NRCS Responds to Flooding in Mid-Atlantic States - NRCS is carrying out damage surveys in flood-stricken sections of Virginia, North Carolina, and South Carolina. NRCS has provided North Carolina with an additional $500,000 to supplement the $2.3 million in redirected Emergency Watershed Protection funds for that State and has initiated financial assistance for South Carolina and Virginia.

Farm Bill Update - The closing date for the Technical Assistance Rule (Part 610) was January 23. To date, approximately 30 letters commenting on the proposed rule have been received.

The Technical Assistance rule outlines the membership and responsibilities of State Technical Committees. State Technical Committees were established in each State to assist USDA in making technical decisions related to the implementation of Farm Bill conservation provisions. These committees operate in an advisory capacity.

In addition to State Technical Committees, Part 610 of the Technical Assistance rule also amends Section 610.2 to acknowledge the NRCS mission to promote the long-term sustainability of all agricultural lands, including cropland, grazing land, pastureland, rangeland, and forestland.

Water Quality Training - The National Water and Climate Center, Water Science and Technology Team; the National Employee Development Center (NEDC); and NRCS State technical staffs are working together to complete development of four water quality planning and implementation courses. Introduction to Water Quality was piloted in June 1997 and will be offered in June of this year. Other courses in the water quality core curriculum include Water Quality Monitoring, to be offered during October 1998; Nutrient and Pest Management Considerations, to be offered during January 1999; and Animal Waste Management, to be offered during February-March 1999. The Nutrient and Pest Management Considerations and Animal Waste Management courses will be pilot tested in two to four workshops (the actual number will depend on demand for the course) scheduled throughout FY 1998. The courses will subsequently be offered in the regular NEDC instructional format. More details are available on the NEDC web site off the NRCS Homepage.

Wetlands Science Institute Studies Prairie Pothole Region Wetlands - The NRCS Wetlands Science Institute (WLI) is cooperating with the U.S. Geological Survey's Northern Prairie Science Center, to collect data on 24 restored, natural, and drained wetlands in the Prairie Pothole Region (PPR). The field data being collected will focus on seasonal and semipermanent wetlands in parts of Iowa, Minnesota, South Dakota, North Dakota, and Montana. Additional support has been provided by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Ducks Unlimited, the Agricultural Research Service, and North Dakota State University, among others. The study will provide program managers with scientific data to assess the ecological success of wetland restoration in the PPR.

Training Tool Distributed to Farmers - The NRCS Grazing Lands Technology Institute reports that "Blending Buffers with Business" has been distributed to all States and can be used as a training tool and handout to farmers. It illustrates the integration of various enterprises with holistic farm planning and area wide conservation planning to accomplish conservation goals, along with agricultural production and wildlife enterprise goals.

NRCS Updates Community Conservation Toolbox - The Community Conservation Toolbox (CTools), a Windows-based conservation planning and information delivery software application, has been upgraded. CTools is designed for conservation planners desiring to provide information to local communities based on local natural resources. It is comprised of building blocks and tools that provide the foundation needed by planners to build conservation information systems. This updated architecture allows new conservation planning and information delivery tools to be rapidly built and flexibly deployed.

IN THE FIELD

NRCS Employees Plan National Organization of Professional Asian Pacific Islanders - West Region Asian Pacific Islander program managers are seeking individuals, nationwide, to serve on a committee and put together a national organization of professional Asian Pacific Islander NRCS employees. The committee will be in charge of creating the by-laws and establishing an organizational name. Please contact Dr. Mon Yee, West Region Asian Pacific Islander program manager, at 503-414-3264; e-mail: myee@or.nrcs.usda.gov or Virginia C. Lewis at 505-761-4408; e-mail: vlewis@nm.nrcs.usda.gov.

CONSTITUENCY AND PARTNERSHIP NEWS

NACD Holds Annual Meeting - On February 1-5, the National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD) will hold their annual meeting in Nashville, TN. With the theme of "Setting the Stage for Conservation," some 2,000 persons, including many NRCS staff, are expected to attend. Attendees will have the opportunity to participate in town hall meetings featuring top speakers on key conservation issues. The Conservation Partnership meeting will focus on policy and program issues, and another town hall meeting will look at new tools and programs that benefit districts.

NACD's committees will host meetings on timely issues like buffer strips, total maximum daily loads, and backyard conservation. These resource forums include forestry; grazing land; water resources; urban, community and coastal resources; district operations; environmental policy; education and public affairs; marketing; agriculture resource conservation; resource conservation and development; and the Conservation Technology Information Center.

