November 1, 2002

“The care of the Earth is our most ancient and most worthy, and after all our most pleasing responsibility. To cherish what remains of it and to foster its renewal is our only hope.”

from The Unsettling of America: Culture and Agriculture by Wendell Berry, American conservationist, farmer, and professor of English

Focus on the Field

Navajo Consultation
NRCS Chief Bruce Knight joined other USDA officials at the small Navajo Nation town of Window Rock in Northeastern Arizona for a unique USDA consultation where all areas of the department formally consulted with the Tribe. The idea of the consultation and site visit was to bring issues like drought, the farm bill, and homeland security to the attention of USDA and other federal organizations in context of the Navajo Nation and to open lines of communication to more effectively deal with these issues. Leading the list of dignitaries along with chief Knight was the Honorable Lou Gallegos, USDA Assistant Secretary for Administration; Dr. Jim Butler, USDA Deputy Under Secretary; James R. Little, Administrator for FSA; and Michael Somerville, Arizona State Conservationist. Mr. Arvin Trujillo, from the Navajo Nation, opened the ceremony with special introductions and entertainment from the Fort Defiance Navajo Drum group and a special presentation from Miss Navajo Nation 2002-2003, Shaundra Mae Tsosie.
Your contact is Ron Joy, NRCS public affairs specialist, at 602-280-8778, or ron.joy@az.usda.gov.


Composting with Worms a Big Hit
Nearly 300 third-graders enjoyed of a recent demonstration of composting with earthworms at the Monterey County, California, Agricultural Education annual Farm Day. NRCS soil conservation technician Dorothy Dowling teamed up with Alicia Parker of the Monterey County Resource Conservation District to help the youngsters get some actual hands-on experience with the worms and demonstrate the benefits of recycling fruit and vegetable waste. The presentation began with a discussion of chemical fertilizers and their impact on water quality followed by a before-and-after visual of composting at home or school. The lesson taught students how waste can be minimized, how easy organic composting is, and the environmental benefits of “natural” fertilizers such banana peels, coffee grounds, egg shells, and other kitchen waste.
Your contact is Jolene Lau, NRCS public affairs specialist, at 831-754-1595.


National Park Service Enlists NRCS to Help Preserve Historic Sites
National Park Service (NPS) staff in New Mexico turned to NRCS for soil surveys to help protect archeological resources on Bandelier National Monument and Chaco Culture National Historical Park. Specifically, NPS needed NRCS soil surveys in order to be in compliance with National Environmental Protection Agency standards during the process of locating where improvements and revegetation projects were most needed and for protection of archeological resources being invaded by forests. Through training and careful location of sampling sites, NRCS successfully gathered the survey information with no impact to these priceless cultural resources. Bandelier National Monument contains large pueblo ruins and cliff dwellings in the Cañon de los Frijoles. Chaco Culture National Historical Park has the greatest concentration of prehistoric Indian ruins in the United States.
Your contact is Ken Scheffe, NRCS soil scientist, at 505-761-4433, or kenneth.scheffe@nm.usda.gov.


Pennsylvania Farmers Protect the Chesapeake
NRCS in Pennsylvania recently received a heart-felt “thank you” from the Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF) for its efforts along with the Pennsylvania conservation partnership to install over 600 miles of new buffers in Pennsylvania. Under the Chesapeake Bay agreement, the 600 miles fulfills Pennsylvania’s commitment through 2010. “We just got there a little early,” said Dave Wise, CBF watershed restoration scientist. With help from cost-share and incentive programs like the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) and the State’s Farm Stewardship Program, funding has been available to install fencing along streams and improve crossing areas for livestock as well as to plant trees and shrubs along the streams. Keeping animals away from streams and stabilizing the banks with vegetation is reducing soil erosion and keeping nutrients and sediment out of the tributaries of the Chesapeake Bay. The partnership isn’t going to stop just because they’ve reached their 2010 commitment. Talks are underway to expand the CREP program to 21 additional counties in Pennsylvania. CBF will also be continuing their FSP program. “Pennsylvania farmers are working hard to protect one of our nation’s prime wetlands and waterways, the Chesapeake Bay,” said Robin Heard, NRCS Pennsylvania State conservationist. “We are proud to be part of the partnership efforts that enables our farmers to succeed,” she added.
Your contact is Stacy Mitchell, NRCS public affairs specialist, at 717-237-2208 or smitchell@pa.nrcs.usda.gov.


