New Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) Receives Funding -- Secretary Glickman has announced preliminary State funding for the Department's new $200 million Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP). A new USDA program under the 1996 Farm Bill, EQIP provides technical, financial, and educational assistance to farmers and ranchers to address significant natural resource concerns and objectives.

Under EQIP, USDA can provide cost-share assistance to farmers and ranchers for up to 75 percent of the costs of certain environmental protection practices. Producers will be able to sign EQIP contracts when the final rules and regulations for the program are published in the Federal Register, expected in April. NRCS has leadership for the program.

New State Conservationists Selected --On March 16, Shirley Gammon became the State Conservationist for Montana and Mary T. Kollstedt began her duties as the State Conservationist for North Carolina. Ms. Gammon was formerly the Team Leader for the Oversight and Evaluation Team in the South Central Region and Ms. Kollstedt was the Deputy State Conservationist in Mississippi.

Mr. Tomas Dominguez has been selected as the State Conservationist for Kansas to become effective March 30. Mr. Dominguez is presently Deputy State Conservationist in Texas.

Effective April 13, James W. Ford will serve as the State Conservationist for Tennessee and David G. Sawyer will become the State Conservationist for Kentucky. Mr. Ford is presently Operation Partnership Liaison for the Southeast Regional Office and Mr. Sawyer is presently Deputy State Conservationist in Pennsylvania.

NHQ Personnel Updates -- Here's the latest NHQ personnel assignments.

• Joan Albertella has been selected as the Executive Assistant to the Chief.
• Gary Margheim will serve as Acting Associate Chief.
• Fee Busby will serve as Deputy Chief for Science and Technology.
• Peter Smith will move to the Strategic Natural Resource Issues Staff, but serve as Acting Director of the Resource Economics and Social Science Division under the Deputy Chief for Science and Technology.
• Jerry Hammond will move to the Director of the International Conservation Division under the Deputy Chief for Programs.
• Hari Eswaran will be the World Soils Expert in the Soil Survey Division, under the Deputy Chief for Soil Survey and Resource Assessment.
• Jeri Berc will move to the Strategic Natural Resource Issues Staff, but serve as Acting Director for the Resources Inventory Division under the Deputy Chief for Soil Survey and Resource Assessment.
• Gary Nordstrom will be the Acting Director of the Conservation Operations Division under the Deputy Chief for Programs.
• Lloyd Wright has accepted the position of the USDA Civil Rights Director.

USDA Service Center Administrative Convergence -- Deputy Secretary Rominger recently adopted recommendations by the three USDA Service Center agencies -- NRCS, Farm Service Agency (FSA), and Rural Development (RD) -- for the convergence of administrative activities at the service center level. The Deputy Secretary adopted options to develop common policies and practices at headquarters, State, and service center levels and to identify and implement specific administrative activities under an assigned lead agency.

The agencies were asked by the Deputy Secretary to create a detailed administrative convergence implementation plan by mid-March with a goal to implement the bulk of the plan by the beginning of FY 98. Other actions include the establishment of an Executive Board to ensure an effective, coordinated convergence implementation effort and the establishment of financial management, human resources, and management services sub-teams.

Resource Conservation & Development (RC&D) Training -- The RC&D Training Development Committee is meeting in Fort Worth, TX, this month to develop the first session of the RC&D Training System. The committee consists of RC&D coordinators and program managers from around the country. The committee is led by John Marstella, National RC&D Specialist, and with Robert Rymell, National Employee Development Center. The committee expects to produce a pilot training session later this summer.

Economics and Related Social Sciences Staff To Meet -- The National Economics and Related Social Sciences staffs will meet in Nashville, Tennessee, March 24-27, to set strategic direction for economics and social sciences in NRCS. Results of this meeting will help to ensure that NRCS fully integrates socio-economic considerations into key agency programs. Chief Paul Johnson and other key agency leaders are expected to attend.

IN THE FIELD

NRCS Emergency Watershed Program (EWP) Flood/Tornado Damage Assessment Efforts Update -- Arkansas: NRCS in Arkansas has responded to the recent disaster with over 50 employees attempting to assess the flooding and tornado damage throughout the State. Although NRCS efforts are still hampered by restricted travel due to extensive damage to roads in the affected counties, 14 damage reports have been completed to date. Flooding and tornadoes killed 25 people and injured over 400, as well as doing extensive damage to homes, businesses, and agricultural land.

