Secretary Glickman and Chief Reed Speak at Ag-Earth Day Event - Secretary Dan Glickman and Chief Pearlie Reed were the featured speakers at the April 22, Earth Day celebration, "Agriculture and the Environment: A Growing Partnership." Secretary Glickman thanked the agricultural community for its public rededication to conserving and protecting the more than 1 billion acres of land used for producing food and natural fiber in the United States. Chief Reed unveiled the new Backyard Conservation campaign, led by the Department's Natural Resources Conservation Service.

NRCS developed the campaign to inform urban, suburban, and rural residents about the good conservation work being done by farmers and ranchers. At the same time, it encourages residents to adopt miniature versions of the same practices in their own backyards, such as composting, mulching, tree planting, nutrient management, and water conservation.

This was the first time the agricultural community--led by the National Council of Farmer Cooperatives--had come together to officially celebrate Earth Day in the Nation's capital. Other speakers at the celebration included U.S. Representative Marcy Kaptur; Deputy Secretary Richard Rominger; David Graves, President, National Council of Farmer Cooperatives; Dean Kleckner, President, American Farm Bureau Federation; and Amber Miller, Southern Region Vice President, Future Farmers of America.

Vice Presidential Hammer Award - The Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) partnership received Vice President Al Gore's Hammer Award for successfully completing the ITIS project which provides easy access to the first database of scientific names of organisms in North America that also identifies their adjacent waters. In addition, the system offers information on the origin and general distribution of these biological species.

Scientists from six Federal agencies worked together to foster and modernize the system for naming nature's living organisms. Leading the effort was the US Geological Survey (USGS) Center for Biological Informatics in Denver, CO. Other partners were NRCS, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration.

Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt presented the award at a special ceremony on April 21 in the Main Interior Building in Washington, DC. The Hammer Award is the Vice President's special recognition for teams who have made significant contributions toward improving government's service to the American people.

Conservation Farm Option (CFO) Update - Congress authorized a $15 million CFO pilot program for fiscal year 1998. Individuals, States, Tribes, universities, and other organizations can submit proposals to establish CFO pilot programs for producers of wheat, feed grains, upland cotton, and rice who have production flexibility contracts under the Agricultural Market Transition Act. The purpose(s) of the proposals must include the following: conserving soil, water, and related resources; protecting or improving water quality; restoring, protecting, and creating wetlands; developing and protecting wildlife habitat; or other similar conservation purposes. Proposals must be received by June 1. Contracts for fiscal year 1998 funds must be executed by September 30.

NRCS Historian to Become Society President - Douglas Helms, Senior Historian for the Natural Resources Conservation Service, has been elected Vice President of the Agricultural History Society, and will become President of the organization in April 1999. The society, organized in 1919, publishes "Agricultural History," a quarterly journal devoted to the history of agriculture and rural life.

IN THE FIELD

New California State Conservationist Named - Jeffrey Vonk has been selected as State Conservationist for California effective July 5, 1998. Mr. Vonk is presently Regional Conservationist for the Northern Plains Region.

Reaching Out to Hispanic Irrigators - For decades, farmers in the Treasure Valley of southwestern Idaho have hired Hispanic farmhands to irrigate their crops. Farming in this area includes production of many intensively cultivated, high value crops such as onions, potatoes, sweet corn, and mint. Lee Ruiz, civil engineering technician with the Natural Resources Conservation Service in Payette, ID, is no stranger to irrigation in the Treasure Valley. He moved to the area as a boy and often helped his father who worked as an irrigator on local farms.

"My dad learned to master irrigation through years of experience and careful observation of how to apply irrigation water in the most efficient and effective way he could," said Ruiz, "even if it meant getting up in the middle of the night to go out to the fields to change water."

Other Hispanic irrigators continue to learn the fine art of irrigation in much the same way. However, sometimes a language barrier slows the transfer of information and training needed to hone their skills.

The Payette Soil and Water Conservation District and NRCS decided to conduct a workshop for Hispanic irrigators in Spanish as a way to address water quality and irrigation-induced erosion problems. Education assistance funds from the Environmental Quality Incentives Program helped fund the workshop.

The field office staff developed an irrigation guide written entirely in Spanish that covers the fundamentals of irrigation including soil-water-plant relationships, consumptive use requirements, measurement of soil moisture, calculating irrigation frequency, and water application requirements for 10 locally grown crops.

