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| Friday, March 10, 2000 Washington, DC. |
"Farmers remain forever. They're like the land itself." -- from the Oscar®-winning movie "The Magnificent Seven"
SPECIAL NOTICE!
USDA is Looking for a Hero- Unsung Hero Award nominations are now being accepted. Your deadline is March 17. For nomination information, click http://www.usdaesra.org/unsung.html or contact the Organization of Professional Employees on (202) 720-4898. Also available to answer questions is Theresa Hood, NRCS Personnel Management Specialist, on (202) 690-2262.
Governors Want NRCS to Support Sponsors for Dam Rehab - At last week's winter meeting of the National Governors' Association (NGA), the Nation's governors unanimously agreed to support Federal legislation that would authorize NRCS to support State and local sponsors on the rehabilitation of NRCS watershed dams. The vote had no dissentions.
NGA's policy on improving the safety of NRCS watershed dams recommends that actions be taken to extend dam life, address component deterioration, repair damage caused by catastrophic rainfalls, improve fish and wildlife habitat, upgrade dams to meet State dam safety laws, and remove dams. It also recommends the creation of a collaborative partnership among Federal agencies, States, local governments, stakeholders, and project sponsors to prioritize the NRCS dam projects that are in most need of improvements. The legislation would ensure flexibility by allowing State, Tribal, and local government involvement throughout the process. Your contact is Bruce Julian, Natural Resource Manager, Watersheds and Wetlands Division, NHQ, on (202) 720-3042.
Morgan Freeman Speaks Out for Conservation, NRCS Programs - Actor Morgan Freeman has recorded public service radio announcements that promote conservation in Mississippi. Freeman, through the efforts of the NRCS Mississippi public affairs team and the district conservationist who serves in the county where he lives, recorded several announcements that will air over the Mississippi Radio Network. Freeman is a Mississippi native who works with NRCS to improve his land. The announcements feature NRCS programs and remind people about the importance of conserving natural resources. Your contact is Jeannine May, State Public Affairs Specialist, on (601) 965-4337.
SC County Gets FIP Funds to Deal with Disaster Damage to Timber - Anderson County, South Carolina, has been allocated $25,000 under the Emergency Forestry Incentives Program (FIP) for tree planting made necessary by El Nino's storms. NRCS is providing financial assistance to landowners who are eligible for tree planting assistance due to acts of nature. Seventeen counties have received emergency FIP funding, with more than $137,000 being allotted.
"Weather-related tree damage has caused quite a bit of concern in Anderson County," says NRCS District Conservationist Mike Banks. "We're hoping that additional funding will allow the county to regain some of the valuable tree and timber resources that have been lost due to El Nino."
NRCS is offering a 40 percent cost-share rate for approved contracts. Once the funding is allocated, a landowner has up to 20 months to complete the project. Your contact is the Anderson County Soil and Water Conservation District, Agriculture Service Center, 1521 Pearman Dairy Road, Anderson, South Carolina 29625. Source: NACD Forestry Notes.
Core 4 To Bring Better Service and Partnerships Says TN State Con - Core 4 training is well underway in Tennessee, and State Conservationist James W. Ford likes what he sees. "I am very pleased with our CORE 4 effort in Tennessee," he said. "Even though we are spending considerable time and resources to carry out the training, I am committed to updating our technical expertise. This enables us to do a better job of not only applying conservation on private lands, but also allows us to work more competently with our partners on complex environmental issues and problems." All NRCS disciplines are involved in the training, which will updated to match major national initiatives, he added.
Two courses have been completed; five will be given this spring and summer. Various technical specialists are providing training. New job sheets have been printed and distributed statewide. The job sheets supplement the training and will be an additional resource at the field office level. Certain Field Office Technical Guide Section IV standards were either revised or developed.
Mike Adcock, District Conservationist for Lebanon, shares Ford's enthusiasm for the training. "This is the most technical and pertinent training we have had in several years, and it is timely since we are being trained on major national initiatives, such as nutrient management and pest management."
For additional information on CORE 4 Training in Tennessee, contact AnnSue Wattenbarger on (615) 736-7241) and Freddie Summers on (423) 855-6605.
RC&D Livestock Conference Shows Producers the "Whole Picture" - Kansas' Western Prairie RC&D Council recently showed more than 200 livestock producers the "whole picture" regarding management systems. Producers received information on surviving and profiting in difficult financial times, alternative agriculture, and forming support groups. The RC&D plans to hold half-day seminars, workshops, tours, and field days that focus on topics of interest to livestock producers. The RC&D area includes Cheyenne, Decatur, Logan, Rawlins, Sheridan, Sherman, Thomas, and Wallace counties. Local television and radio stations covered the event. Your contact is Mary Shaffer, State Public Affairs Specialist, on (785) 823-4571.