The President, who visited Arkansas, declared 25 counties Federal Disaster areas. The Governor of Arkansas has declared additional counties disaster areas.

In addition to several U.S. Congressmen and Senators, James Lee Witt, director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and Rodney Slator, Secretary of the Department of Transportation toured the flooded areas of the State and described it as the worst devastation they have seen since they started their current jobs.

Ohio: NRCS in Ohio has responded to the recent disaster with over 40 employees attempting to assess the flood damage in the southern part of the State. Three NRCS Disaster Centers, staffed by 22 NRCS employees, have opened in Logan and White Counties. Flooding has done an estimated $25 million damage to levees; exposed sewer, water, and utility lines; washed out county and township roads; and damaged agricultural land. To date 22 EWP contracts have been advertised and 6 awarded. Over 30 miles of streams have been cleared of debris, minimizing flood threat and erosion.

The President declared a major disaster in 16 counties. Vice President Al Gore and FEMA Director James Lee Witt have visited several of the areas.

Kentucky: NRCS in Kentucky has responded to the recent flood disaster with nearly 100 employees attempting to assess the flood damage throughout the State. NRCS has identified 5 PL-566 structures that are in danger of breaching. There is concern that damage to the emergency spill-ways on these structures has been severe. The President has declared 9 counties Federal disaster areas.

Indiana: NRCS efforts to assess flood damage in the 13 counties that have been declared Federal disaster areas are being impeded by inability to access the flooded areas. Damage in the affected areas has been caused primarily by backwater flooding in Indiana tributaries of the Ohio River.

West Virginia: NRCS is working on flood damage assessment activities in the 16 counties that have been declared Federal disaster areas by the President. The West Virginia National Guard reports that nearly 5,000 homes, schools, and businesses have been damaged or destroyed by the flooding, which has also been responsible for 3 deaths in the State.

Tennessee: NRCS is working on flood damage assessment activities in the 7 Tennessee counties that have been declared Federal disaster areas by the President.

CRP Off and Moving Forward In Wisconsin -- In Wisconsin, State agencies and environmental groups have pitched in to help NRCS with the largest CRP signup ever. With NRCS workload projections showing a 14,000-hour deficit, the State Department of Natural Resources detailed nearly 100 people to assist NRCS during and after the signup. County Land Conservation staff, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Extension, and Pheasants Forever participated in the training sessions and are working in NRCS offices to handle the anticipated 10,000-plus bids.

NRCS Participates in Columbia Basin Spring Potential Runoff Briefing -- On March 6th representatives from the NRCS Oregon State office and National Water and Climate Center participated in a North Pacific Division Corps of Engineers briefing on the potential for high runoff in the Columbia River System this spring. The high potential is the direct result of exceptionally high snowpacks measured by the NRCS SNOTEL data collection system operated by the NRCS Snow Survey Program. The Columbia Basin reservoir system can store only 25% of the expected spring runoff, requiring the Corps and other Federal cooperators to balance navigation, irrigation, fish, wildlife, hydropower, recreation, and cultural resource concerns with the protection of lives and property. The Corps and other Federal cooperators recognize these challenges and will focus on flood control and salmon survival during the spring runoff. Preparations are now underway to minimize effects on other uses. These preparations will require real-time management and communications, which are supported by the SNOTEL data collection system.

For more information on the Columbia Water Supply Forecasts, visit the NWCC Homepage at www.wcc.nrcs.usda.gov/w_qnty.html.

LEGISLATIVE NEWS

Computer Purchase Hearings-- The Senate Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee (Chairman Lugar, R-Ind.) held a hearing on the Agriculture Department's strategic business planning and management of information technology, including the purchase of new computer equipment. Witnesses included Deputy Secretary Richard Rominger. Chairman Lugar began the hearing by stating that USDA must make purchases of information technology better integrated with strategic plans and with a set goal in mind. Deputy Secretary Rominger stated that the present moratorium on new technology acquisitions would allow USDA to establish a better set of goals and integrate them with mission-related functions.

