FY 2000 Budget Announced - The President announced his FY 2000 budget this week. Secretary Glickman met with the news media to outline the USDA budget. Over the next 2 weeks, NRCS will do a State-by-State analysis to determine the impact of the new budget on the agency mission performance.

Nearly $2.3 Million More in NRCS Disaster Assistance to Texas - NRCS, through the Emergency Watershed Protection Program (EWP), has allocated nearly $2.3 million in EWP funds for flooding in central Texas. Since October 1, NRCS has allocated EWP funds totaling nearly $50 million, for recovery work from natural disasters in Florida, Connecticut, Alabama, California, Puerto Rico, Louisiana, Iowa, Ohio, 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.

Farmland Protection to be Topic at Agricultural Outlook Forum - On February 23, Deputy Secretary Richard Rominger is scheduled to moderate the session on farmland protection at the Department of Agriculture's 75th annual outlook forum in Arlington, VA. Joining Deputy Secretary Rominger will be the President of the American Farmland Trust, and the Executive Director of the Vermont Housing and Conservation Board. Discussion will include an overview of national trends and policy directions, and way to make farmland protection work at the local level. This topic was included because of the recent national focus on the loss of prime farmland. NRCS staff coordinated this session.

New Soils Book Highlights Environmental Concerns - NRCS collaborated with the Soil Science Society of America in producing Sustaining our Soils and Society. This new release in the American Geological Institute's (AGI) Environmental Awareness series is a colorful 64-page book filled with striking photos and illustrations that demonstrate the importance of soil resources and how they are connected to our daily lives and the future of society. The Environmental Awareness series objective is to promote better understanding of the role of the Earth sciences in all aspects of environmental concerns and issues. AGI is a not-for-profit federation of 34 professional organizations in the Earth Sciences representing more than 100,000 geologists, geophysicists, and other earth and environmental scientists. To obtain a copy, send $8.00 per copy, to the American Society of Agronomy, 677 South Segoe Road, Madison, WI, 53711. Include the ISBN number, 0-922152-50-0, as well the title of the book and the number copies desired.

IN THE FIELD

NRCS In Massachusetts Begins "Fires of Hope" Program - NRCS is finalizing an agreement with Communities Involved in Sustainable Agriculture (CISA), for its new "Fires of Hope" program. The program is aimed at building consumer awareness of locally grown agriculture products and increasing demand for them in western Massachusetts stores. As a result of the marketing effort, farmers should see an increase in their income and receive positive feedback and appreciation for using sustainable conservation practices.

NRCS sees "Fires of Hope" as a way to make a connection between farmers and consumers by reaching consumers in the supermarkets and educating them about the value of agriculture. The project is being done in cooperation with the Kellogg Foundation.

Florida Uses Internet to Recruit Volunteers - The Florida NRCS homepage has proven to be a useful tools for recruiting Earth Team volunteers, attracting interested individuals from as far away as England and Italy. The simple one-page site contains an e-mail link, which is a popular method of communication and has resulted in many individuals interested in volunteering for the Earth Team. Individuals interested in becoming Earth Team volunteers can visit the NRCS homepage at: http://www.nhq.nrcs.usda.gov/CCS/ETvol.html, or call 1-888-LANDCARE.

Buffer Beginnings - This week's featured story is from South Carolina. Horry County, SC, is one of the fastest growing counties in the country. Home to Myrtle Beach, with residential, commercial, and recreational areas, Horry County also contains 160,000 acres of cropland; 400,000 acres of coastal wetlands; forest land; and the Waccamaw, and the Little Pee Dee and Great Pee Dee rivers.

Between the fall of 1997 and the spring of 1998, the NRCS district conservationist there prepared about 175 contracts for landowners to enroll between 1,000 and 1,500 acres in the Conservation Reserve Program, mostly for riparian forest buffers along open drainage ditches and adjacent to wetlands. Bay systems on converted wetlands are being restored for waterfowl. One such place, boasts the northernmost nesting area for the endangered wood stork. The owner of another property enrolled 447 acres in the Wetlands Reserve Program, and then donated it to the Horry County Conservation Foundation. The land surrounds a donut-shaped freshwater bay typical of South Carolina, about a dozen miles from the coast. Several adjacent wetland areas also are being restored and protected.

Conservation On Private Urban Lands - NRCS's Illinois is working to help put conservation on urban lands in order to address erosion and other natural resources issues that occur in urban areas and developing communities. A conference scheduled for March 2-4, 1999, at the Holiday Inn City Centre in Peoria, Illinois is designed to help explore the issues and educate decision makers and others involved in the development of growing rural communities and urbanizing areas.

