November 22, 2002

"I feel pain and anger that in your rush toward development, the fabric of this globe has been rent, and what you call the biosphere or ecosphere – but my people more simply call Mother – has been so neglected and hurt.  Our elders tell us we have to do more than save what is left of traditional homelands.  We need to contribute to an overall change of mind so that human kind can begin to initiate strategies which will preserve and sustain the environment that all cultures and nations share."

Ruby Dunstan, Lytton Indian Band

Accolades

Deputy Chief Receives Presidential Rank Award
NRCS Deputy Chief for Science and Technology Lawrence E. Clark and a select group of senior career executives were recently recognized at a ceremony in Constitution Hall in Washington, D.C., by President George W. Bush who presented the group with the annual 2002 Presidential Rank Award.  The award is presented to Federal senior executives for their strong, results-oriented leadership; exceptional professional or scientific long-term accomplishments; and consistent demonstration of strength, integrity, industry, and relentless commitment to excellence in public service.  Award winners are nominated by their agency heads and are chosen through a rigorous selection process of evaluation by private citizen boards and approval by the President.  “I have come here today to express my appreciation for your dedication and integrity, your commitment to excellence, and your love of our country.  Today we honor their exceptional performance.  Their work covers a tremendous range of issues, yet they share some things in common: an outstanding work ethic, commitment to public service, and pride in a job well done…” said President Bush at the presentation ceremony.  “It is an incredible honor for me to be the leader of such a strong team, on behalf of the American people—a team of men and women who could be doing something else, but have decided, I want to serve the greatest land on the face of the Earth,” he added. 
Congratulations, Larry!
Your contact is Mary Fleming, NRCS human resource specialist, at 202-720-7444, or mary.fleming@usda.gov.

Focus on the Field

NRCS Recruits at Career Fair
NRCS staff from Oklahoma, Arkansas, Iowa, the South Central Regional Office, and National headquarters participated in the 24th Annual American Indian Science and Engineering Society National Conference held in Tulsa, Oklahoma.  More than 1,200 members from across the Nation attended this year's conference with more than 400 booths available for attendees to learn about job opportunities.  The NRCS booth provided American Indian students and young professionals with the opportunity to interview and learn about the careers offered within our agency. Several NRCS State office staffs provided current job opportunity information for their State and district offices.
Your contact is Terri Daniel, NRCS public affairs specialist, at 405-742-1244, or terri.daniel@ok.usda.gov. 

Pennsylvania Celebrates 2,002 in 2002
NRCS joined Pennsylvania Governor Mark Schweiker, State Secretary of Agriculture Sam Hayes, U. S. Congressman-elect Tim Holden, other government representatives, farmers, preservation activists, FFA members, and others as well as the local high school band and a fourth-grade class in celebrating the preservation of Pennsylvania’s 2,002nd farm.  Governor Schweiker remarked that the event should leave everyone working toward the next 2,002 farms as we celebrate our opportunities on “this great good earth.”  He spoke about the QueCreek miners and how desperate they were to reach terra firma during their 77 hours underground.  “This farm was started over 8 generations ago in 1800 and now the Macht’s are making sure that their contribution to the future is protected,” Schweiker added.  

Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture Sam Hayes served as Master of Ceremonies for the event and spoke of Pearl Buck’s writing about the “good Earth.”  His enthusiasm for the preservation program has helped Pennsylvania become number one in the Nation in protecting agricultural lands from development for non-agricultural use.  Hayes introduced the local Dauphin County preservation board and Tom Weber, Associate Chief, NRCS.  Partial funding for the Macht farm was received from NRCS, which has provided almost $6.8 million to protect 105 farms throughout Pennsylvania.  Pennsylvania county preservation organizations join the state in providing a majority of the easement funding.  Technical and planning assistance is a state requirement on all preserved farmland in Pennsylvania.  In addition to the $6.8 million dollars in funding, NRCS conservation professionals provide that technical assistance regardless of the source of easement funds. 
Your contact is Stacy Mitchell, NRCS public affairs specialist, 717-237-2208, or smitchell@pa.nrcs.usda.gov. 