The following bills were introduced of significance to NRCS and conservation:

Bill	Member	Purpose
H.R. 752	Chenoweth (ID)	To amend the Endangered Species Act of 1973 to allow persons in violation of the Act to file a civil suit against the Federal government on their own behalf.
H.R. 806	Visclosky (IN)	To amend the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to establish a National Clean Water Trust Fund and to authorize the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to use amounts in that Fund to carry out projects to restore and recover waters damaged by violations of that act.
H.R. 861	Moran (KS)	To authorize a farmer or rancher whose bid for enrollment in CRP is rejected to extend the contract for a final year.
H.R. 901	Young (AK)	"American Land Sovereignty Protection Act" would require public input on including lands in the United Nations Biosphere Reserves and World Heritage Sites.

CONSTITUENCY AND PARTNERSHIP NEWS

National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) National Convention -- The NHQ Conservation Communications Staff is coordinating a major educational outreach activity at the National Science Teachers Association National Convention, April 3-6, in New Orleans, Louisiana. Participating in workshops are staff from the Plant Data Center, Baton Rouge; staff from NHQ conducting a workshop on soil data bases; and a short-course on using school sites for educational purposes integrating computer-based image processing.

In addition, NRCS will have a hands-on learning exhibit in the Technology Center of the NSTA Exhibition Area. Displays will include a "wetlands" constructed by the Plants Materials Program staff; NRCS regional displays; and "Build a Soil Profile." A mini-theater will allow NRCS staff to demonstrate agency conservation practices.

Over 20,000 science educators are expected to attend this conference, the world's largest science-education meeting. The Louisiana State NRCS staff is providing staff assistance for many on-site needs.

UPCOMING EVENTS

March 24-27 -- NRCS National Economics and Related Social Sciences Meeting, Nashville Airport Marriott Hotel, Nashville, TN. Contact: Marita Baker or Renna Young, 202-720-2307, e-mail: renna.young@usda.gov.

April 3-6 -- 45th Annual Meeting, National Science Teachers Association (NSTA), Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, New Orleans, LA. Information about NRCS participation may be obtained from Tom Levermann, NRCS Office of Public Affairs, 202-720-7570. Information about the convention is available from the NSTA Convention Office at 703-243-7100 or FAX: 703-243-7177.

April 4-5 -- Timber Utilization Conference & Equipment Expo, Wagoner, OK, sponsored by Ouachita Mountains RC&D. Call: 918-423-0785 or FAX: 918-423-0793. Conference information can also be found at: http://www.icok.net/~omrcandd/timber_conf.html.

April 13-16 -- "Conflict and Cooperation on Trans-Boundary Water Resources," the fifth meeting of the International Water and Resource Economics Consortium, will be held in Annapolis, MD; contact Liesl Koch, Department of Agricultural and Resource

Economics, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742; (301) 405-0057; e-mail lkoch@arec.umd.edu.

April 14-15 -- "Interactions: Investigating Ecosystem Dynamics at the Watershed Level" will be held in Athens, GA; contact Jennifer Pemble, Soil and Water Conservation Society, 1-800-843-7645 ext. 18.

April 25-27 -- National Association of Farm Broadcasters Washington Watch, Washington, D.C. Contact: 612-224-0508.

April 27-May 2 -- 21st Annual Conference of the Association of State Floodplain Managers, Little Rock, AR. Contact: Rod Emmer, 608-274-0123.

May 7-9 -- An American Wetlands Month Celebration -- "Communities Working for Wetlands," Radisson Plaza Hotel, Alexandria, VA. Call: 800/726-4853 or FAX: 703-548-6299 or e-mail: terrene@gnn.com.

May 8-10 -- Public Service Recognition Week, National Mall Event, Washington, D.C.

May 12-16 -- NRCS will conduct agency-specific training for its Federal Women's Program Managers (FWPMs) Holiday Inn - South, 100 E. Alta Mesa Boulevard, Fort Worth, Texas. Contact: Sheila W. Greene, NRCS National Federal Women's Program Manager, 202-690-0697.

May 14-16 -- Senior Action for Healthy Neighborhoods is the theme for the Environmental Alliance of Senior Involvement annual meeting, Ramada Plaza Hotel, Alexandria, VA. Information about the conference is available from Harlow Knight Associates, 703-241-0019 or FAX: 703-538-5504.

