September 27, 2002

“Soil erosion is as old as agriculture. It began when the first heavy rain struck the first furrow turned by a crude implement of tillage in the hands of prehistoric man. It has been going on ever since, wherever man’s cultivation of the earth has bared the soil to rain and wind.”

Hugh Hammond Bennett (1881-1960), first chief and founder of the Natural Resources Conservation Service.

Accolades

Thailand Recognizes NRCS Soil Scientist
During the recent 17th World Congress of Soil Science, NRCS World Soil Resources National Leader, Dr. Hari Eswaran, was awarded a plaque for 30 years of soil science collaboration and for his assistance in designing the pre- and post-tours held in conjunction with past World Congress of Soil Science gatherings. The Deputy Director General of Land Development Department of Thailand recognized him as a “fellow Thai” and thanked him for the technical guidance that he provided for the National Soil Survey Program.
Your contact is Gail Roane, NRCS program analyst, at 202-690-2212 or gail.roane@usda.gov.

Focus on the Field

NRCS Working to Serve California’s Hmongs
Via the half hour call-in program, "Asian American Specialty Crop Radio," the NRCS California outreach team and Fresno's KBIF-radio provide the Hmong, Mien, and Lao farming communities in California's Central Valley, with soil and water conservation information. Sam Vang, NRCS soil conservationist from Fresno who hosts the show–broadcast in the Hmong language–takes scores of calls from Hmong listeners. The best news of all is that for the next 2 years, Sam Vang will be broadcasting along with his guests to cover a wide variety of ag-related topics like soil texture, drip irrigation, composting, and the 2002 Farm Bill.
Your contact is Sam Vang, NRCS conservationist, at 559-276-7494.


NRCS Chief Visits First Midwest American Indian Conservation District
The Keweenaw Bay Indian Community (KBIC) in Baraga, Michigan, was the setting for a visit from NRCS Chief Bruce Knight, who toured a number of conservation projects at the invitation of tribal chairperson Bill Cardinal. The KBIC is the first American Indian Conservation District established in Michigan and the Midwest. As part of the tour–covered extensively in the local print, radio and television media–Chief Knight tried his hand at harvesting rice in the Keweenaw Bay Indian traditional method–from a canoe using two long sticks to beat the rice into the canoe. Wild rice, the traditional food of the Anishinabe people, is grown in wetland areas on tribal lands. The tour also included stops at the tribal fish hatchery, where Chief Knight and Michigan NRCS State Conservationist Ron Williams mounted an NRCS plaque along side other fishery partner organizations. The Chief also presented a plaque at a tribal council meeting honoring the tribe’s commitment to conservation and their partnership with NRCS.
Your contact is Chris Coulon, NRCS public affairs specialist, at 517-324-5244 or chris.coulon@mi.usda.gov.


Technical Assistance for Agriculture and Safe Drinking Water
Over the next three years, Pohnpei-based NRCS staff will provide more than $450,000 in technical assistance to help alleviate a severe water shortage on the island of Chuuk where a typhoon devastated much of the island’s infrastructure and agriculture and caused more than 30 landslides. The funds will be used to reclaim lost agricultural lands and help convert saltwater into safe drinking water. In the capital city of Weno, a gallon of water currently costs more than a gallon of gasoline. “This assistance will help the nearly 50,000 citizens of Chuuk recover from this disaster,” said NRCS Chief Bruce Knight. Chuuk, located 620 miles southeast of Guam, is one of the three Federated States of Micronesia.
Your contact is Jessica Pangelinan, NRCS public affairs specialist, at 671-472-7375 or Jessica.pangelinan@pb.nrcs.usda.gov.