NRCS Helps Clean Up South Carolina Lake
NRCS, the local soil and water conservation district, and the Foothills RC&D teamed up to make Saluda Lake in Greenville County, South Carolina, a model lake restoration project.  The locally led community groups joined forces 10 years ago to address sediment buildup – also known as eutrophication – in Saluda Lake affecting water quality for the city of Easley, which depends on the lake as its primary water source.  Using ground-penetrating radar and global positioning system technology, NRCS and its conservation partners profiled the lake bottom, yielding data on the thickness and distribution of sediment to provide the Saluda Lake Homeowners Association with an evaluation of the lake and its contributing watershed.  One million yards of sedimentation has filled the lake, decreasing the water depth from 20 feet to only 5 feet.  Armed with the data provided by NRCS and its conservation partners, the Saluda Lake Homeowners Association and others will begin dredging operations to restore the lake’s water holding capacity.
Your contact is Amy O. Maxwell, NRCS public affairs specialist, at 803-765-5402, or amy.maxwell@sc.usda.gov. 

State Leads Nation in No-till Acre Increase
According to a report published by the Conservation Technology Information Center, South Dakota has had an increase of approximately 10 percent in no-till acres across the State in the past 2 years.  “In the year 2000, one out of every five cropped acres in South Dakota was involved in no-till; in 2002, this has increased to one out of every four,” said NRCS State Agronomist, Jeff Hemenway.  “This roughly equates to an increase of one million, no-till acres in a two-year period.”  The total number of acres involved in no-till across South Dakota is 4,066,957.  The greatest increase in no-till acres occurred in the east-central portion of the State, with Campbell, Walworth, Potter and Sully counties experiencing a 50 percent increase of no-till acres in just the past 2 years.  Overall, 30 percent of all cropland in South Dakota is involved in the no-till system.  South Dakota led the Nation with its increase of a million acres in a two-year period.  Montana and North Dakota recorded the next substantial increases with approximately 680,000 and 480,000 acres respectively.  Overall, the U.S. has more than 55 million acres involved in the no-till planting system, which deters soil erosion.  A major concern in South Dakota is creeks feeding into shallow prairie lakes becoming clogged with sediment.  Your contact is David Keith, NRCS public affairs specialist, at 605-352-1228 or david.keith@sd.nrcs.usda.gov. 

Helping Kids after School
The Wes-Tex Resource Conservation & Development’s (RC&D) 2002 Matching Grants program is helping make possible the Reaching Our Kids (ROK) after-school program serving approximately 50 socially and economically disadvantaged minority children of east Lubbock, Texas.  Meeting in a closed elementary school building provided by Lubbock Independent School District, the program focuses on children's physical and emotional development.  Meals, recreation, tutoring and mentoring are the basic types of assistance with over 15 volunteers helping the children realize their potential to be successful.  Wes-Tex RC&D awarded the ROK their 2002 Matching Grant for Lubbock County at a ceremony with the children in the program, State Representative Carl Isett and Lubbock City Councilman T.J. Patterson.  These funds will complement other donations ensuring the continued success of the program. 
For additional information, contact the Wes-Tex RC&D Area, Inc., at 806-266-5067.

Word from Washington

NRCS to Participate in Agricultural Outlook Forum 2003
NRCS staff will participate in the upcoming Agricultural Outlook Forum scheduled for February 20-21, 2003.  The meeting will take place at the Crystal Gateway Marriott Hotel in Arlington, Virginia.  USDA’s 79th Outlook Forum will offer timely forecasts of farm prospects and insight on developments affecting the farm economy.  Speakers will include top government officials, industry analysts, farmers, business leaders and academic experts.  Peter Smith, Director, NRCS Resource Economics and Social Sciences Division, and John Stierna, NRCS Senior Economist, are serving as agency program representatives.  Program information is posted on the forum website, at http://www.usda.gov/oce/waob/agforum.htm.
Your contact is Ted Kupelian, NRCS public affairs specialist, at 202-720-5776, or ted.kupelian@usda.gov.


