May 10, 2002

“Let the public service be a proud and lively career. And let every man and woman who works in any area of our National government, in any branch, at any level, be able to say with pride and with honor in future years: ‘I served the United States government in that hour of our Nation’s need.”

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

National

Bruce Knight Begins First Week as NRCS Chief -- Bruce I. Knight, former vice president for public policy for the National Corn Growers Association, became chief of NRCS on May 6, 2002. At an all-employees meeting in Washington, D.C., Chief Knight emphasized how honored he was to join NRCS, an agency with a proud history of providing assistance to America's farmers and ranchers. He expressed confidence that during his tenure as Chief, the agency would continue to build on that heritage. He outlined his focus for NRCS during the coming months.

* First, maintaining our tradition of excellent service throughout the agency;
* Second, maintaining and building on the partnerships we have developed over the years;
* Third, implementing the provisions of the 2002 Farm Bill
* Fourth, exploring the issues raised for discussion in the Department's recent Food and Agricultural Policy document.

The Chief challenged NRCS employees to take advantage of the enormous opportunities created by the Farm Bill for the agency to provide leadership in helping people conserve, maintain, and improve the Nation’s natural resources and environment on private lands. Chief Knight was confident that by working together, NRCS could turn these opportunities into accomplishments. He looks forward to meeting and talking with employees all over the country during the coming months.

Knight previously served on the staff of Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole, Kansas, focusing on development of the conservation title of the 1996 Farm Bill. He also worked for the National Association of Wheat Growers and as a legislative assistant to Rep. Fred Grandy, Iowa, and Sen. James Abdnor, South Dakota. A native of Gann Valley, South Dakota, Knight has been a farmer and rancher since 1976 for a 1,500-acre diversified grain and cattle operation, using no-till and rest rotation grazing systems. Knight succeeds Pearlie S. Reed, who has served as Chief since March 1, 1998.
Your contact is Mary Cressell, NRCS public affairs specialist, at 202-720-0547.
 

Focus on the Field

Conservation Reserve Program Improves Wildlife Habitat -- A 100-mile stretch of south-central Kentucky’s upper Green River is slated for a major restoration and protection project. One of America’s most biologically important water bodies, the Green flows through eight counties and contains a trove of aquatic life with more than 150 species of fish and 71 species of freshwater mussels. Numerous agencies and groups are partners in this incentive-based Green River Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) that will compensate farmers for restoring and protecting 100,000 acres of hardwood forests, native grasses, wetlands, sinkholes, and caves during the next 10 to 15 years. NRCS determines practice eligibility, develops conservation plans and contracts, and helps producers apply practices to the land to qualify for CREP funds. Kentucky’s Department of Fish and Wildlife and Division of Forestry also provide planning assistance. NRCS district conservationists report that most producers request to install riparian buffers or plant native grasses, legumes, and forbs if they have eligible land eligible. Filter strips and conservation cover on highly erodible cropland are also common conservation practices installed on CREP-eligible land.
Your contact is J. Douglas Hatchett, NRCS district conservationist, at 270-678-6811.

Lake Dwellers Learn to Protect Lakeshores -- NRCS plant materials specialist David Burgdorf, bio-engineer Frank Cousin, and geologist Sean Duffey, recently teamed up to hold a 2-day workshop at Michigan State University (MSU) W.K. Kellogg Biological Station for 25 property owners and landscape professionals gathered to learn lakeshore conservation practices. The purpose of the workshop was to teach lakeshore property owners and landscape professionals about environmentally friendly, economical alternatives to planting lawns along lakeshores. The use of shrubs and other plants along the shoreline provides a buffer to capture sediment and nutrients — the primary cause of lake pollution — more effectively than lawns. After the classroom sessions, participants went out and got their hands dirty by installing natural sections of shoreline at a demonstration area along Gull Lake on the MSU campus. The MSU Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service, the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality, and the Potawatomi and Sauk Trails RC&D Councils worked together to organize the workshop. As a result of the workshop, homeowners and professional landscapers now have a shoreline conservation techniques demonstration area. (from an April 18, 2002, Kalamazoo Gazette article, "Lakescapers Enlightened on Shoreline Protection”)
Your contact is Chris Coulon, NRCS public affairs specialist, at 517-324-5244.

