrating and promoting stewardship of soil, water, and other natural resources. Each year a theme guides outreach, contests, and events among districts to engage schools, communities, and landowners in conservation awareness and action.
Key Features / Elements
- Annual Themes: Each year, NACD picks a theme to focus outreach and educational materials. For instance, the 2025 theme is “Home is Where the Habitat Is”, emphasizing habitat preservation and biodiversity. NACD
- Educational Resources & Contests: NACD produces and distributes toolkits, posters/bookmarks, photo and poster contests, classroom materials, and outreach templates. Local conservation districts use these in schools and community events. NACD
- Broad Participation: Thousands of conservation districts around the U.S. host field days, workshops, school events, habitat restoration projects, community outreach during Stewardship Week. Many districts extend conservation education beyond the week. NACD
History of Implementation
- Origins >1950s: Soil conservation awareness was promoted by government agencies (e.g., Soil Conservation Service) and media outlets after the Dust Bowl era. These early efforts set the stage for more organized stewardship education.
- 1955: NACD formally takes over the program and establishes Soil Stewardship Week as a recurring conservation education observance.
- Over the decades: Stewardship Week has grown in scale: more districts, more public engagement, and increasing variety in outreach modalities (contests, field days, habitat projects, etc.).
- Recent years: Themes increasingly connect soil, water, habitat biodiversity, climate, and ecosystem health. 2025’s theme “Home is Where the Habitat Is” celebrates 70 years of the program.