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| Friday, July 16, 1999 Washington, DC |
FOCUS ON THE FIELD
NRCS Helps Correctional Center Grow Food for People in Need - NRCS Missouri, the Cooper County Soil and Water Conservation District, and other conservation partners have joined with the Boonville Correctional Center in a gardening project that grows produce for the needy. More than 150 prisoners participate in this unique effort that supplies food for distribution by the Central Missouri Food Bank. Prisoners are so eager to volunteer for the project that they must be placed on a waiting list. Efforts are underway to extend this project statewide. Allen Voss, District Conservationist, Darlene Johnson, Resource Conservationist, and Tim Viertel, Cooper County Soil and Water Conservation District Technician are project leaders. NRCS designed a waterway and established garden plots. The center recently hosted an open house to showcase the project.
Nebraska Flood Control Structures Prevent Millions in Damages - In Nebraska, it's what this year's spring floods did not do that is making news. State Conservationist Steve Chick praised the performance of the nearly 880 dams and other structures across the State that slow runoff and reduce erosion. Steve recently announced that more than $10 million in damages did not occur this spring because of the structures. "We know that figure is low because not all of our county offices reported all the storms that occurred this spring," he said. NRCS estimates that, without structures, a 100-year storm that struck Gering Valley in June could have inflicted nearly $4.5 million in damages. "We are funding four structures this year," said Steve. "In the next 5 years, we have another 14 structures to be built if we continue to receive funding from Congress."
A Healthy Use of WRP - NRCS in Eureka, California, is participating in a unique partnership to construct a health care facility that will serve American Indian communities along the State's north coast. Through the Wetlands Reserve Program, NRCS is helping restore a wetlands area by establishing native plants and grasses on the facility's grounds. The facility will have a medical clinic, cultural center, and an environmental setting that reflects American Indian approaches to health and wellness. Heading up the project is United Indian Health Services, a nonprofit organization that provides health care to nine tribes.
State Technical Committee Earmarks Education Funds for Rural Alaskans - Education efforts to rural Alaskan Natives recently received a $32,000 boost from the State Technical Committee. Education projects to be funded are: fire management practices to improve berry-growing areas in Galena and a rangeland management and protection study in the Seward Peninsula and the Bering Sea Islands that includes the placement of satellite collars on reindeer. Schools for Alaskan Natives in the northwest part of the State will receive educational materials that feature conservation of tundra lands.
Mississippi RC&D Reaches Out to Underserved Owners of Forest Lands - The Southeast Mississippi Resource Conservation and Development (RC&D) Council partnered with NRCS, the Mississippi Cooperative Extension Service, and 35 other groups to provide outreach workshops to underserved owners of forest lands. At the workshops, nearly 250 landowners learned the latest about best management practices, as well as the fine points of estate planning and timber marketing. Sparking the organization of the workshops was RC&D member and former State Forester, Sid Moss.
Watershed Stewardship Awards Go to Groups Assisted by NRCS - Governor Marc Racicot presented the first Montana Watershed Stewardship Awards to the Sun River Watershed Project and the Big Hole Watershed Committee. NRCS provided extensive technical assistance to both groups, who were recognized by the Montana Watershed Coordination Council for their innovative, locally led approaches to restoring and enhancing Montana's watersheds. The Sun River project has reduced sediment from 200,000 tons to 50,000 tons per year, stabilized 20 miles of streambanks, instituted grazing management and weed control programs, and fostered community outreach and information materials to educate the public and watershed group participants. Among its accomplishments, the Big Hole Watershed Committee developed new and innovative solutions to address drought management and water quality and quantity concerns.
WHAT'S UP IN WASHINGTON, D.C.
NRCS Employees To Be Surveyed Soon - NRCS will conduct an internal culture survey to assess perceptions of a statistical sample of NRCS employees regarding organizational and functional changes that have taken place over the past 5 years. The survey seeks employee feedback on initiatives to reduce the bureaucratic burden on field offices, improve customer service, and empower employees to do the agency's work. By July 20, a random sample of 1,000 field, State, Regional, and National Headquarters employees, representing all disciplines, will receive the survey. To assure anonymity, the surveys will be mailed to employees' homes. North Carolina A&T's Applied Survey Research Laboratory will compile and analyze the responses, which will be used as a baseline for agency leadership to measure success and to determine needed improvements to the workplace environment.
Tech Tip from the NRCS Science and Technology Deputy Area
Quality Soil Management Results in Improved Soil Quality - Conservation tillage, cover crops, and crop rotations are keys to improving soil quality, say farmers interviewed by NRCS' Soil Quality Institute. A case in point comes from an operation in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, where management practices that include no-till, cover crops, effective rotations, and reduced pesticides are the foundation of a farming system. The farmer reports that on fields not tilled in 10 years, water-stable aggregates measure 62.3 percent, bulk density is 1.18 g/cm3, and organic matter is 4.3 percent in the top 4 inches. Fields with similar soils tilled for 10 years have been found to contain 18.1 percent water-stable aggregates, have bulk density of 1.35 g/cm3, and organic matter of 2 percent. A farmer in Jenkins County, Georgia, reports similar success. Since beginning high-residue strip-tillage in 1991, organic matter has increased from 0.5 percent to 3.0 percent in the top one-half inch of the soil. Significant numbers of earthworms have returned to his crop fields. Because of improved infiltration rates, he can apply 1.5 inches of water with no runoff.
SPECIAL EVENTS
"QUOTE OF THE WEEK"
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