Soil Survey Milestone Celebration and Symposium -- Missouri recently completed its initial soil survey during a “last-acre” ceremony in a garden adjacent to the Governor’s Mansion in Jefferson City. During the ceremony, attended by more than 150 persons, NRCS State Soil Scientist, Dennis Potter, declared Missouri’s initial soil survey complete as the final soil cores were extracted by dignitaries attending the event. Roger Hansen, NRCS State Conservationist, was the featured speaker. Begun in 1899, Missouri’s Cooperative Soil Survey program is currently led by NRCS, with the University of Missouri, the Missouri Department of Natural Resources, and local soil and water conservation districts providing funding, personnel, soil analysis, and research support. The program has identified and documented more than 5,000 soil map units, representing 600 different kinds of soil. The information obtained from the fieldwork is made available to the public as soil surveys that are printed, included on compact disks, or are viewable via the Internet. Soil surveys include maps showing the locations of soils, data about the physical and chemical properties of those soils, and information about potential uses and problems associated with various uses. Work will continue using modern technology to refine Missouri’s soil surveys and to provide more assistance to landowners, as well as natural resource agencies, so that they can better manage their land.
Your contact is Norm Klopfenstein, NRCS public affairs specialist, at 573-876-0911.
 

Word from Washington

National Public Service Recognition Week Mall Event -- NRCS joined nearly 100 civilian and military agencies, non-profit organizations, and private corporations this week on the National Mall for National Public Service Recognition Week. The annual event is held during National Volunteer week to highlight the service provided to the Nation by its Federal employees. NRCS headquarters Conservation Communications and Soil Survey Division employees staffed an exhibit and distributed publications to the several thousand visitors to the event.
Your contact is Ted Kupelian, NRCS public affairs specialist, at 202-720-5776.

Celebrate American Wetlands Month -- Each May, thousands of individuals celebrate the uniqueness, beauty, and importance of wetlands. The theme of American Wetlands Month 2002 is "Bogs, Playas, Pools: Protect America's Unique Wetlands." A wetland can be as tiny as a small wet spot or puddle, or as large as the Everglades, and one can be found in every State in the U.S. This celebration is an ideal time to emphasize programs and activities that support voluntary wetland restoration and protection.

During May, conservation districts, grassroots organizations, and government agencies join individuals and educators across the country to acknowledge the importance of this valuable natural resource and the role wetlands play in the health of our Nation. Discover more about wetlands activities and programs on the NRCS wetlands website at http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/wrp/.

What Can You Do to Help Preserve and Protect America's Wetlands?
Participate in Wetlands Conservation and Sustainability Workshops.  Every year, workshops are offered to volunteers, non-profit groups, government agency staffs, and businesses across the country. Participants learn about wetland ecology, functions and values, regulations and permits, and wetland monitoring. Each workshop includes field time getting to know wetlands by examining hydrology, plants, soil, and surrounding land uses. Call 800-284-4952 for information about workshops, events, and conferences in your area.

Take Advantage of Wetland Technical and Networking Resources.  The Izaak Walton League (IWLA) offers American Wetlands Month kits on the Internet to help local groups initiate on-the-ground projects. The kits include fact sheets on wetlands, project ideas, contact information, case studies of projects from across the country, and links to many informative wetland sites. You can download the kit from the IWLA's website at http://www.iwla.org/sos/awm/awmkit.html. IWLA also provides technical and networking assistance to anyone interested in working for wetlands. Call 800-284-4952, or e-mail awm@iwla.org, to get more information. Save Our Streams (SOS) sells informative materials including the Handbook for Wetlands Conservation and Sustainability and a video, "Wetland Stewardship: A Call to Action." View these and other wetlands publications and materials at http://www.iwla.org/sos/handbook/index.htm.

Your contact is Fred Jacobs, NRCS public affairs specialist, at 202-720-6790.

Celebrate Asian Pacific American Heritage Month
Twenty-three years ago, President Jimmy Carter signed a joint resolution declaring the first Asian Pacific American Heritage Week as May 4-10, 1979. Eleven years later, in 1990, President George Bush extended the week into a month-long celebration. Two years after that, Public Law 102-450 designated May of each year Asian Pacific American Heritage Month. The theme for this year’s Asian Pacific American month is "Unity in Freedom."
Your contact is Virginia C. Lewis, NRCS Acting Asian American/Pacific Islanders National Program Manager, at 301-504-2194.
 

Tech Tip

New Video Highlights Landowners Role in Wildlife Habitat
A new NRCS Wildlife Habitat Management Institute (WHMI) eight-minute video and companion brochure titled, “Our Living Land,” highlight the role of America's farmers and ranchers in providing wildlife habitat on private lands. “Our Living Land,” which includes a message from WHMI Director Pete Heard, shows conservation efforts by farmers and ranchers in Oklahoma, Iowa, California, Florida, New York, Michigan, Connecticut, Montana, the Pacific Northwest, and the lower Mississippi valley to help people understand the vital relationship between agriculture, wildlife, and fish resources on private lands. Contributors to the project include the American Soybean Association in partnership with numerous commodity and conservation organizations, with technical assistance from NRCS. “Our Living Land” was enthusiastically received recently by audiences attending the 67th North American Wildlife and Natural Resources Conference in Dallas and the National AgriMarketing Association conference in Nashville. The American Soybean Association has scheduled a presentation for Capitol Hill sometime in June. Download the brochure from the WHMI homepage at http://www.ms.nrcs.usda.gov/whmi/new.htm, by clicking “Our Living Land,” or copies are available by calling 1-888-LANDCARE.