Thirty-eight local Hispanic irrigators attended the workshop. Based on feedback from participants, Ruiz will develop additional education materials and plan a future workshop on pest management.

NRCS Assists Wind River Indian Reservation - The State Food and Agriculture Committee in Wyoming has met with the Shoshone-Arapaho Joint Business Council to discuss the services of the USDA Service Center and USDA programs available to the underserved community on the Wind River Indian Reservation. Also discussed was establishing a conservation district on the reservation. The reservation is currently served by parts of four conservation districts. The meeting, held at tribal headquarters in Ft. Washakie, was part of an outreach effort that grew from USDA's Civil Rights Action Team report.

CONSTITUENCY AND PARTNERSHIP NEWS

NRCS Signs Third Party Memorandum of Understanding - On April 22, 1998, NRCS signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the American Society of Agronomy Certified Crop Advisers (CCA). This is the first MOU with a third party vendor organization the agency has signed at the national level. Certified CCA members will provide assistance to the nation's farmers and ranchers in nutrient, pest, and residue management. Much of their assistance is expected to be in the preparation of nutrient management plans for individual agricultural producers. These plans will be in conjunction with, and become part of, the overall conservation plan for a given agricultural operation. Third party vendors will work closely with NRCS to ensure that the assistance they provide meets appropriate agency standards and specifications, as well as policy requirements. Use of certified third party vendors in providing conservation planning and technical assistance is authorized by the 1996 farm bill.

National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD) Kicks-Off Urban E-Mail Discussion Group - The first NACD electronic discussion group is up and running on the Internet. Established by the NACD's Urban Community and Coastal Resources Committee, this on-line listserver is focused on urban and community conservation topics. It will also allow users to exchange information and ideas about urban and community conservation programs and issues. The discussion group is unmoderated and is available to members, partners, and any other interested parties. To sign up, point your browser to www.nacdnet.org and click on the "Resources and Information" button, then on the "Urban and Community Conservation Network" button. For more information, contact Debra Bogar at 303-988-1893; e-mail: urban@nacdnet.org.

LEGISLATIVE NEWS

USDA Year 2000 Compliance - On May 14, the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee (Chairman Richard Lugar, IN) will hold a hearing to review USDA's information technology systems to ensure year 2000 compliance.

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UPCOMING

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

May 5-7 - Federal Asian Pacific American Council (FAPAC) Conference, sponsored by USDA and 23 other Federal agencies. The conference will be held in Washington, DC. For more information, contact Harry Takai at 202-267-6024.

June 14-16 - National Association of Conservation Districts, Northern Plains Regional Meeting, Badlands Motel, Medora, ND. For further information, contact Robert Raschke at 303-988-1810; fax: 303-988-1896.

July 5-9 - Soil and Water Conservation Society (SWCS), Annual Conference, "Balancing Resource Issues" to be held in San Diego, California. For more information visit the SWCS website: http://www.swcs.org/AnnConf98/ACWelcome.htm or contact: Karen Howe at515-289-2331, extension 15.

July 27-August 1 - 11th National Envirothon, Michigan State University, Lansing, MI. For more information, contact Brenda Weiser at 800-825-5547, ext. 27; e-mail: envirothon@nacdnet.org.

September 10-12 - The National Coalition for Abandoned Mine Reclamation and the Acid Mine Drainage Coalition will host their annual conference, "Building Partnerships for Reclamation" in Knoxville, TN. The theme will focus on using a watershed approach to assist locally led conservation groups obtain needed resources to implement reclamation programs.

January 24-27, 1999 - Colorado State University will host "Tailings and Mine Waste '99" will be held in Ft. Collins, CO. The conference objective is to provide a forum for presenting state-of-the-art information with respect to mill tailings and mine waste, and to discuss current and future issues facing the mining and environmental communities. Contact Linda L. Hinshaw at 970-491-6081; fax: 970-491-3584; e-mail: lhinshaw@engr.colostate.edu.

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

"It is good to realize that, if love and peace can prevail on earth, and if we can teach our children to honor nature's gifts, the joys and beauties of the outdoors will be here forever."

-- Jimmy Carter, 39th President of the United States

NRCS This Week is issued weekly by the Conservation Communications Staff, 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.jacobs2@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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