Emergency Watershed Program (EWP) Update - Since October 1, 1998, NRCS has allocated EWP funds, totaling nearly $51 million, for recovery work from natural disasters in Florida, Connecticut, Alabama, California, Puerto Rico, Louisiana, Iowa, Kentucky, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Mississippi, Nebraska, Montana, Missouri, Washington, Kansas, Oklahoma, West Virginia, and Texas. Through the EWP, NRCS provides technical and financial assistance to sponsors for work such as clearing debris from clogged waterways, restoring vegetation, and stabilizing flood-damaged river banks.

NRCS Budget Hearings - Work is underway in preparation for the NRCS budget hearings to be held on February 23 before the Senate Appropriation Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development and Related Agencies, and on February 24 before the House Appropriations Subcommittee for Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration and Related Agencies.

Deputy Chief for Programs Is Co-convenor of Working Group on Sustainable Natural Resource Utilization - Lawrence Clark, NRCS Deputy Chief for Programs is co-convenor of the Working Group on Sustainable Natural Resource Utilization under the Agriculture committee, which is part of the BiNational Commission between the U.S. and South Africa. Three of the projects the working group has developed - Field Office Technical Guide (FOTG), Land Care, and Mesonet - will soon be funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development. Two of the projects, FOTG and Land Care, will be managed by NRCS. The third, Mesonet, will be managed by the World Agriculture Outlook Board. The BiNational Commission between the U.S. and South Africa was established in 1995 and is co-chaired by Vice President Gore and South African Deputy President Mbeki.

In anticipation of funding, identification of a FOTG team is underway. The team members will travel to South Africa to begin the process of adapting the NRCS FOTG to conditions in South Africa. They will work with staff of the National Department of Agriculture, Provincial staff, and other selected organizations in a workshop setting.

Similar efforts are underway with regard to the Land Care project. It will be closely coordinated with the FOTG because it will be the basis for the conservation practices to be implemented by Land Care groups.

More Accolades for Backyard Conservation Public Service Announcement - The NRCS 30-second animated Backyard Conservation television public service announcement won a prestigious CINE Golden Eagle Award. The CINE (Council on International Non-theatrical Events) award recognizes professional film and video makers for outstanding work.

CINE entries are judged on creative and technical merit, as well as their potential to represent the United States in international festivals. Other qualities important to the rating are effective communication to the intended audience and fulfillment of stated purpose. The competition is conducted by a 3-stage process similar to academic or scientific reviews. About 700 jurors nationwide take part in screening the entries.

In addition, Backyard Conservation was awarded a second place certificate "For Outstanding Creativity" in the copywriting category, by the 28th International Mobius Awards Competition. Mobius is the international symbol for excellence in advertising, and this year's entries were received from 37 countries.

NRCS Receives More Than 700 Comments on AFO Strategy (Update) - As of January 5, more than 700 comments have been received from individuals, agricultural groups, environmental groups, and business representatives nationwide. Comments cover a variety of issues. Many persons see a need for increased technical and financial assistance so small operations can meet the strategy's goals.

One recurring theme is an awareness of the importance of employing sound science in developing and implementing nutrient plans. Many commentors would also like guidelines to be flexible enough to be site-specific and allow the use of new and emerging technologies. All public comments will be considered in the development of the final Strategy. The draft Unified National Strategy for Animal Feeding Operations was released jointly by the Department of Agriculture and the Environmental Protection Agency. It appeared in the Federal Register on September 21, beginning 120-day comment period that ends on January 19.

NRCS Employee Wins Program Development Award - The Encouraging Independence project, led by NRCS Quality Management Specialist Dr. Denise Decker and her Seeing Eye dog Quadrant, was recently selected by 62 partnerships in Partners of the Americas, as 1 of 2 projects to receive the National Program Development of the Year Award. The award will be shared by the members of the Washington D.C. and Brasilia partnerships. Encouraging Independence is a project to train volunteers to help people with disabilities in Brasilia, Brazil - a culture where volunteerism is new as it relates to people with disabilities.

The project resulted in the development of a volunteer training center in Volontarios Candangos, Brazil, which has trained 320 volunteers to provide assistance to disadvantaged children and adults and children and adults with disabilities. This center is also serving as a model for other developing volunteer training centers in various parts of Brazil.