The conference, Natural Resources and Your Development, will address the concerns and issues of engineers and surveyors, developers, contractors, landscape architects, planners, and local government officials and staff members. Conference topics and workshops will cover effective erosion and sediment control, how to design sustainable communities, conservation subdivision design, incorporation of trees during development, and best management practices for urban watersheds. Sponsored in part by the Prairie Rivers Resource Conservation and Development district, NRCS, Tri-County Regional Planning Commission, the Peoria County Soil and Water Conservation District, and State partner agencies, the Soil and Water Conservation Society, private companies, and environmental groups, the conference is the second to be held in the area. For a registration form and more information, visit the conference website at: http://www.ocslink.com/~prrcd/nrconference.html.

Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) Works On Minnesota Reservation - American Indians on the Fond du Lac reservation in Cloquet Minnesota, are using EQIP funding to restore reservation waters to the point where they will again teem with wild rice and water fowl. NRCS has contributed $50,000 in technical and financial assistance to help the Fond du Lac tribe restore wild rice beds through the use of dams and the removal of weeds as part of the Rice Portage Wetland Restoration Project. In addition to protecting delicate rice producing areas, one dam will create a 71-acre impoundment that is intended to enhance fish and wildlife habitat. Also, 520 acres of old lake bottom on Rice Portage lake will be reclaimed as a rice bed by raising the lake level 3 to 4 inches annually. Pickerel weed, an undesirable floating plant that competes with rice, will be removed from one the lakes. This long-term effort will revive wetlands that were drained more than 70 years ago for agricultural purposes. Other contributors to this massive wetland restoration effort include the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, Carlton County Soil and Water Conservation District, National Audubon Society, and several corporate sponsors.

CONSTITUENCY AND PARTNERSHIP NEWS

NRCS Teams with OR State University to Produce Video Series - The NRCS Wildlife Habitat Management Institute, in partnership with the Department of Fisheries and Wildlife at OR State University, recently completed seven video lectures for a new education course entitled Wildlife in Agricultural Ecosystems. The series discusses the relationships among agricultural production, fish and wildlife habitat management principles, and sound conservation practices. The course consists of 28 video lectures and presents an excellent professional development opportunity for NRCS employees.

LEGISLATIVE NEWS

Watershed Hearing - On February 10, a hearing has been scheduled by the House Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee on Water Resources (Chairman Sherwood Boehlert, NY) to discuss the Administration's FY 2000 budget submission and programs under the subcommittee's jurisdiction. The subcommittee has requested testimony regarding the NRCS small watershed program and updates on the aging watershed infrastructure issue. Other likely witnesses at the hearing will include the Army Corps of Engineers, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the Tennessee Valley Authority.

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UPCOMING

February 1-28 - African-American History Month.

February 11 - (Washington, D.C.) USDA Resource Conservation & Development (RC&D) Policy Advisory Board Meeting. For more information, call the NRCS Resource Conservation & Community Development Division at 202-720-2241.

February 17-20 - (Louisiana) NRCS is holding a series of Third Annual American Wetlands Month Conferences. The first in the three-conference series will be held in New Orleans, LA, at the Raddisson Hotel. For more information, contact the Terrene Institute at 800-726-4853; fax 703-548-6299; e-mail: terrconf@aol.; or visit the Terrene Institute website at: www.terrene.org, for program updates.

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 website 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.

February 28-March 2 - (Missouri) The Southwest RC&D Association meeting will be held in Springfield, MO. For more information, call the NRCS Resource Conservation & Community Development Division at 202-720-2241.

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 14-17 - (California) The second in the series of Third Annual American Wetlands Month Conferences will be held in San Francisco, CA at the Holiday Inn Golden Gateway. For more information, contact the Terrene Institute at 800-726-4853; fax 703-548-6299; e-mail: terrconf@aol; or visit the Terrene Institute website at: www.terrene.org, for program updates.

April 22-23 - (Washington, D.C.) More than 30 different agricultural organizations are combining efforts to hold a national celebration, "Ag-Earth Day" on Earth Day, to raise public awareness and highlight agriculture's contributions to the environment. The event will be on the National Capital Mall and will feature comments from national agricultural community leaders; extensive exhibits; a traditional farmers' market; outdoor equipment displays, and a satellite uplink to classrooms across the country featuring a lesson in soils. For further information, visit the Ag-Earth website at: http://www.nasda-hq.org/nasda/earth/events1/index.html.

May 6-8 - (Massachusetts) The third and final Third Annual American Wetlands Month Conferences will be held in Boston, MA, at the Rolling Green Inn and Conference Center. For more information, contact the Terrene Institute at 800-726-4853; fax 703-548-6299; e-mail: terrconf@aol; or visit the Terrene Institute website at: www.terrene.org, for program updates.

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, contact Dr. Frank Humenik at 919-515-6767; or e-mail: frank_humenik@ncsu.edu.

QUOTE

" Opportunity follows struggle. It follows effort. It follows hard work. It doesn't come before."

Shelby Steele, Research fellow at the Hoover Institution, Stanford University, author of "A Dream Deferred: The Second Betrayal of Black Freedom in America."

NRCS This Week is issued weekly by the Conservation Communications Staff, NRCS headquarters, Washington, D.C. Please send correspondence and material via 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).

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