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| Friday, October 26, 2001 Washington, DC. |
There is a harmony
In autumn, and a lustre in its sky,
Which through the summer is not heard or seen,
As if it could not be, as if it had not been!
–- Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792-1822), English poet
FOCUS ON THE FIELD
Getting the "Dirt" on Soil -
Two NRCS conservationists, Charlotte Pyle and Carol Donzella, recently staffed the Dirt on Soil exhibit at the 6th annual West Rock Park Day in New Haven, Connecticut. Using bowls of sand, clay, and loam, Charlotte and Carol helped 200 visitors to better understand their local soils through actually seeing and feeling them. They each received a souvenir "claydog" of their choice (claydogs are clay formations unique to the area near New Haven). This event is sponsored by the youth from the New Haven Environmental Justice Advisory Board and is designed to introduce citizens to the unique natural resources of West Rock, the largest State park in Connecticut.
Deputy Secretary Attends Farm Progress Show - Deputy Secretary of Agriculture James Moseley recently spoke in Lafayette, Indiana, at the Farm Progress Show, the largest outdoors farm show in the world. Mosely spoke to farmers about USDA’s recently released report, "Food and Agriculture Policy: Taking Stock for the New Century" that previews the Department’s focus and recommendations for the upcoming Farm Policy Legislation. After his remarks, Deputy Secretary Moseley and NRCS Indiana State Conservationist Jane Hardisty toured the exhibits in the Indiana Conservation Partnership’s area, where they saw the H2O Quality + Soil Quality = Quality of Life exhibit and an Indiana watershed model. Other attractions at the show included the Ever-Changing Stream Flow Model and Water-Wise exhibits, Soil Survivor quizzes, and Sediment Pinball, which gave participants plenty of interactive conservation fun. Visitors also saw a pond, wetland, soil filter, and viewed maps showing digital data about the soils at the site, and learned about local soil quality by using a Soil Quality Test Kit. After viewing a rainfall simulator provided by USDA’s Agricultural Research Service's National Soil Erosion Lab, which featured a variety of soil conservation measures, the Deputy Secretary commented, "This is the best example of showing conservation tillage and erosion control I’ve ever seen. If people don’t get the picture (that soil conservation is important) after seeing this, they never will." The annual 3-day show, which rotates among Indiana, Illinois, and Iowa, attracts approximately 300,000 visitors each year.
Your contact is Mike McGovern, NRCS public affairs specialist, at 317-290-3222, ext. 324.
A Nice Place to Raise My Boys - NRCS conservationists from the field office in Clay Center, Nebraska, must have felt like they had found buried treasure when they discovered Doug and Kami Brinkerhoff's wetland. The wetland, which had never been plowed or drained, was a rare find in the Rainwater Basin region, where over 90 percent of the original wetlands have been converted to other uses. NRCS conservationists explained management options for the wetland to the Brinkerhoffs, who decided that the Wetland Reserve Program (WRP) would best suit their needs. After deciding to sign up 56 acres in the WRP program under a 30-year easement, an NRCS bioengineering team was assembled to assist Brinkerhoff with his WRP application and discuss the wetland's condition and management practices that would be needed to keep the wetland functioning at its best. The wetland is home to many species of wildlife, but Kami Brinkerhoff best summed up the benefits of preserving the wetland when she said, "I think this will be a nice place to raise my boys."
Your contact is Joanna Pope, NRCS public affairs specialist, at 402-443-3463.
NRCS Programs Help Preserve Historic Farm - The Rutland, Vermont, NRCS office has been working hard to help preserve the historic Tylord farm in Benson, where David and Debra Tyler have been farming and raising horses for the past 25 years. The farm, which has graced the countryside since the late 1700's, has several farm buildings listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is the location for the biggest and oldest elm tree in the State. With the help of NRCS, the Tylers recently installed riparian buffers along 2.5 miles of the Hubbardton River to protect 9,500 feet of streambank along the river that flows through their farm. The buffers also provide habitat, nesting sites, and forage for large numbers of deer, wild turkeys, and other wildlife. The Tylers would like to participate in NRCS Farmland Protection Program, which, combined with matching funds from the State, will further help protect their farm from development. Additionally, through the efforts of NRCS, the Vermont Housing and Conservation Board has awarded a $100,000 grant to help preserve the farm. Like many family farmers, the Tylers want most of all to ensure that their children will always be able to farm on the Tylord.