The project was funded by Partners of the Americas. Denise is grateful to NRCS for approving her participation in this meaningful activity, which she hopes will continue to improve the well-being of people with disabilities in the largest and most populous country in Latin America.

IN THE FIELD

Memorial Honors African-Americans Who Served in World War I - The Mountain Resource Conservation and Development district obtained a $25,000 grant to put a new roof on the Kimball War Memorial in Mercer County, WV. The Kimball War Memorial was built in 1928, and is believed to be the only memorial of its kind built to honor African-Americans who served in World War I.

Nebraska Has New Buffer Strip Option - The Nebraska legislature passed a law last year that provides about $400,000 annually for filter strip and riparian forest buffer land rental payments. NRCS helped the Nebraska Department of Agriculture to formulate the program rules and integrate it with the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) and the Field Office Technical Guide.

The program kicked off in December with satellite training for NRCS, natural resource districts, and Farm Service Agency and Cooperative Extension field staff where the bill was signed into law by the governor. NRCS, working with partners in the NE Conservation Buffer initiative, produced a promotional brochure, fact sheet on the State program, and 2 broadcast commercials. The NE Corn Growers Association raised several thousand dollars to purchase media time to promote this new program.

Funds from the buffer strip program come from a fee applied to chemical labels (there are over 8,000) registered within the State. Landowners can enroll in the CRP and receive the State program "add-on" or enroll in just the State program alone.

Hawaii "Team USDA" Fights Hunger - In the spirit of "aloha," employees from the Natural Resources Conservation Service, Farm Service Agency and Rural Development joined to fight hunger at The Institute for Human Services, Inc. in Honolulu, Hawaii. Employees from the 3 agencies arrived at the Institute at 5:00 a.m. to prepare and serve breakfast to more than 300 homeless persons at Oahu's only emergency, 24-hour walk-in shelter. The meal of scrambled eggs, sausage, rice, fruit, muffin, juice and coffee was prepared and served by Team USDA. Many employees not only donated their time and energy to the morning's preparation, but many contributed financially to the cause as well. This activity showcased Hawaii's Team USDA's effort to fight hunger for 1998.

NRCS Communications Products Win Intermountain Golden Spike Awards - During this year's Intermountain Golden Spike Awards competition, NRCS communications products landed 4 awards for communications excellence, including 1 gold, 1 silver and 2 bronze medals. NRCS won its gold medal for the Backyard Conservation press kit in the most competitive category of the competition. The competitors included major regional advertising agencies, public relations firms, and Fortune 500 companies

The competition is sponsored by the Utah Chapters of the Public Relations Society of America and International Association of Business Communicators. The 4 awards bring the total number of Golden Spike Awards NRCS has won during the past 4 years of the competition to 20.

Personnel Changes - Edward Wright has been selected as the Director, National Employee Development Center, Fort Worth, Texas, effective January 4, 1999. Mr. Wright previously served on the Strategic Planning Team at the Southeast Regional Office, Atlanta, Georgia.

CONSTITUENCY AND PARTNERSHIP NEWS

NRCS, Others, Produce "Buffer Solutions for Pork Production" Brochure - NRCS; the National Pork Producers Council; Trees Forever, an Iowa organization that is extensively promoting the use of conservation buffers; and others have produced a new brochure titled "Buffer Solutions for Pork Production." The brochure explains how producers can use conservation buffers around confined feeding operations and as a safeguard along streams and other fragile environmental areas adjacent to fields that receive manure applications. The brochure will be mailed to NRCS State contacts in the next 2 weeks.

LEGISLATIVE NEWS

106th Congress Begins - New and returning members to Congress have begun the 106th Congress. Because of vacancies caused by retirement and members seeking other public offices, there will be 40 new freshmen members of the House and 7 new Senators. The party breakdown for the 106th Congress is as follows:

	Republicans	Democrats	Independent
Senate	55	45
House	223	211	1

Committee Vacancies and Assignments - To date, some committee vacancies and new assignments have been announced. A list of some key committee roster changes, as they are known at this time are listed below. Note that official announcements on Senate Republican and House Democrat committee assignments have not been made. In addition, there will also be party-ratio adjustments made to some House committees to reflect the pick up of 12 Democratic seats in the last 2 elections.

