Charlie Rawls Sworn In As Department General Counsel - Charlie Rawls was sworn in as the general counsel for the Department by Secretary Glickman on August 3, 1998. Rawls had been serving as acting general counsel since February 1998.

Rawls came to USDA in June 1993, serving as executive assistant to Deputy Secretary Richard Rominger. In that position he provided the Deputy Secretary and the Secretary with support and assistance on a wide variety of policy, management, and administrative matters, including the Department's annual budget, disaster coordination, international environmental issues, pesticide policy, and personnel matters. He was the principal point of contact in the effort to restructure and reinvent USDA.

Prior to joining USDA, Rawls served as administrative assistant from 1991 to 1993 and legislative director from 1988 to 1990 for then Congressman Martin Lancaster (D-N.C.). His legislative experience also includes 5 years with the House Committee on Agriculture, where he served as the associate general counsel from 1985 to 1988, and earlier as counsel to the House Agriculture Subcommittee on Forests, Family Farms, and Energy from 1983 to 1985.

Rawls was born in Wilmington, N.C., and grew up in Raleigh. He is a member of the North Carolina bar, graduating from Campbell University School of Law in Buies Creek, N.C., in 1982. He also holds a B.A. degree in business management, graduating in 1979 from North Carolina State University in Raleigh.

Backyard Conservation Campaign - To date, the 888-LANDCARE staff has received about 20,000 requests for the Backyard Conservation booklet. Of this total, more than 8,000 requests are a result of the Backyard Conservation article that was printed in the July 12 issue of Parade magazine.

As the Backyard Conservation campaign continues to gain momentum, positive media response is overwhelming. For example, the program director for a radio station in the eastern hills of Kentucky liked the public service announcements so much that he requested a small quantity of the booklet to use as "give-aways" to encourage people to visit the radio station. The station not only will play the recorded spots, but will promote the 888-LANDCARE number during on-air announcements.

Also, Sunset magazine, with a circulation of 1.4 million, plans to print an article on Backyard Conservation in an issue this fall and in the special gardening issue published in the spring.

NRCS Developing Customer Service Toolkit - NRCS is now developing a Customer Service Toolkit. The Toolkit will allow service center staffs to perform the majority of their business functions from either their office personal computer or from a mobile environment.

The Toolkit will include a Geographic Information System (GIS) and an office automation package that will allow the conservationist to produce many products for customers. This application is being developed for deployment in several of the Business Process Reengineering sites across the county. Eventually the Toolkit will replace Field Office Computing System, the current NRCS system. The current Toolkit prototype is using ESRI ArcView as the GIS component and Microsoft Office as the office automation package. Several tools extend the functionality of ArcView. These include a buffer tool, clip and intersect tools, measurement tools, and more. Visit the toolkit project team website at: http://www.itc.nrcs.usda.gov/cst/cst_home.htm#office_tech.

Provide Your Feedback on Administrative Convergence - The three administrative convergence agencies - NRCS, Farm Service Agency, and Rural Development - are posting draft Human Resource policies on a new website for all employees to review and provide feedback. Visit this site at: http://dc.ffasintranet.usda.gov/HRD/cover.html. A draft of the performance measurement can be viewed, downloaded, or printed. Comments are requested by August 24.

IN THE FIELD

Joan Perry Named Regional Conservationist - Effective August 2, Joan B. Perry was named as the regional conservationist for the NRCS West Region.

Before her appointment, Perry was the director for the NRCS's Pacific Basin Area, which encompasses six governments, including Guam and American Samoa. Prior to that, Perry was a resource conservationist in the Pacific Basin Area. She began her career with NRCS as an editorial assistant in Oregon and went on to become a soil conservationist and district conservationist in Oregon before moving to Guam.

While in Guam, Perry initiated a conservation program that expanded throughout the Commonwealth of the Mariana Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of Palau, American Samoa and the Marshall Islands. As director of the Pacific Basin, she led a program of technology exchange between Taiwan and the NRCS tropical consortium of the Pacific Basin, Hawaii and the Caribbean Area that resulted in the introduction of new steep land systems in the islands.