May 18-21 -- Fifth National Watershed Conference, "Living in Your Watershed." Sponsored by the National Watershed Coalition, Reno, NV. Contact: Jim Fisher, 303-988-1810.

May 18-20 -- The Wildlife Habitat Council (in cooperation with the Wildlife Society and sponsored by NRCS and other Federal, State, and private organizations) 1997 Wildlands Conference, "Exceeding Expectations," Swissotel, Atlanta, GA. Call: 201-588-8994.

May 25-28 -- 8th Global Warming International Conference & Expo, New York, NY. Conference Hotline: 630-910-1561.

June 1-3 -- National Agricultural Biotechnology Council 9, "Resource Management in Challenged Environments," Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. Call: 607-254-4856

June 11 -- USDA Annual Honor Awards Celebration, Washington, D.C.

June 15-18 -- National Association of RC&D Councils Conference, St. Paul, MN. Contact Becky Lane: 202-546-8800 or write to: National Association of RC&D Councils, 509 Capital Court, NE, Ste. 100, Washington, D.C. 20002.

July 17-19, 1997 -- Land Improvement Contractors of America Summer Meeting, Providence, RI. Contact Wayne F. Maresch at 301/248-9313 or e-mail to: Wayne F86@aol.com.

June 18-20 -- 31st Annual Meeting of the Texas Council of Chapters, Soil and Water Conservation Society. Workshops will be held for GIS, GPS, CPESC, and Leadership Development. Contact: Ginger Phillips, 817-467-3867.

July 12-16 -- ACE/NETC '97, Renaissance Cleveland Hotel Public Square, Cleveland, OH. Contact: Martha Carroll, 614-292-9833.

July 22-25 -- The 52nd Soil and Water Conservation Society Annual Conference; Interactions, Managing Ecosystems on a Watershed Basis; Toronto, Canada. Contact: Nancy Herselius, 800-843-7645, ext. 18 or e-mail: nancyh@swcs.org. Conference information can also be found at: http://www.swcs.org/AnnCon.htm.

July 27-30 -- The 84th American Agricultural Economics Association Annual Meeting, Toronto, Canada. Call: 515-233-3202. Conference information can also be found at: http://www.aaea.org/Meetings.html.

July 31-August 1/2 -- Indiana Land Care Exposition sponsored by Indiana Land Improvement Contractors in cooperation with Purdue University, NRCS, Indiana Department of Natural Resources, and the Shelby County Soil and Water Conservation District. Contact: Don Sisson (317) 349-1935 or Shelby County SWCD (317) 392-1394.

August 10-14 -- ASAE Annual International Meeting, "Tools for Transforming Tomorrow," Minneapolis, MN. Contact: American Society of Agricultural Engineers, 616-429-0300 or FAX: 616-429-3852 or e-mail: hq@asae.org.

August 19-22, 1997 -- National Rural Community Assistance Conference, "Sustaining Our Environment and Our Communities: Working Together-The Sky's The Limit." Sponsored by the USDA Forest Service and other partners, the conference will be held at the Outlaw Inn, Kalispell, MT. Contact: Bitter Root RC&D, 406-363-5450.

September 7-9 -- National Coalition for Abandoned Mine Reclamation, Huntington, WV. Contact Kelly Sponaugle, 304-255-9225 or FAX: 304--255-1250.

November 11-14 -- Environmental Technology China '97 (ETC '97), Third International Exhibition on Environmental Protection, Pollution Control and Green Production Technology, Shanghai Exhibition Center, Shanghai, China. Contact: Perry Tang, Adsale Exhibition Services Ltd., 4/F Stanhope House, 734 King's Road, North Point, Hong Kong, 852-25163346 or FAX: 852-25165024.

November 16-18 -- National Association of State Universities and Land-Grant Colleges Annual Meeting, Washington Hilton Hotel and Towers, Washington, D.C. Contact: 202-778-0850.

QUOTE

"Those who dwell, as scientists or laymen, among the beauties and mysteries of the earth are never alone or weary of life. Whatever the vexations or concerns of their personal lives, their thoughts can find paths that lead to inner contentment and to renewed excitement in living. Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts."

from The Sense of Wonder, Rachel Carson (1907-1964).

NRCS This Week is issued weekly by the Office of Public Affairs, 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.jacobs@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.

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