"Those who dwell, as scientists or laymen, among the beauties and mysteries of the earth are never alone or weary of life. Whatever the vexations or concerns of their personal lives, their thoughts can find paths that lead to inner contentment and to renewed excitement in living. Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts."

–- -from The Sense of Wonder by Rachel Carson (1907-1964), American author, biologist, and ecologist

Focus on the Field
California: Partnership Tour of Central California Coast
Missouri: State Conservationist Gives Commencement Address
Tennessee: NRCS and Senior Citizens Team Up

Word From Washington

NRCS National Civil Rights Committee (NCRC): A Year of Review and Redirection

Tech Tip
Economic Tools for Conservation Planning

Sites to See

American Customer Satisfaction Index

Actor Morgan Freeman Narrates Public Service Announcements for NRCS
NRCS Legislative Summaries
AGRICOLA: USDA's AGRICultural Online Access
National Association of Conservation Districts e-Note

Web-agri, the Smart Farming Search Engine

Partnership Tour of Central California Coast - Acting USDA Deputy Undersecretary for Natural Resources and Environment Mack Gray joined representatives from the Environmental Protection Agency, the National Association of Conservation Districts, the California Association of Resource Conservation Districts, and the Business Alliance Council on a tour of NRCS projects on the Central Coast. Beginning in Monterey, tour stops included the Elkhorn and Watsonville slough watersheds and a training and research center in Las Lomas. NRCS Assistant State Conservationist for Field Operations; resource conservationists Carter Christenson, Danny Marquis, Daniel Mountjoy, and Glenn Wilcox; and district conservationist Richard Casale joined speakers from the Agriculture Land Based training Association, the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, and the resource conservation districts of Monterey and Santa Cruz. Discussion focused around partnership success and included topics on farm water quality short courses, endangered species, EQIP, stream corridor restoration, permit coordination, minority outreach, conservation easements, wetland protection, and the Conservation Security Program.
Your contact is Jolene Lau, NRCS public affairs specialist, at 831-754-1595.

State Conservationist Gives Commencement Address - After more than 30 years, Missouri State Conservationist Roger Hansen again donned a cap and gown, but this time as the commencement speaker at the University of Missouri’s School of Natural Resources. At the Anheuser Busch Natural Resources Building on the University of Missouri campus in Columbia Hansen spoke to 50 grads and 500 other graduation attendees on the need for dedicated and enthusiastic professionals to carry on the conservation tradition into this century. He shared his workplace keys for success and emphasized the importance of interpersonal skills and teamwork to accomplish goals. "This was a very satisfying experience for me, personally, especially because my participation is a reflection of the high esteem that NRCS has among the conservation partners in Missouri," Hansen said. Your contact is Norm Klopfenstein, NRCS public affairs specialist, at 573-876-0911.

NRCS and Senior Citizens Team Up - The West Prong of the Little Pigeon River riverbank behind the Markhill Retirement Village in Sevierville, Tennessee, had been eroding over the years. The resulting damage to the riverbank bonded the Markhill staff and residents together, behind Markhill administrator Lisa Yarber, in asking for help from NRCS district conservationist Tony Sexton to help halt the erosion. With Tony's help, along with the Tennessee Valley Authority, Tennessee Department of Agriculture, and the Smoky Mountain Resource Conservation and Development Council, the Markhill Restoration Project was recently completed. Markhill residents are very pleased with the work, the technical assistance provided by NRCS, and by others who assisted with the restoration project. Residents also rest a little easier knowing that the erosion in their "backyard" has been stopped. Your contact is Lavonne Winters, NRCS public affairs specialist, at 615-736-5490.

NRCS National Civil Rights Committee (NCRC): A Year of Review and Redirection - In an effort to improve its effectiveness, the NCRC took a hard look at all facets of its mission as well as the fundamental reasons for its existence. The committee reviewed and updated its procedures to reflect changes in the NRCS organizational structure. Two new members, Clifford Sanchez from New Mexico and Ronald Reckner from Wyoming, were also welcomed by the committee in the latter part of the year as part of the committee's new direction. The new 2001 was also very productive for the NCRC, with 2 meetings held and 31 issues reviewed. Two of these issues were forwarded to the Chief, 19 were forwarded to advisors, and 10 resolved by the committee. NRCS team and individual efforts were recognized, with Deborah E. Mann from South Carolina receiving the NCRC Individual Award; the Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania field office receiving the NCRC Team Award; Denise M. Decker, NHQ Human Resources Division, receiving the Chief’s Workforce Diversity Non-Manager Award; and Thomas A. Weber, NRCS Deputy Chief for Programs, receiving the Chief’s Workforce Diversity Manager Award.

The NCRC is an impartial committee that advises the Chief of NRCS on civil rights matters. The committee is composed of employees of diverse grade level, job series, racial/ethnic background, and geographic location. The chair of the Committee is appointed by, and reports directly to, the Chief. The Directors of the Civil Rights Staff and Human Resources Division serve as advisors to the Committee. Your contact is Virginia C. Lewis, NRCS equal employment opportunity specialist, at 301-504-2194.

Economic Tools for Conservation Planning - NRCS economists develop useful tools such as EPIC (environmental policy integrated climate) that provide valuable information to conservation planners, economists, farmers, researchers, third-party vendors, or anyone who is interested in understanding the economic effects of conservation practices. A team of NRCS economists is now developing a way to easily access these tools to ensure that the information is correct and up to date. The tools, which are mainly in spreadsheet format, will be available on the web in the near future. Cost data has been collected from a variety of sources, including State, and program (such as EQIP) cost lists. A preview of these tools and cost lists can be found on the NRIAI’s NRCS Economics & Analysis Site at: http://waterhome.brc.tamus.edu/NRCSdata. Many States are including economic information on their NRCS State web page, mainly in the Field Office Tech Guide section. The Cost and Returns Estimation website provides access to a more technical resource - a crop budget generator that is located at http://waterhome.brc.tamus.edu/care. It is widely used by university economists and the Cooperative Research, Education, and Extension Service (CREES).

The Regional Budget and Cost Information, http://waterhome.brc.tamus.edu/care/budgets page, has links to all 50 State CREES sites, State Departments of Agriculture, National Agricultural Statistics Service, and NRCS State offices, with additional links to the budgets and costs information available for each State. Between NRCS and CREES, there are locally developed economic data and tools to meet many conservation needs. By clicking on a State from the map, users can find local conservation economic information, thereby providing another means of delivering economic and conservation information from many sources to customers.
Your contact is Lynn Knight, NRCS economist, at 202-720-8676.

Please send correspondence and material for "NRCS This Week" to the editor by: e-mail to: fred.jacobs@usda.gov or by fax to: Editor, "NRCS This Week," 202-720-1564; or by mail to: Editor, "NRCS This Week," NRCS, P.O. Box 2890, Washington, D.C. 20013.

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