Before joining NRCS, Perry was an educator and principal of a private school in Tumon, Guam. She recently served as president of the Board of Trustees for that institution. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of Colorado, a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture from Oregon State University, a Master of Education from the University of Guam, and a Master of Public Administration from the University of Oklahoma. Perry is a member of the Soil and Water Conservation Society and the National Association of Conservation Districts.

New Hampshire State Employees Join Vice-President at Clean Water Action Plan Function - Dawn Genes, State conservationist in New Hampshire, 5 other NRCS employees, and 2 district representatives joined 100 guests of the White House to meet Vice-President Al Gore at Durham's Jackson Landing near Portsmouth, NH. The Vice-President was in New Hampshire to pledge renewed support for the Administration's Clean Water Action Plan and to commit $1.6 million in Federal support to complete clean-up of the Great Bay shellfish beds 4 years ahead of schedule. The setting for the Vice-President's visit was the Oyster River, which flows into the Great Bay, a National estuary. The Vice-President recognized the Stuart farm as one of the many outstanding examples of farmers who are full partners in clean water and protection of wetlands. The farm has been a long-time recipient of NRCS technical assistance and is an Environmental Quality Incentives Program participant.

Wellhead Protection Areas Eligible for Conservation Reserve Program - Included in the 1996 Farm Bill's continuous Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) sign-up, is a provision under which Wellhead Protection Areas may be eligible for enrollment in the CRP. Wellhead Protection Areas, designated under the Safe Drinking Water Act, may be eligible for enrollment with a 10 percent incentive added to the annual CRP rental rate. One requirement for eligibility is that the land must have been planted to an agricultural crop for 2 of the last 5 years. If the land is around a well or well field, the landowner may be eligible for the CRP continuous sign-up.

Buffer Initiative Gains Municpal Support - Under the leadership of NRCS, thousands of individual landowners are installing conservation buffers all across the country. Many of the buffers are being installed in a coordinated fashion to protect whole watersheds or source water areas.

These are some examples of water suppliers themselves supporting the installation of buffers.

Syracuse, New York, is investing up to $10 million over 10 years in on-farm conservation measures to protect its unfiltered Skaneateles Lake water supply; and avoid spending up to $60 million for a filtration plant.

Fort Wayne, Indiana's filtration plant managers are now working up and down the St. Joseph River, from which the city draws its water, are organizing to install buffers and reduce the nonpoint source pollution entering from the land.

The Georgia Rural Water Association, in its Edie Creek proposal for a source water assessment and protection program, says, "USDA programs are being used to promote conservation practices, such as buffer zones and critical area planting, in the watershed. The local city and county governments are active in meeting the resource needs of their respective residents. A watershed protection zoning ordinance exists within Lamar County. This ordinance outlines practices such as buffer zones and setbacks in order to improve water quality within the area."

Trout Magazine Recognizes Partners for Work on Acid Mine Drainage Reclamation - The summer edition of Trout Magazine recognized several partners for their work on acid mine drainage reclamation. Submitted by the Mountain Laurel Chapter of Trout Unlimited (TU), the article discusses the partnership efforts of TU with NRCS, Stoney Creek/Conemaugh River Improvement Project, Somerset County Conservancy, Somerset County Conservation District and numerous other State and Federal agencies, in implementing a remediation system that uses retention ponds and wetlands to treat abandoned mine drainage polluted water.

The Partnership also worked to establish an interpretive trail. The trail has had visitors from as far away as Europe and is used as an outdoor classroom and for field research for schools and colleges. The project has been recognized as a model by visiting officials from the federal Office of Surface Mining and the Environmental Protection Agency.

CONSTITUENCY AND PARTNERSHIP NEWS

Earth Day Updates - One of the best methods of illustrating the Earth Day Ag mission is through real-world, "marquee examples." This year, as in 1998, NRCS wants to highlight voluntary, incentive-based programs as examples to demonstrate how environmental challenges are being addressed in agriculture communities across the country. The first step in identifying these marquee events will come from the NRCS staffs who have first-hand, local knowledge of what is taking place in their areas.

The "marquee" examples used in the 1998 celebration were diverse, but all clearly demonstrated the collective ability of the ag community and its partners to resolve a specific issue or issues. Results were measurable. Short- and long-term impacts on the environment, participating companies and organizations, and surrounding communities were readily identified. The situations and solutions were presented in a way that the general public could easily understand. The same criteria can be applied to the 1999 examples.