Grizzly Gulch “BAERS” to the Rescue
Last summer’s Grizzly Gulch Fire consumed more than 11,000 acres in Lawrence County, South Dakota. With 51 percent of the acres burned on private land, the Burned Area Emergency Response (BAER) team was formed to assess the damages caused by the fire and develop both immediate and future alternatives for treatment of the fire area. The BAER team consisted of NRCS engineer Steve Quissell and NRCS district conservationist Tom Quinn along with employees from the U.S. Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, the South Dakota Department of Agriculture, and the Lawrence County Weed and Pest Department. The BAER team field assessment was an intense effort to evaluate fire damage and prepare an initial report of damages and proposed treatments. Quissell and Quinn held training, completed the initial damage survey reports and assessments, and quickly produced cost estimates for financial assistance through the Emergency Watershed Protection (EWP) program. EWP helps protect lives and property threatened by natural disasters such as floods, hurricanes, tornadoes, and wildfires for such work as clearing debris from clogged waterways, restoring vegetation, and stabilizing river banks. “As a group we determined which areas presented an immediate threat to life and property and of those areas, which acres could be treated with a specific conservation practice to lessen the danger of post-fire floods and mud slides,” Quinn said.
Your contact is David Keith, NRCS public affairs specialist, at 605-352-1228 or david.keith@sd.nrcs.usda.gov.


Students Training in Agricultural Related Sciences (STARS) Initiative
Inspired by NRCS Regional Conservationist Charles R. Adams, the STARS program is the first of its type in the Nation. Introduced in April 2000, in the Southeast Region, STARS provides high school sophomores, juniors, and seniors with NRCS on-the-job training. The program is aimed toward under-served students who volunteer to work in their communities side-by-side with NRCS professionals to get a better understanding of the agency and its conservation work. STARS’ basic goal is to introduce under-served youth to agriculture and thereby encourage them to choose agriculture as their vocation. STARS program coordinator to Lesia Young, explains that STARS volunteers are tracked through high school and college while professional NRCS employees mentor them. STARS volunteer/trainee Robert Charles Terrell, Jr. describes his STARS experience as having "grown personally in my perception toward the conservation of the very soil I live on, the very air I breathe, and the much-needed water I drink and use. In essence, NRCS has helped shape me into a more knowledgeable steward of these natural resources. The natural resources that I once took for granted."

The STARS application period runs between August and October 1. For more information how you or a student you know can apply for the STARS or other volunteer programs, contact Lesia Young at lesia.young@se.nrcs.usda.gov or 404-832-3707.
Your contact is Belinda K. Duke, NRCS public affairs specialist, at 228-831-0881 ext. 112, or belinda.duke@se.nrcs.usda.gov.

 

Word from Washington

Farm and Ranch Lands Protection Program (FRPP) Comment Period
NRCS is seeking public comments on the FRPP, formerly known as the Farmland Protection Program. The 2002 Farm Bill amended the program and a proposed rule was published in the October 29, 2002, Federal Register. “While the name of the program has changed to more accurately reflect that both farms and ranches are eligible for assistance, the program’s purpose, which is to protect prime, unique, and important soil from conversion to nonagricultural uses through the purchase of conservation easements, remains the same,” said NRCS Chief Bruce I. Knight.

The proposed rule establishes eligibility criteria, State ranking considerations and guidelines for program administration. USDA encourages written comments on the proposed rule from individuals as well as governmental agencies and nongovernmental organizations during the 60-day comment period. The proposed rule can be viewed at http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/farmbill/2002/FBRules.html.
Your contact is Mary Cressel, NRCS public affairs specialist, at 202-690-0547, or mary.cressel@usda.gov.


Call for Presentations
The biennial Izaak Walton League of America’s American Wetlands Conference – to be held in Minneapolis, Minnesota, May 1-4, 2003 – is a national training and networking opportunity for wetland stewards. The league is currently seeking presentation proposals for practical, informative, “how-to” presentations on topics such as ephemeral and isolated wetland conservation, invasive species removal, volunteer monitoring, education and public outreach, cultural significance of wetlands, mitigation, construction, restoration, regulatory protection, and case studies of successful projects. Presentation proposals must be received by the Izaak Walton League by no later than December 20, 2002.