November is American Indian Heritage Month!
In 1986, President Reagan designated November 23-30 as "American Indian Week." Four years later, President Bush proclaimed the first National American Indian Heritage Month. Each year since, U.S. Presidents have proclaimed November as "American Indian Heritage Month."

Listed below are some websites that deal with American Indian history, knowledge, lifestyles, current events and tradition. http://www.aianea.com/ American Indian/Alaskan Native Employees Association for the NRCS.
http://www.aihec.org. American Indian Higher Education Consortium. This educational organization represents 32 colleges in the U.S.A. and Canada.
http://www.aises.org.  American Indian Science and Engineering Society. This professional organization nurtures building of community by bridging science and technology with traditional Native values.
http://www.americanindian.net. Look up dates in North American Indian history. Links to numerous other web sites dealing with Tribal Peoples.
http://www.americanindiantribe.com. Gives you a head start in research on the historical background of many American Indian Tribes.
http://www.ammsa.com/windspeaker/. Canada's national aboriginal news source.
http://www.cherokee.org. Official website for the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma.
http://www.indiancountry.com. Website of "Indian Country" magazine. Current news articles about tribes, laws and lifeways.
http://www.indianz.com. Headline news of current events affecting American Indians and mainstream USA.
http://www.iaiancad.org. Institute of American Indian Arts. Established by the U.S. Department of the Interior's Bureau of Indian Affairs in 1962. In 1975 it became a 2-year college in Santa Fe, NM.
http://www.nativepeoples.com. The forum is packed with interesting topics.
http://www.nativeweb.org. Resources for indigenous cultures around the world. 3,505 web listings available.
http://www.tribalfires.com. Promotes the publishing of Native American creative writers.
 

Tech Tip

Ground Penetrating Radar Soil Suitability Map of the U.S. Developed
"A Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) Soil Suitability Map of the Conterminous United States" has been developed and recently presented by National Soil Survey Center staff at technical meetings.  The paper and poster describe the map development methodology and identify soil landscapes for the conterminous United States where GPR applications involving the upper meter of soil are likely to be successful.  The map is based on field experience and soil attribute data contained in the State Soil Geographic (STATSGO) and the Soil Survey Geographic (SSURGO) databases.  It is designed to provide field investigators with a broad overview of the dominant soil properties that affect radar signal attenuation and depth of penetration, and the relative effectiveness of GPR applications within broadly defined areas.  A more detailed county example is also provided.  James Doolittle, research soil scientist, presented the poster and gave a keynote presentation on this work at the Ninth International Conference on Ground Penetrating Radar held in California.  Many academics, geophysicists, geophysical consultants, and engineers attending expressed interest in the map.  Geophysical scientists from the United States Geological Survey inquired if the Soil Survey Division could develop a map for the upper 2 meters of the soil.  Specialists from the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Department of Defense expressed interest related to forensic and unexploded ordnance applications.  A second poster was developed and presented at the 2002 International ESRI (Environmental Systems Research Institute or ArcInfo) User Conference, where it was awarded a blue ribbon in the "Best Cartographic Design - Single Map Product" category.  The poster will be published in the 2003 ESRI Map Book and can be viewed on the National Soil Survey Center website at http://soils.usda.gov/gallery/main.htm choose Soil Geophysics, or the 2002 ESRI Map Library website at http://gallery.dcse.com/map_library/, use "search" for Map ID 20075.
Your contact is Sharon W. Waltman, NRCS soil scientist, at 402-437-4007, or sharon.waltman@nssc.nrcs.usda.gov.
 

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