Your contact is Anne Hilliard, NRCS public affairs specialist, at 802-951-6796, ext. 234.
New Dam Rehab Fact Sheets Available on NRCS Web Page - Eleven new fact sheets have been developed on pilot rehabilitation projects currently underway in Mississippi, New Mexico, Ohio, and Wisconsin to demonstrate how rehabilitation of aging watershed projects is undertaken and the resulting benefits to local communities. The fact sheets are available on the NRCS web page at http://www.nrcs.usda.gov. They can be accessed on the web page, by clicking on "Aging Watershed Infrastructure" and then locating "Keeping Dams Safe" on the menu of fact sheets. Authorized by the FY 2000 Agricultural Appropriations Act, the current pilot projects include 15 flood control dams in 10 watershed projects. NRCS is providing technical assistance and 65 percent of the construction cost; local project sponsors are providing 35 percent of the cost of the projects, including landrights and easements. The knowledge and information gained from these projects will be invaluable to watershed sponsors and NRCS in future rehabilitation efforts.
Your contact is Larry Caldwell, NRCS National Policy Coordinator for Aging Watershed Infrastructure, at 405-742-1254 or larry.caldwell@ok.usda.gov.
Self-Assessment of Locally Led Planning Skills Training - The Social Sciences Institute (SSI) has developed a self-assessment of locally led planning activities in conjunction with the SSI's nine module training program, Developing Your Skills to Involve Communities in Implementing Locally Led Conservation (see the October 19, 2001, NRCS This Week). The tool asks respondents how they are implementing or plan to implement a locally led conservation plan. It includes questions about community attributes, stakeholders, community issues, community profiles, consensus building, conflict, and diversity. Responses to these questions help identify the strength of the respondent’s social skills relative to those needed to implement successful locally led plans. After completing the evaluation from a CD or web site http://www.ssi.nrcs.usda.gov/, (click on the last link on the left, "Evaluating Your Locally Led Project"), respondents receive feedback on how well they are planning and implementing their locally led conservation plan. The score is apportioned into the same categories as the training modules. If a score in a module area indicates that significant improvements are needed in an area of planning, the respondents might consider scheduling a training session in the specific area in which they have an identified weakness. The State social sciences coordinator or State training officer can schedule hands-on training for the appropriate number of modules. A detailed pamphlet introduces readers to the locally led conservation training program and can be requested from Barbara Wallace (see below), or from the "Training" link on SSI's home page.
Your contact is Barbara Wallace, NRCS community planner, at 616-942-1503 or barbara.wallace@usda.gov.
Searching for Plant Information Has Just Been Made Easier! - An "advanced query" feature is now available to site users for all of the information contained in the PLANTS web site. For example, a list of the U.S.-native fire resistant conservation plants growing in California, or U.S.-native conservation grasses or grasslikes growing in Texas at a pH of less than 4, can be viewed or downloaded from PLANTS by clicking on "advanced query" at http://plants.usda.gov. The query form allows you to check-off the core attributes for 41,000 plants and/or the additional 100 attributes for the 2,000+ conservation plants (the plants for which we have extended plant characteristics). The query form will also allow you to download the results without display.
Your contact is Mark Skinner, NRCS plant systematist, at 225-775-6280 or mskinner@po.nrcs.usda.gov
If you are not a NRCS employee, you can receive NRCSTW on an e-mail by contacting: 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 John Muir). 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" will continue to be 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, and 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.
Addresses and telephone numbers for NRCS' Civil Rights Staff are: NRCS Civil Rights Program Compliance Division, 5601 Sunnyside Avenue, Mail Stop 5471, Beltsville, MD 20705-5471; phone: (301) 504-2287. NRCS Civil Rights Employment Division, 5601 Sunnyside Avenue, Mail Stop 5472, Beltsville, MD 20705-5472; phone: (301) 504-2181.
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