Sole Ag-based U.S. National Historic Landmark
In 1939, five local farm owners were concerned that their 650 acres of fields along the Delaware River in Pennsylvania were washing away. Those landowners, in what is now the Honey Hollow Watershed Conservation Area, applied to NRCS for technical assistance in developing a comprehensive soil conservation plan. NRCS (then the Soil Conservation Service) provided assistance to the landowners, who agreed to work together to carry out the recommended conservation practices on their farms. In subsequent decades, the Honey Hollow Watershed has become a model for farmers’ cooperative action to conserve natural resources. Finally, in 1969, the Honey Hollow Watershed was designated as a National Historical Landmark featuring all of the original conservation measures adopted in the late 1930’s–terraces, contour-plowed fields, diversion ditches, wildlife hedges, ponds, and treed lands. It remains the only agriculturally based National Historic Landmark in the United States and for 60 years has been a site for conservation educational programs. There are bi-weekly tours of the land now owned jointly by the Bucks County Audubon Society, Heritage Conservancy and the Crooks family and operated by the Bucks County Audubon Society.
Your contact is Stacey Mitchell, NRCS public affairs specialist, at 717-237-2208 or smitchell@pa.nrcs.usda.gov.


First Annual “Keep Our River Clean!” Banner Display Day
The message on the banners was clear "Keep our river clean! Please don't litter." Crafted by the Rhode Island Resource Conservation & Development Council (RC&D), in partnership with the Northern Rhode Island Conservation District and sponsored by the Woonasquatucket River Greenway and the Woonasquatucket River Watershed Council, the banners afforded an opportunity for public and non-profit organizations, community centers, day care facilities, and other interested parties to display their individual messages on the First Annual Banner Display. The banners were hung for three weeks in Providence’s Promenade District, framing nearly 1 mile of the Historic Woonasquatucket River–an American Heritage River–increasing public awareness of the environmental and health issues surrounding this urban river resource. Dexter Miller, RC&D Coordinator said, "We see the strength in supporting efforts made to educate the public while backing the common vision for a cleaner, healthier Woonasquatucket River." The Banner Display was developed as a public outreach and educational campaign to the urban communities along the river.
Your contact is Jeanne Comerford, NRCS public affairs specialist, at 401-822-8816 or jeanne.comerford@ri.usda.gov.


Gone But Still Goin’ Strong
Volunteering in Vermont is getting some pretty high profile support from former State Conservationist John Titchner–retired since the summer of 2000–who’s now a member of the NRCS Earth Team. John serves in two advisory positions–one with the State Advisory Council (SAC) to the University of Vermont and the other with State Natural Resources Board of Advisors Research Committee. John’s role with SAC is to provide input to the University's curriculum, providing a voice for the NRCS Wetlands Institute. With the Resources Board of Advisors Research Committee, John joins other conservationists to help find ways of reducing ag-related pollutants in Lake Champlain.
Your contact is Anne Hilliard, NRCS public affairs specialist, at 802-951-6796, ext. 234 or ahilliard@vt.nrcs.usda.gov.


500-Year Flood Results in 5-Hour NRCS Response
A 500-year flood event ravaged the small town of Kaycee, Wyoming, last August, when more than 7 inches of rain caused the Middle Fork of the Powder River to overflow. But thanks to the “urgent and compelling” provision of the NRCS Emergency Watershed Protection Program help was on the job within hours protecting the town’s main sewer line and sewer lagoons from breachment and destruction; undertaking streambank stabilization; starting debris removal; removing unsafe, flood damaged structures; and providing protection to damaged roads, culverts, and bridge abutments. Kaycee Mayor Gordon Herring expressed the appreciation of the local people when he described how NRCS crews brought in resources and assistance that the local residents had no idea how to obtain. “These NRCS employees are truly our heroes,” the mayor said.
Your contact is Nancy Atkinson, NRCS public affairs specialist, at 307-261-6482 or nancy.atkinson@wy.usda.gov.
 

Word from Washington

USDA Seeks Nominations for Agricultural Air Quality Task Force
USDA has called for nominations for qualified persons to serve as members of the Agricultural Air Quality Task Force. The Agricultural Air Quality Task Force charter is renewed every 2 years and directs the Chief of the NRCS to establish a task force to address agricultural air quality issues. The 2002 Farm Bill specifically addresses air quality issues and ties them to conservation programs.

The task force will continue to be an advisory committee and will operate under the terms of the Federal Advisory Committee Act. The role of the task force is to strengthen and coordinate USDA air quality research efforts to determine the extent to which agricultural activities contribute to air pollution and to identify cost-effective ways in which the agriculture industry can improve air quality. The task force is charged with ensuring sound data quality and interpretation, so that policy recommendations made by any Federal agency to address air pollution problems related to agriculture are based on accurate scientific findings, peer review, and economic feasibility.