New Report Examines Nine Whole Farm Planning Models - The Henry A. Wallace Institute for Alternative Agriculture has recently released a report,

A Survey of North American Experiments, which examines nine whole farm planning programs with different approaches. The aim of this study is to provide comprehensive information on the current state of whole farm planning policy; specifically, as it affects nine key State/province and regional efforts. The report uses this information to make recommendations about the implications of these programs for future programs, and for promoting whole farm planning across the continent. A special concern is how government can best serve the interests of whole farm planning in the future. For more information or to obtain a copy of the report, contact Elizabeth Higgins, Wallace Institute, 9200 Edmonston Rd., Suite 117 Greenbelt, MD 20770.

UPCOMING

February 10-12 - Soil and Water Conservation Society's West North Central Manure Management Conference, "Managing Manure in Harmony with the Environment and Society," Iowa State Center, Scheman Building, Ames, IA. Contact Bob Ball at 573-876-0900 or write to NRCS, Parkade Center, Suite 250, 601 Business Loop 70 West, Columbia, MO 65203.

February 16-20 - International Erosion Control Association 29th Annual Conference and Trade Exposition, Reno, NV. For information e-mail: ecinfo@ieca.org and enter "Reno" in the subject field or call 1-800-455-4322 or 970-879-3010. Register online at http://www.ieca.org.

February 18-21 - Land Improvement Contractors of America annual convention, Opryland Hotel, Nashville, TN. Call Wayne Maresch at 301-248-5749 or e-mail: WayneF86@aol.com).

February 21-24 - Winter Meeting of the National Governors' Association, Washington, D.C.

February 23-24 - Agricultural Outlook Forum 98, Omni Shoreham Hotel, Washington, D.C. For registration details, call 202-720-3050; e-mail: agforum@oce.usda.gov, or write to Outlook Forum 98, 5143 South Building, 1400 Independence Ave., SW, Washington, DC 20250-3812.

March 16-17 - Idaho Resource Conservation and Development (RC&D) Association Annual Meeting, Boise, Idaho. For more information, contact Harry Lee at 208-885-6900.

March 19-21 - The French Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Spatial Planning and Environment Conference, "Water and Sustainable Development" International Conference. Contact the International Office for Water, 21, rue de Madrid, 75008 Paris, France; fax: 33 (0) 1-40-08--01-45; e-mail: ciedd@oieau.fr. Visit the web site at http://www.eaudd.com/.

March 22-24 - Clearwater RC&D Area workshop for the private forest landowner, "Forest Stewardship Management: New and Unique Opportunities." Best Western University Inn, 1516 Pullman Rd., Moscow, Idaho. Contact Dan Pierce at 208-882-2411.

March 26-28 - 3rd Annual Timber Utilization Conference and Equipment Exposition, Fountainhead Resort, Eufaula, OK. Sponsored by Ouachita Mountains RC&D, Inc. For information call 918-423-2479 or 580-873-9277; e-mail: omrcandd@icok.net. Visit the web site at http://icok.net/~omrcandd/.

April 6-7 - First National Mitigation Banking Conference, J.W. Marriott Hotel, Washington, D.C. Conference registration is being handled by the Terrene Institute, 4 Herbert St., Alexandria, VA 22305; or call 703-548-5473; fax: 703-548-6299. For more information contact Gary Wooten, Watersheds and Wetlands Division, National Headquarters, at 202-690-1588; e-mail: gary.wooten@usda.gov.

May 4-10 - Public Service Recognition Week, National Mall Event. For more information contact Gretchen Hakola 202-410-4352; fax: 202-401-4433; e-mail permail@patriot.net

September 28-30 - Wisconsin Resource Conservation & Development (RC&D) Association Annual Meeting, Manitowoc, WI. Contact Greg Hines at 920-683-5196.

May 23-28, 1999 - 10th International Soil Conservation Organization (ISCO) Conference "Sustaining the Global Farm," Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN. For information call 765-494-8683; fax: 765-494-5948 c/o ISCO99; e-mail: isco99@ecn.purdue.edu. Write to ISCO99, Purdue University, 1196 SOIL Building, West Lafayette, IN 47907-1196.

QUOTE

"We must seek, above all, a world of peace; a world in which peoples dwell together in mutual respect and work together in mutual regard."

--John F. Kennedy (1917-1963), 35th President of the United States of America.

NRCS This Week is issued weekly by the Conservation Communications Staff, NRCS headquarters, Washington, D.C., and posted on the NRCS Home Page at http://www.nrcs.usda.gov. Please send correspondence and material via e-mail to: nancy.garlitz@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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