Minnesota Mall Event Makes Hundreds of Satisfied Customers - Minnesota's Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College received a $15,000 Resource Conservation and Development grant to study and share information about traditional food gathering and preservation techniques of the Ojibwe culture. State Conservationist William Hunt, college president Jack Briggs, and other dignitaries signed the "Circle of Subsistence" project agreement at a recent ceremony. Program components emulate traditional Ojibwe yearly cyclical patterns and will provide an American Indian approach to natural food subsistence. The project will cover topics such as gathering and processing of maple sap, collecting birch bark for basket-making, gathering wild berries, and identifying medicinal plants. Seven counties will benefit from this project. Your contact Sylvia Rainford, State Public Affairs Specialist, on (651) 602-7859.
TECH TIP
Carbon Sequestration: How Important Is It?
From the NRCS Soil Quality Institute
Carbon sequestration is the removal of carbon (as CO2) from the atmosphere through photosynthesis, and the storage of carbon in plants or soil (as organic matter). The amount of carbon (OM) in the soil depends on the balance between inputs of organic matter from plants and outputs from respiration by microbes and other organisms.
How important is soil for storing carbon? On a global scale, the carbon in soil organic matter is about twice that in the atmosphere and 3 times that in vegetation. The oceans contain >10 times the amount in soil, vegetation, and air combined.
Atmospheric CO2 levels have increased from 280 parts per million (ppm) in 1850 to 365 ppm in 1996. During this period, cultivated U.S. soils have lost from 20-70 percent of their native OM levels. It is believed that soil degradation worldwide has contributed significantly to the increase in atmospheric CO2.
Agriculture, forestry, and rangeland management are the only major sectors of the U.S. economy that could sequester more carbon through photosynthesis than they emit through other processes. It is estimated that through implementation of best management strategies, U.S. agricultural lands could sequester between 7 and 10 percent of all U.S. carbon emissions until new soil carbon equilibrium levels are reached.
NRCS has the technical expertise to help make this happen through programs that rehabilitate degraded lands, conserve soil, and restore wetlands. By restoring organic matter levels in our soils, we help offset CO2 emissions, and we achieve other environmental and economic benefits that NRCS has always worked toward. These benefits include reduced erosion and compaction, greater water and nutrient holding capacity, and better tilth and rooting environment.
Soil organic matter levels can be increased through reduced tillage, more intensive cropping systems, establishment and improvement of perennial vegetation, and erosion control. On cropland, no-till compared to plowing reduces the amount of CO2 that escapes from the soil by nearly 10 times. In many places, no-till in combination with high-residue crop rotations and cover crops will sequester the most CO2. Establishing wetlands and converting cropland to trees and grass will also sequester carbon.
An excellent, easy-to-read source of further information is "The Potential of U.S. Cropland to Sequester Carbon and Mitigate the Greenhouse Effect," by R. Lal, J.M. Kimble, R.F. Follett and C.V. Cole. 1998. Ann Arbor Press, Chelsea, Michigan.
CNMP TECH GUIDE UPDATE
Comment Period Extended to April 14 - The comment period of the December 9, 1999, Federal Register, Notice "Technical Guidance for Developing Comprehensive Nutrient Management Plans" is being extended from March 7 to April 14, 2000.
A significant number of requests have been made to NRCS to extend the comment period. Many of the potential commenting groups with an interest in this issue have been concentrating their efforts in preparing comments on two EPA Federal Register Notices, the NPDES Guidance Manual for CAFOs and the TMDL Rule, that closed last month.
NRCS' intent for publishing the "Technical Guidance for Developing CNMPs" in the Federal Register was to solicit public comments. The extension will ensure that NRCS receives the feedback necessary to make this document as effective as possible. NRCS does not anticipate this extension will delay the final release of the Technical Guidance, which is scheduled for July 2000.
To get the word out about the extension, a newsletter reflecting the extended comment period has been sent to NRCS Public Affairs Specialists. The actual posting in the Federal Register of the extension will take place on March 14 or 15.
Questions concerning the extension should be directed to Tom Christensen, Director, Animal Husbandry and Clean Water Programs Division, on (301) 504-2198.