The request for nominations to serve as members of the Agricultural Air Quality Task Force is in the Sept. 25, 2002, Federal Register. Nomination information for the task force can also be found on the web, at http://fargo.nserl.purdue.edu/faca, or by contacting Beth Sauerhaft, NRCS designated Federal official, at 202-720-8578 or at beth.sauerhaft@usda.gov.


National Watershed Coalition Announces New Publications
The National Watershed Coalition has recently published “Watershed Protection
and Flood Prevention Program,” a brochure which briefly describes the watershed program, leadership, and planning; and a pamphlet, “How Your Community Can Organize a Watershed Project: A Guide to the Watershed Protection and Flood Prevention Program,” which provides information for potential watershed project sponsors about eligible project objectives and purposes, and the steps in applying for USDA assistance and planning. Both items are available at http://www.watershedcoalition.org/WStrifold.pdf and http://www.watershedcoalition.org/Watershed%20Guide.pdf. For a small supply of these new publications, please email Margaret Manuel with the number desired at margaret.manuel@usda.gov.
Your contact is Bruce Julilan, NRCS National Water Resources Policy Coordinator, at 202-720-3042 or bruce.julian@usda.gov.


Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month!
The theme for this year’s National Hispanic Heritage Month, September 15 through October 15, is Strength in Unity, Faith, and Diversity. The month encompasses several historical events, including Mexican Independence Day on September 16, and El Dia de la Raza, celebrated October 12.

Expanded to a month in 1989, the Hispanic heritage observance was initiated by the U.S. Congress as Hispanic Heritage Week to encourage Hispanic awareness among all U.S. citizens. The event has grown to a month-long opportunity for all Americans to learn more about Hispanic Americans’ contributions to our society, as well as to pay tribute to America's distinctive diversity.
Your contact is J. Xavier Montoya, NRCS National Hispanic Emphasis Program Manager, at 301-504-2187.

Tech Tip

Trees Planted for Odor Management
Even in rural settings, odors from animal facilities create a nuisance for near-by neighbors. NRCS Connecticut has developed its first conservation plan that uses tree planting between an animal waste storage pit and a neighboring residence to control odor from the pit. Using emerging technology in shelterbelts and animal waste odor control provided by the NRCS air quality cooperating scientists and the USDA Agroforestry Center, conservationists are working with landowners to plant rows of spruce trees on the predominant downwind side of the storage pit. The trees will reduce the downwind odor by intercepting many of the odor causing contaminants, including volatile organic compounds and particulate matter, and induce mixing of the atmospheric boundary layer through turbulent transfer. They will also provide a more aesthetically pleasing view than a pit full of manure which, at least psychologically, can heighten the odor problem. The NRCS RC&D coordinator for eastern Connecticut is working with NRCS air quality scientists to include air quality concerns in the NRCS planning and reporting system. This work contributes toward the recognition of air quality as an important resource, and it highlights the NRCS role in installing practices to improve air quality.
Your contact is Roel Vining, NRCS air quality cooperating scientist, at 765-494-8691 or rvining@purdue.edu.

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.

You can receive NRCSTW via e-mail by sending an e-mail to: listproc@nrcs.usda.gov (NHQ personnel should send their e-mail to: GW:"listproc@nrcs.usda.gov@i"). Do not use a subject line and put the following in the body of the message: subscribe NRCS-THIS-WEEK Firstname Lastname (example: subscribe NRCS-THIS-WEEK Rachel Carson). To get help with other commands that are available at the "listproc@nrcs.usda.gov" address, send a message with no subject and the word HELP on a line by itself in the body of the message. "NRCS This Week" is posted on the NRCS Homepage.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, or marital or family status. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for communication of program information (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact USDA's TARGET Center at 202-720-2600 (voice and TDD).

To file a complaint of discrimination, write USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, Room 326W, Whitten Building, 14th and Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, D.C. 20250-9410 or call 202-720-5964 (voice and TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

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.

< NRCS This Week Archives