Senate Agriculture

Appointed	Departing
Peter Fitzgerald, R-IL	Phil Gramm, R-TX
Blanche Lincoln, D-AR	Mary Landrieu, D-LA

Senate Appropriations

Appointed	Departing
John Kyl, R-AZ	Lauch Faircloth, R-NC
Richard Durbin, D-IL	Barbara Boxer, D-CA
Dianne Feinstein, D-CA	Mary Landrieu, D-LA

House Agriculture

Appointed	Departing
Gil Gutnecht, R-MI	Bob Smith, R-OR
Greg Walden, R-OR	John T. Doolittle, R-CA
Mike Simpson, R-ID	Ron Lewis, R-KY
Doug Ose, R-CA	Mark Foley, R-FL
Robin Hayes, R-NC	Jo Ann Emerson, R-MO
Ernie Fletcher, R-KY	Roy Blunt, R-MO
	Chip Pickering, R-MS

House Appropriations

Appointed	Departing
Jo Ann Emerson, R-MO	Robert Livingston R-LA
John E. Sununu, R-NH	Joseph McDade, R-PA
Kay Granger, R-TX	Mike Parker, R-MS
John E. Peterson, R-PA	Mark Neumann, R-WI

106th Congress Schedule - On Wednesday, January 6, 1998, the 106th Congress convened at 12:00 noon. Following procedural votes and approval of the Congressional leadership, the Congress will immediately adjourn for a 2-week district work period. The schedule for the 106th Congress is as follows:

January

January 17-18	House and Senate in recess.
January 19	State of the Union Address.
January 20-21, 26-28	House "possible vote" days.

February

Feb. 1-4	No House votes Monday; votes on bills debated under "suspension of the rules" after 2:00 p.m., Tuesday; votes Wednesday and part of Thursday.
Feb. 4-6	House Republican Conference and Democratic Caucus retreats.
Feb. 8-12	House debates "suspension" bills Monday; possible votes between noon Tuesday and 2:00 p.m., Friday.
Feb. 13-21	Senate President's Day recess.
Feb. 15-19	House President's Day recess.
Feb. 22-26	House debates "suspension bills Monday; votes possible between noon Tuesday and 2:00 p.m., Friday.

March and April

March 1-4	House debates "suspension" bills Monday; votes possible between noon Tuesday and Thursday night.
March 9-12	Votes possible between noon Tuesday and 2:00 p.m., Friday.
March 15-18	House debates "suspension" bills Monday; votes possible between noon Tuesday and 2:00 p.m., Friday.
March 19-20	Bipartisan House "civility" retreat in Hershey, PA.
March 22-26	House debates "suspension" bills Monday; possible votes between noon Tuesday and 2:00 p.m., Friday.
March 27 - April 11	Senate spring recess.
March 29 through April 5	House spring recess.

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UPCOMING

January 10-13 - (South Dakota) The Western Resource Conservation & Development Association Meeting will be held in Spearfish, SD. For more information, call the NRCS Resource Conservation & Community Development Division at 202-720-2241.

January 19-21 - (Illinois) The Soil and Water Conservation Society will host a national conference, "The State of North America's Private Land," at the Holiday Inn O'Hare in Chicago, IL. For more information, contact Charlie Persinger at 515-289-2331; fax: 515-289-1227; or e-mail: swcs@swcs.org.

January 24-27 - (Colorado) Colorado State University will host "Tailings and Mine Waste '99" in Fort Collins, CO. The conference will provide a forum for presenting information on mine tailings, mine waste, and current and future issues facing the mining and environmental communities. Contact Linda L. Hinshaw at 970-491-6081; fax: 970-491-3584; or e-mail: lhinshaw@engr.colostate.edu.

January 27-29 - (Idaho) The University of Idaho, NRCS, other Federal, State agencies, and organizations will host the "Water Quality Beyond 2000 - Meeting the TMDL Challenge" conference at the Double Tree Inn Riverside in Boise, ID. This conference will examine the impacts of TMDL, implementation strategies and watershed approaches. For more information, contact John Kendrick at 208-378-5729; fax: 208-378-573.

January 31-February 4 - (California) 53rd National NACD Annual Meeting to be held at the Town and Country Resort and Conference Center (1-800-772-8528) in San Diego, CA. For more information, contact Robert Raschke at 303-988-1810; fax: 303-988-1896. Meeting agenda highlights and registration information are on NACD's home page at http://nacdnet.org/meetings/.

