Three NRCS Teams to Receive Vice President Gore's Hammer Award - The Department of Agriculture's National Performance Review (NPR) has approved three NRCS nominations for Vice President Gore's Hammer Award. The recipients are the Team Oregon Conservation Partnership, Portland, OR; Elkhorn Slough Watershed Team, Salinas, CA; and the NRCS East Region Automating Conservation Operations Team, Beltsville, MD. The recipients are commended for their efforts and dedication in making NRCS a leader in the NPR movement.

IN THE FIELD

Papers Being Accepted for the Sixth National Watershed Conference - The National Watershed Coalition's Sixth National Watershed Conference will be held May 16-19, 1999, in Austin, TX. The theme of the conference is "Getting the Job Done at the Ground Level," and it will explore innovative ways of accomplishing watershed project objectives as traditional sources of assistance become more difficult to acquire. The coalition is currently accepting abstracts for oral and poster papers in the following categories:

• Innovative funding possibilities
• Infrastructure condition concerns
• Creating new partnerships
• Effect of changing government roles
• Case histories
• Water quality opportunities in old projects

The deadline for abstracts is September 1, 1998. For more information, contact John W. Peterson, Executive Director, National Watershed Coalition, 9304 Lundy Court, Burke, VA 22015-3431; telephone: 703-455-6886/4387; fax: 703-455-6888; e-mail: jwpeterson@erols.com.

Team Oregon Conservation Partnership - NRCS in Oregon, with assistance from Oregon's Association of Conservation Districts and the Oregon Department of Agriculture, has reorganized the traditional NRCS line-and-staff structure into eight watershed basin groups. This reorganization provides the opportunity to focus on resource concerns from a conservation point of view rather than a political one. The structure will result in a more holistic approach to natural resources conservation.

CONSTITUENCY AND PARTNERSHIP NEWS

Catawba Indian Nation Partnership Sealed - The partnership between NRCS in South Carolina and the Catawba Indian Nation was officially sealed through a Cooperative Working Agreement. NRCS State Conservationist Mark W. Berkland and Chief Gilbert Blue signed the agreement at an informal ceremony which emphasized NRCS' efforts in supporting the Catawba Indian Nation's natural resources conservation initiatives. York County District Conservationist Maryann Trent spearheaded the relationship in 1997 by assisting the Nation in the development of an environmental resource assessment plan.

Organizations Express Interest in Becoming Third Party Vendors - Three professional organizations from the American Society of Agronomy have expressed interest in providing technical assistance to farmers and ranchers by certifying their members as third party vendors. These organizations are the Certified Professional Agronomists, Certified Professional Crop Scientists, and Certified Professional Soil Scientists. The Certified Professional Agronomists and the Certified Professional Crop Scientists will assist in nutrient, pest, and residue management. The Certified Professional Soil Scientists will assist in erosion control, wetland management, and nutrient management. NRCS plans to develop memorandums of understanding with these organizations by late summer.

LEGISLATIVE NEWS

Agriculture Appropriations Passes House - On June 24, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 4101, a bill delineating Fiscal Year 1999 appropriations for the Department of Agriculture. Funding levels for conservation programs remained consistent with the Committee-approved levels except the funding of the Conservation Farm Option (CFO). The CFO, which had been funded by the committee at $25 million, was zeroed-out by an amendment on the floor. Following the Independence Day recess, the Senate will consider a separate version of the agriculture appropriations bill, S. 1259. Differences in the legislation could be resolved by the end of July.

Drought Emergency Bill Cleared For White House - On June 24, the Senate cleared H.R. 3035, the National Drought Policy Act of 1998. The bill would establish an advisory committee that would make recommendations for establishing a coordinated Federal policy for responding to drought conditions. The legislation names the Secretary of Agriculture as the panel's chair. The President is expected to sign the legislation.

Fourth of July Recess - The Senate will return from its recess on July 6, and the House will return on July 14.

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UPCOMING

July 5-9 - Soil and Water Conservation Society (SWCS) Annual Conference, "Balancing Resource Issues," San Diego, CA. For more information, contact Pat Mulligan at 515-289-2331, ext. 17, or visit the SWCS website at: http://www.swcs.org/AnnConf98/ACWelcome.htm.

July 11-16 - American Society of Agricultural Engineers (ASAE) Annual International Meeting, "The Imaginative World of Engineering," Orlando, FL. For more information call the ASAE Meeting and Conference Department at 616-429-0300.

July 12-14 - National Association of Conservation Districts, North Central Regional Meeting, Holiday Inn, Worthington, OH. For more information, contact Brad Ross, 614-265-6614; fax: 614-262-2064.

July 19-21 - National Association of Conservation Districts, Southeastern Regional Meeting, Ritz-Carlton Hotel, San Juan, PR. For more information, contact Robert Raschke at 303-988-1810; fax: 303-988-1896.

July 19-22 - The Iowa State University College of Agriculture and University Extension will host the "Animal Production Systems and the Environment: An International Conference on Odor, Water Quality, Nutrient Management, and Socioeconomic Issues" at the Convention Center in Des Moines, IA. For more information, contact Deb Schmidt, 515-294-5961; e-mail: x1schmid@exnet.iastate.edu.

July 20-21 - Federal Women's Program Managers Training Conference, Washington Hilton and Towers Hotel, Washington, D.C. For more information, contact Sheila Greene at 202-690-0697.

July 22-24 - Federally Employed Women, Inc. will host the 29th National Training Program, Washington Hilton and Towers Hotel, Washington, D.C. For more information, contact Sheila Greene at 202-690-0697.

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

August 9-14 - Ninth North American Forest Soils Conference, "Forest Soils and Ecosystem Sustainability." Granlibakken Conference Center, Tahoe City, CA. Information and registration form available at http://weber.u.washington.edu/~robh/S-7/NAFSC, or e-mail: jdjoslin@tva.gov; or fax: 423-632-1493.

August 13 - 6th Annual Sustainable Agriculture and Integrated Pest Management Field Day - Manure and Nutrient Management, Beltsville Agricultural Research Center, Beltsville, MD. For more information, contact Judy Holliday at 301 504-6537; fax: 301 504-6491; or e-mail: holliday@asrr.arsusda.gov.

September 27-30 - Thorne Ecological Institute hosts "Peaks to Prairies: A Conference On Watershed Stewardship, Sustaining Communities, and the Environment" at the Rushmore Plaza, Holiday Inn, Rapid City, SD. For more information call 303-499-3647; fax: 303-499-8340; or e-mail: dir@thorneecoinst.org.

October 11-14 - The Association of Dam Safety Officials will host "Dam Safety '98," Riviera Hotel, Las Vegas, NV. For more information, call 606-257-5140; fax: 606-323-1958; or e-mail: damsafety@aol.com.

November 10-13 - ETC/Environmental Technology China will present "The 4th International Exhibition on Environmental Protection, Pollution Control and Green Production Technology," China International Exhibition Centre, Beijing, P.R., China. For more information, contact Rebecca Fung at 852-25163346; fax: 852-25165024; or e-mail: aes@adsaleexh.com.

QUOTE

"The Americans of all nations at any time upon the earth have probably the fullest poetical nature. The United States themselves are essentially the greatest poem."

--Walt Whitman, Preface to Leaves of Grass, 1855

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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