The purpose of the American Wetlands conference is to educate and inspire people to initiate and sustain on-the-ground wetland conservation and education projects. This year, the conference will include three tracks: education and outreach, wetland science, and wetland conservation policy. The conference is targeted to volunteer and professional wetland stewards interested in learning more about wetlands and how to conserve them. For more information about the conference and for details on submitting presentation proposals, please visit http://www.iwla.org/sos/awm/conference. For a hard copy of the call for presentations please call 800-284-4952 or 301-548-0150 ext. 219.
Your contact is Leah Miller, American Wetlands Program Coordinator, Izaak Walton League of America, Inc., at 301-548-0150 ext. 219, or leah@iwla.org.


National Organic Standards Announced
Secretary Veneman officially has unveiled USDA's National Organic Program, which provides guidelines for the certification of organic agricultural products. As of October 21, 2002, any organic agricultural product must meet USDA standards in order to be sold as "organic." Products that have been officially certified as organic will now display a special USDA label. The new organic standards cover everything from alcoholic beverages to vegetables, commodities to livestock. Learn more about USDA's National Organic Program at http://www.ams.usda.gov/nop and see USDA's new Organic Seal at http://www.ams.usda.gov/nop/Consumers/Seal.html.


Water Conferences Coming Up
The American Water Resources Association’s (AWRA) 2003 Spring Agricultural Hydrology & Water Quality Conference will be held May 12-14, 2003, at the Marriott Hotel in Kansas City, Missouri. Presentations will include such topics as agricultural hydrology and agricultural watersheds, confined animal feeding operation and water quality, total maximum daily load (TMDL) and water quality, agricultural hydrology and water quality models, national and State agricultural policies and regulations, impacts of agriculture on wetlands and riparian ecosystems, agricultural economics and water quality/water supply, safe water supply and demand, and international agricultural water issues. For more information, visit the American Water Resources Association spring conference website at http://www.awra.org/meetings/Kansas2003/.

AWRA’s 2003 Summer Watershed Management for Water Supply Systems conference will be held June 29-July 2, 2003, at the Millennium Hotel Broadway in New York City. Presentations will include such topics as land use, non-point sources of pollution, TMDLs, pathogens and potable water supplies, access and land use controls, and water supply partnerships. For more information, visit the American Water Resources Association summer conference website at http://www.awra.org/meetings/NewYork2003/index.html.


2002 Farm Bill and USDA Programs and Services Public Briefing
USDA is holding a public briefing on the 2002 Farm Bill and USDA Programs and Services on November 7, 2002, in Petersburg, Virginia. All Department agencies will be on hand to brief USDA customers on the wealth of programs and services available to them. More information about the briefing and registration information can be found at http://www.usda.gov/da/briefings/briefing.htm
Your contact is Patricia P. Klintberg, Director, USDA Constituent Affairs, at 202-720-9933
 

Tech Tip

Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Units
NRCS recently joined the Great Lakes-Northern Forest (sponsored by the Soil Survey Division) and the Gulf Coast (sponsored by the Wildlife Habitat Management Institute) Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Units (CESUs). CESUs are university-based collaborations among Federal agencies and universities, focused on a bio-geographic region of the country. Universities provide space, basic administrative support, and access to university faculty, students, staff, and resources, while Federal agencies contribute research scientists and/or other professionals. CESUs provide opportunities for interdisciplinary and multi-agency research, technical assistance, and education. They function as "virtual" organizations, linking several institutions to increase access to expertise and facilities.

The objectives of Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Units are to:
• provide resource managers with high-quality scientific research, technical assistance, and education;
• deliver research and technical assistance that is timely, relevant to resource managers, and needed to develop and implement sound adaptive management approaches;
• ensure the independence and objectivity of research;
• create and maintain effective partnerships among Federal agencies and universities to share resources and expertise;
• take full advantage of university resources while benefiting faculty and students;
• encourage professional development of Federal scientists; and
• manage Federal science resources efficiently.

A Memorandum of Understanding to become a partner in the Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Units Network was signed in February 2002. The NRCS is now a full member of the CESU Coordinating Council. For information and maps, visit the CESU Website at: http://www.cesu.org/cesu/.
Your contact is Dr. Sheryl H. Kunickis, NRCS soil scientist, at 301-504-4787 or shk@ars.usda.gov.


 

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