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| Friday, October 15, 1999 Washington, DC |
Comments for Chief Reed can be sent via the "Feedback" hotlink on the NRCS homepage or by e-mail on chiefs.feedback@nrcs.usda.gov All messages are anonymous, direct, and unfiltered.
USDA, Partners Join Forces To Aid Rural Community - With assistance from the Lowcountry Resource Conservation and Development (RC&D) Council, USDA's NRCS and Rural Development, and the Charleston Soil and Water Conservation District, the people of Wiltown, South Carolina, are cleaning up their streets and rebuilding pride in their community. Flooding plagues the community, and proposed flood prevention, drainage work, and road and driveway improvements are in the planning stages by NRCS. A wooden sign that reads "Welcome to Wiltown Community – Please Help Us Keep it Beautiful" was recently purchased and placed beside a once trash-filled highway. Wiltown is located in rural Charleston County. Your contact is Perdita Belk, State Public Affairs Specialist, on (803) 765-5402.
NRCS Assists Alaskan Village with Resource Management - NRCS Alaska is assisting the remote Athabascan community of Stevens Village on the Upper Yukon River in resource management planning. NRCS personnel provide consultation, training, and quality assurance for the development of a state-of-the-art geographic information system that incorporates existing land planning, fish and wildlife management, recreational development, and water quality programs. NRCS technical specialists also guide the development of a forest management program that is based on local needs for building materials as well as other traditional forest uses and products. Village leaders are dedicated to developing a modern tradition of forest management based on the Athabascan tradition of appreciation and use of forest lands. Your contact is Mitch Michaud, NRCS State Forester, on (907) 283-8732.
NRCS Alabama, Partners Reach 300K Festival Goers - NRCS Alabama, Earth Team volunteers, and a host of people from the local conservation district and Wiregrass RC&D brought conservation awareness to southeast Alabama in a big way. Nearly 300,000 visitors to learned about conservation at the Peanut Festival, a weeklong event held in Dothan to promote the peanut industry. An exhibit featuring conservation information and photographs of various personnel was displayed while agency icons Ruby Raindrop and Sammy Soil greeted people and handed out district and agency information. A parade included a float with Ruby and Sammy as the main characters along with agency employees from the offices in surrounding counties. District and NRCS personnel also appeared with Ruby and Sammy on a local farm show to promote soil and water conservation. Your contact is Monica Carroll, Soil Conservationist, New Brockton, on (334) 894-5581. Her e-mail monica.carrol@al.usda.gov
Idahoans State Top Environmental Issues - The Idaho Statesman, the State's largest newspaper, recently listed the results of its survey of the top six environmental issues that are of greatest concern to Idahoans. They were: protecting water quality, protecting air quality, halting the invasion of invasive species, restoring the health of damaged ecosystems, population growth, and over-consumption. Your contact is Sharon Norris, State Public Affairs Specialist, on (208) 378-5725.
Geologists Explore Challenges to Agency, Sharpen Skills and Knowledge - Issues facing NRCS' future geological endeavors were the focus of the National Geologists' Workshop held last week in Bozeman, Montana. Of special concern was NRCS' diminishing geology workforce. The agency has 41 geologists-44 percent will be eligible for retirement in 5 years, while 90 percent will be eligible within 10 years. Also on the agenda were technical presentations by NRCS geologists, scientists from the Agricultural Research Service and National Park Service, and geologists from the State of Montana and the private sector. Conferees solved a field problem that featured a leaking reservoir, visited a Superfund site, toured Yellowstone National Park. Sixty geologists and other natural resource experts attended. Your contact is John Moore, CPG, NRCS National Headquarters, on (202) 720-0115. His e-mail is johns.moore@usda.gov
TECH TIP
Amendments to the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 and implementing regulations require that -- appropriate to the scale of a proposed project or undertaking and the scope of Federal involvement -- Federal agencies consult with Federally-recognized American Indian tribes, local governments, and interested publics during the cultural resources compliance planning process.
NRCS is at an advantage in this regard because we have well-established lines of communication with tribes, local governments, and our conservation partnership through our assistance programs and existing public notification and participation procedures through our NEPA process. As more detailed policy and procedures develop for compliance with these new requirements, field and State offices are encouraged, whenever possible, to use extant consultation and communication networks.
For more information on these changes, look at the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation's (authors of the regulations) references on their web page at http://www.achp.gov/usersguide.html. Of particular interest is the flowchart and accompanying explanatory materials. Your contact is Sarah Bridges, NRCS National Cultural Resources Specialist, at sarah.bridges@usda.gov
The Soil Quality Institute announced the reprinting of "Soil Quality Thunderbook." They can be ordered from: GSA National Forms and Publications Center (7CPN), Warehouse 4, Dock 1, 501West Felix, Ft. Worth, TX 76115. To place an order, submit a request on your official letterhead stationery by mail or fax to (817) 334-5227; or call (817) 334-5500.
Remember, diamonds are only lumps of coal that stuck to their jobs
-- B.C. Forbes, Scottish journalist
Please send correspondence and material for "NRCS This Week" to the editor by: e-mail to: brad.fisher@usda.gov; or by fax to: Editor, "NRCS This Week," 202-720-1564; or by mail to: Editor, "NRCS This Week," NRCS, P.O. Box 2890, Washington, D.C. 20013
If you are not a NRCS employee, you can receive NRCSTW on an e-mail by contacting: listproc@nrcs.usda.gov (NHQ personnel should send their e-mail to: GW:"listproc@nrcs.usda.gov@i"). Do not use a subject line and put the following in the body of the message: subscribe NRCS-THIS-WEEK Firstname Lastname (example: subscribe NRCS-THIS-WEEK Eleanor Roosevelt). To get help with other commands that are available at the "listproc@nrcs.usda.gov" address, send a message with no subject and the word HELP on a line by itself in the body of the message. "NRCS This Week" will continue to be posted on the NRCS Homepage.
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.
Addresses and telephone numbers for NRCS' Civil Rights Staff are: NRCS Civil Rights Program Compliance Division, 5601 Sunnyside Avenue, Mail Stop 5471, Beltsville, MD 20705-5471; phone: (301) 504-2287. NRCS Civil Rights Employment Division, 5601 Sunnyside Avenue, Mail Stop 5472, Beltsville, MD 20705-5472; phone: (301) 504-2181.
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