AWARDS & ACCOLADES
Nichols Wins NACD Award for National Conservation Efforts - Recognized for producing a host of national conservation communications campaigns and projects, Ron Nichols, NRCS' State Communications Director for Utah, recently received the National Communications Award from the National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD). "Ron has championed numerous national communications projects that have received national acclaim and benefit conservation districts and natural resources throughout the Nation," said NACD Public Affairs Director Ron Francis.
During the past 5 years, Ron has won more than 20 Golden Spike Awards from local chapters of the Public Relations Society of America and the International Association of Business Communicators, as well as several national and international public relations awards. In 1999, Ron and KUTV's John Greene received a Gold Award from the Utah Broadcasters Association, as well as an International Teddy Award for excellence in film and video production. Your contact is Ron on (801) 524-4556.
Volunteer Efforts at National Plant Materials Center Awarded - Jennifer Kujawski, a resource conservationist at the agency's National Plant Materials Center (NPMC) received the NRCS's East Region's Earth Team-NRCS Employee Award for her outstanding leadership and the endless time and energy she enthusiastically provides to the Center. Thirty-eight percent of the NPMC's staff is Earth Team volunteers. The Center is located in Beltsville, Maryland. Your contact is Carol Hollingsworth, Maryland State Public Affairs Specialist, on (410) 757-0861, ext. 313.
EMPOWERMENT ON THE JOB
USDA All in a Day's Work for this German Shepherd - If your 4-H club trains guide dogs for visually disabled people, you're used to heart-warming stories about how these dogs empower lives. That's certainly true for NRCS management analyst Dr. Denise Decker. Her 7-year-old German Shepherd, Quadrant, is at her side every day. He is one of at least four guide dogs at work in USDA headquarters in Washington.
Like many guide dogs, Quadrant was raised by a 4Her as part of its guide dog project. Seeing Eye, Inc., of Marrstown, New Jersey, the organization that provided Quadrant to Denise, is among those that work with 4-H clubs to provide the first year of training for their puppies. Seeing Eye alone has raised some 500 puppies through 4-H. There's something about 4-Her's and their families that provides the young dogs with just the right mix of a loving human bond and disciplined dedication.
Quadrant, and the three previous dogs Denise has had through the Seeing Eye program, were all raised in the 4-H program. Quadrant accompanies Denise everywhere she goes, including on travel assignments in the U.S. and abroad. When she is not involved with NRCS work, she volunteers in programs that help make the workplace more accessible to the disabled.
Seeing Eye, Inc. does not divulge the identity of the 4-Hers that work with their dogs. Denise knows only that Quadrant was reared on a farm somewhere in Pennsylvania. His baby pictures show him with a 4-Her named Peter.
Peter sent the Seeing Eye program Quadrant's scrapbook, and it's one of Denise's greatest treasures. She says, "I just want Peter to know how much Quadrant is loved and appreciated, and how much his work is respected here." Please refer calls to Seeing Eye, Inc.'s puppy-raising hotline at (800) 539-4425, ext. 769 and to Sally Schuff at (202) 484-0744.
CALL FOR PAPERS
Tech Conference Seeks Abstracts on AFO Innovations - The High Plains Pilot Project reminds you that April 1 is your deadline for submitting abstracts for presentations for its "Innovative Technologies for Planning Animal Feeding Operations" conference scheduled for December 4-6 in Denver. Abstracts are not limited to specific types of operations and should provide information that addresses new and emerging technologies, especially those adaptable for use on the Great Plains. Please forward abstracts and submit questions to Ron Schierer, High Plains Pilot Project, 210 West 10th Street, Goodland, Kansas 67735. Phone (785) 899-3070. Notifications of abstract acceptance will be made May 15. Abstracts should be 250 words in length and can be for oral, poster, and display presentations. For details, see http://www.highplainspilot.com/ or contact Ron at ron.schierer@ks.usda.gov
WEB WORLD
NRI Marketing Materials Soon to be on Massachusetts' FTP Site - Materials and handouts from a recent National Resources Inventory (NRI) marketing workshop are now being compiled and will soon be available on NRCS Massachusetts' ftp site. These products result were developed at a recent workshop held for NRI specialists and public affairs specialists from the agency's Northeast Region. The workshop focused on marketing NRI information, procedures for using and displaying NRI data, and analyzing that data on-line. Your contact is Drew Adam, NRI Specialist, Amherst, MA, (413) 253-4378.
CONFERENCE & TRAINING CONNECTION
March 3, 2000
As a service to NRCS personnel and the agency's partners, "NRCS This Week" offers the following clickable, by-subject list of conferences and training sessions. To add an event, please send an e-mail message to brad.fisher@usda.gov