Your contact is Ed Hackett, NRCS wildlife biologist, at 601-607-3131 or ehackett@ms.nrcs.usda.gov
 

Accolades

President Recognizes Mohawk Students’ Wetland Project
Pat Sullivan, NRCS district conservationist; Jim Ransome, of the Haudenosaunee Environmental Task Force; and students from the Mohawk Freedom School near Rooseveltown, New York, in EPA Region 2; and other locations throughout the U.S. were recently presented with the 2001 President's Environmental Youth Awards. Making the presentation were President George W. Bush and Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Christie Whitman at a ceremony in the White House Rose Garden. "I want to thank so much the award winners for turning idealism into action; for taking a great spirit and love for our country and doing something about that spirit and love for our country. Communities are better as a result, but as importantly, you're providing a really good example of service," said President Bush. "You're showing other people that people can make a difference in people's lives. Stewardship is the calling of government, and it is the calling of every citizen. I hope that in the years ahead you'll never lose the idealism we honor today. Your communities need it, and your country needs it," he added. With technical assistance from Pat Sullivan, and funding through the NRCS Wetlands Reserve Program, students restored, studied, and monitored a 30-acre wetland on the grounds of the Mohawk Freedom School, a traditional, Mohawk language school. The wetland restoration project was part of a course providing a valuable learning experience for the students. The President's Environmental Youth Awards have been presented annually since 1971 to honor students grades K-12 who develop projects to help protect their communities and address local environmental concerns. Winners are selected from among applicants in the EPA's 10 regions.
Your contact is Marilyn Stephenson, NRCS area conservationist, at 518-431-4110 ext. 202.

Resource Conservation & Development (RC&D) Recognized
Northeast NE RC&D Honored - Nebraska Governor Mike Johanns recently recognized the Northeast RC&D Council for planning and opening a welcome center, as one of the top 10 rural development initiatives in 2001. The Governor presented the rural development initiatives award to NRCS State Conservationist Steve Chick; Northeast RC&D coordinator Jan Jorgensen; and council members Carmen Shaffer and Shana James. The center was built on a site overlooking the Missouri River and the Lewis and Clark Trail, on Highway 81 near Crofton. The opening of the center last year attracted over a thousand visitors and it now averages 124 daily.

Trailblazer RC&D Wins Award — Another Nebraska RC&D was recognized recently by Governor Mike Johanns as one of the top 10 rural development initiatives in 2001. NRCS State Conservationist Steve Chick; Jan Ferebee, Trailblazer RC&D coordinator; council members Merle Illian, Chuck Burr, and Jim Farmer; and Craig Schroeder, of the Nebraska Rural Development Commission received recognition from the Governor for their sponsorship of the “Women’s Wilderness Weekend.” The “hands-on” style workshop for women features instruction in outdoor activities like canoeing, hunting, sailing, photography, and other activities. More than 100 women from around the region and the U.S. attended the annual workshop.
Your contact is Joanna Pope, NRCS public affairs specialist, at 402-443-3463.
TO TOP

Watershed Improvements Flowing Smoothly -- The Belle Fourche River in western South Dakota flows through a very large, diverse area of the northern plains, encompassing parts of three states and covering 4.1 million acres. Since the 1880's it has become one of the most heavily impacted watersheds in the plains states due in large part to the discovery of gold in the Black Hills of South Dakota in the 1880's, and the development of several irrigation districts in the early 1900's. Through voluntary participation in USDA programs such as EQIP by landowners, operators, and through ongoing efforts with the Belle Fourche River Watershed Assessment and River Basin Study, the condition of natural resources in the region is improving. To date, in EQIP alone, 91 conservation contracts worth approximately $1.5 million have been written to apply conservation practices on more than 350,000 acres of the Belle Fourche River Watershed in South Dakota. These contracts include 300,000 linear feet of livestock water pipelines with tanks, 50 miles of cross-fence to help initiate grazing systems, 150 livestock ponds with more than 730,000 cubic yards of earth moved, 5,000 linear feet of irrigation pipelines, and 50 miles of tree plantings to provide protection for livestock, wildlife and property.
Your contact is David Keith, NRCS public affairs specialist, at 605-352-1228.
 

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The NRCS Mission: The Natural Resources Conservation Service provides leadership in a partnership effort to help people conserve, maintain, and improve our natural resources and environment.

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