February 17-20 - (Texas) Land Improvement Contractors of America Winter Convention, Adams Mark Hotel, San Antonio, TX. Contact Wayne F. Maresch at 301-248-5749; fax: 301-248-0847; or e-mail: WayneF86@aol.com.

February 21-26 - (Nebraska) The Society for Range Management and the American Forage and Grasslands Council will hold their annual meeting, "Building on Our Heritage," at the Holiday Convention Center, 3321 South 72nd Street in Omaha, NE. For more information, visit the Society for Range Management web site at: http://srm.org/meetings.html.

February 22 and 23 - (Virginia) The U.S. Department of Agriculture will hold the 75th annual Agricultural Outlook Forum at the Crystal Gateway Marriott Hotel, 1700 Jefferson Davis Highway, Arlington, VA. For more information, visit the Agricultural Outlook Forum website at: http://www.usda.gov/agency/oce/waob/agforum.htm.

March 26-30 - (California) The Wildlife Management Institute will hold its 64th North American Wildlife and Natural Resources Conference at the Hyatt Regency San Francisco Airport in Burlingame, CA. For more information call 202-371-1808; fax: 202-408-5059; e-mail: wmihq@aol.com or visit the Wildlife Management Institute website at: www.wildifemgt.org/wmi.

April 21 - (Connecticut) The Southern New England Chapter of the Soil and Water Conservation Society is holding its spring conference, "Urban Riparian Buffers," in Enfield, CT, at the Harley Hotel. The deadline for papers is December 1. Submit papers to the Southern New England Chapter of the Soil and Water Conservation Society, P.O. Box 262, Storrs, CT 06268; or e-mail: jpashnik@prodigy.net.

May 16-19 - (Texas) The National Watershed Coalition is presenting its Sixth National Watershed Conference, "Getting the Job Done at Ground Level," at the Doubletree Hotel in North Austin, TX. For more information, contact John W. Peterson at 703-455-6886 or 4387; fax: 703-455-6888; or e-mail: jwpeterson@erols.com.

May 23-28 - (Indiana) The International Soil Conservation Organization will host the 10th International Soil Conservation Conference, "Sustaining the Global Farm," at Purdue University in West Lafayette, IN. For more information, call 765-494-8683; fax: 765-494-5948 c/o ISCO99; e-mail: isco99@ecn.purdue.edu; or visit the conference website at: http://spc3.ecn.purdue.edu/isco99/isco99.htm.

June 6-9 - (Pennsylvania) The American Farmland Trust and 13 other agricultural organizations, in cooperation with NRCS and several other Federal agencies, will host the "Keep America Growing: Balancing Working Lands and Development" conference at the Adam's Mark Hotel in Philadelphia, PA. For more information, contact Karl Otte at 703-440-8611; or visit the conference website at: www.farmland.org/KAG.html.

June 9-12 - (Louisiana) The Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service and other Federal and State agencies will present the Third National Workshop on Constructed Wetlands/BMPs for Nutrient Reduction and Coastal Water Protection at the Radisson Hotel, New Orleans, LA. For more information, Dr. Frank Humenik at 919--515-6767; e-mail: frank_humenik@ncsu.edu.

QUOTE

"Men and nature must work hand in hand. The throwing out of balance of the resources of nature throws out of balance also the lives of man."

- Franklin D. Roosevelt (1882-1945), 32nd President of the United States

NRCS This Week is issued weekly by the Conservation Communications Staff, NRCS headquarters, Washington, D.C., and posted in the SCS:SCS shared folder on FTS2000Mail. Please send correspondence and material via FTS2000Mail to !A16SCSOPA and type "This Week" on the subject line or e-mail: fred.jacobs2@usda.gov or mail to Editor, "NRCS This Week," NRCS, P.O. Box 2890, Washington, DC 20013 or fax to Editor, "NRCS This Week," 202-690-1221.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, gender, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, and marital or family status. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for communication of program information (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact USDA's TARGET Center at 202-720-2600 (voice and TDD).

To file a complaint of discrimination, write USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, Room 326W, Whitten Building, 14th and Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, D.C. 20250-9410 or call 202-720-5964 (voice or TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

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