If you know of some events occurring in your State that illustrate the accomplishments of agriculture working to protect and preserve the environment, let us know about them. Call Fred Jacobs at 202-720-4649; e-mail: fred.jacobs2@usda.gov.

LEGISLATIVE NEWS

Congressional Schedule - The House of Representatives is in recess and will return September 9; the Senate will return August 31, for the final session of the 105th Congress. Congressional leadership has agreed to push for adjournment by October 9.

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UPCOMING

August 19 - NRCS National Plant Materials Center Field Day, Beltsville, MD. Activities at the National Plant Materials Center and exhibits from local NRCS offices will be featured. The event will run from 1:00 to 5:00 p.m. and is open to the public. For more information, contact Jennifer Kujawski at 301-504-8175 or visit the National Plant Material Center's website at http://Plant-Materials.nrcs.usda.gov:90/pmc/pmc_loc.html.

August 20-22 - NACD Leadership Conference, at the Rushmore Plaza Holiday Inn, Rapid City, SD. For more information, contact Robert Raschke at 303-988-1810; fax: 303-988-1896.

September 10-12 - The National Coalition for Abandoned Mine Reclamation and the Partners to the Statement of Mutual Intent will combine their Fourth Annual Acid Mine Drainage Conference and the Coalition for Abandoned Mine Reclamation Annual Meeting, to host "A Joint Conference on Reclamation," at the Radisson Hotel, Knoxville, TN. For more information, contact Byron Thompson at 803-253-3930; or e-mail: bthompson@sc.nrcs.usda.gov.

September 19-23 - Society of American Foresters 1998 National Convention, Traverse City, MI. NRCS foresters will meet September 24, following the convention to participate in strategic planning, technology exchange, and to discuss and resolve various issues. For more information, contact Keith Martell at 517-731-4612.

September 22-25 - National Civil Rights Committee Meeting, Washington, D.C. For more information, contact Darrel Dominick at 207-866-7241; or e-mail: ddominick@me.nrcs.usda.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 3 - The Girl Scout Council of the Nation's Capital is planning to hold an environmental ECO-EXPO, Greenbelt Park, Greenbelt, MD. NRCS will be present with a soil display and 'hands on' soils experience for the participants. Volunteers are needed! For more information, contact Leslie Burks at 202-645-3087; or Cheryl Simmons at 410-465-3180.

October 5-9 - Joint meeting of the State Resource Conservationists and State Conservation Engineers, Reno, NV. For more information, contact David Thackeray at 202-720-0134; or email: david.thackeray@usda.gov.

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.

November 17-20 - The National Organization of Professional Asian Pacific American NRCS Employees is sponsoring its first annual training conference in Sparks, NV. Poster/technical papers (category can be general in nature) are being solicited. Deadline to submit topic and general outline is October 30. Poster papers cannot exceed an area of a 4' x 8' board or table top display. For more information on poster papers, contact Kent Matsutani at 308-254-4507; or email: wmatsuta@ne.nrcs.usda.gov. For general information on the conference, contact Mon Yee 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.

January 19-21, 1999 - Soil and Water Conservation Society will host their national conference, "The State of North America's Private Land," Holiday Inn O'Hare, Chicago, IL. For more information, contact Charlie Persinger at 515-289-2331; fax: 515-289-1227; e-mail: swcs@swcs.org.

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

February 17-20, 1999 - Land Improvement Contractors of America Winter Convention, Adams Mark Hotel, San Antonio, TX. Contact Wayne F. Maresch at 301-248-5749; FAX-301/248-0847; or email: WayneF86@aol.com.

May 23-28, 1999 - The International Soil Conservation Organization will host the 10th International Soil Conservation Conference, "Sustaining the Global Farm," Purdue University, West LaFayette, IN. For more information, call 765-494-8683; fax: 765-494-5948 c/o ISCO99; e-mail: isco99@ecn.purdue.edu; or visit the conference website at: http://spc3.ecn.purdue.edu/isco99/isco99.htm.

QUOTE

"The view from overhead makes theory come alive."

-- Sally Ride (b. 1951) American astronaut

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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