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| Friday, December 7, 2001 Washington, DC. |
"Everything is flowing -- going somewhere, animals and so-called lifeless rocks as well as water. Thus the snow flows fast or slow in grand beauty-making glaciers and avalanches; the air in majestic floods carrying minerals, plant leaves, seeds, spores, with streams of music and fragrance; water streams carrying rocks...While the stars go streaming through space pulsed on and on forever like blood...in Nature's warm heart."
–- - From John of the Mountains by John Muir (1838-1914), American naturalist and writer.
ACCOLADES
Horace Smith Honored -
NRCS Soil Survey Division Director Horace Smith was inducted into the George Washington Carver Hall of Fame this week at the 59th Annual Professional Agricultural Workers Conference held at Tuskegee University. Presenting the Hall of Fame Award to Horace was Benjamin F. Payton, President, Tuskegee University. Horace was honored for his distinguished leadership in developing the Scholars program and in bringing the 1890 land-grant community into full involvement with the work of the Soil Survey Division. The George Washington Carver Public Service Hall of Fame Award is given to individuals working in partnership with the 1890 land-grant institutions. As director of the Soil Survey Division, Horace has worked on behalf of the 1890 land-grant institutions, making them full partners of the National Cooperative Soil Survey (NCSS) by including them in meetings, conferences, and other activities on State, national, and international levels. Horace established a Soil Science Scholars Program at five 1890s schools and soil survey offices at three other schools.
Horace has received numerous awards during his career and has represented the agency on assignments to Central and South America, Africa, Europe, and the Far East. In 1996, he became Director of the Soil Survey Division of NRCS where he provides Federal leadership for the NCSS; plans, directs, and coordinates the agency's comprehensive soil survey program; and develop soil survey interpretations for urban, urban-fringe, and limited resource farmer areas. Horace was raised on a small tobacco farm near Clarkton, North Carolina. He received his B.S. in Soil Science from Virginia State University in 1964 and began his career as a soil scientist with NRCS in Champaign, Illinois, the same year. In 1972 he received his M.S. from the Ohio State University in soil genesis and classification. He rose through the ranks in NRCS, working in six States and the District of Columbia. Horace is married and has three grown children.
Your contact is Julie A. Best, NRCS acting public affairs specialist, at 334-887-4549.
FOCUS ON THE FIELD
Cross-Cultural Ties for Conservation -
The three-day Non-timber Forest Products Conference held in Anchorage, co-hosted by NRCS, brought Federal, State, and tribal governments together with landowners, scientists, educators, and community economic development officers from throughout Alaska, Canada, and the Pacific Northwest. The conference partners met in a setting where for centuries the region's forests have been a valuable source of non-timber forest products to Alaska's indigenous people. The conference addressed an array of issues including traditional resource uses, biological sustainability, small business startups, and the social, ethical, and spiritual aspects of non-timber forest products. The conference not only provided an opportunity for educational exchange, but also support and encouragement for landowners dependent on sustainable forest production and a venue for strengthening cross-cultural ties between urban and rural Alaska as well.
Your contact is Mitch Michaud, NRCS forester, at 907-283-8732.
Finding History in Virginia -
In the latest archeological investigation in Virginia, NRCS soil resource specialists Louis Heidel and Jim Sawyer are characterizing soils in Fredericksburg for James Madison University and the National Park Service. Heidel's team, with the assistance of ground penetrating radar (GPR) specialist Jim Doolittle, is using GPR to identify soil that was filled over historically significant areas within the National Battlefield Park, in an effort to locate Civil War trenches, gun emplacements, and other historic structures. The data will be used to recreate the site as it existed during the battle of Marye's Heights. GPR is being used for similar purposes at archaeological digs at several other sites in Virginia, including some American Indian villages along the Rappahannock River and around historic Jamestown.
Your contact is Louis Heidel. NRCS soil resource specialist, at 540-434-1404 ext. 128.
Chief Reed and Under Secretary Rey Tour Wisconsin -
NRCS Chief Pearlie Reed recently accompanied Undersecretary for Natural Resources and Environment Mark Rey on a two-day familiarization tour of NRCS field operations in Wisconsin. They spent a day touring Grant County, Wisconsin, meeting with NRCS and conservation district staff at the Lancaster Service Center and visiting three farm operations. NRCS district conservationist Mike Lieurance and Grant County conservationist Barb Thompson organized and conducted a tour showing conservation practices and areas where changes in land use are creating sediment run-off into the Mississippi River. Under Secretary Rey and Chief Reed heard presentations on the Wisconsin soil survey program, digitizing operations, new research and software to expedite soil survey production, conservation partnerships with the State and the University of Wisconsin, animal feeding operations, and other local conservation activities.
Your contact is Renae Anderson, NRCS Public Affairs Specialist, at 608-276-8732, ext. 227.
NRCS to Participate in Agricultural Outlook Forum 2002 -
NRCS staff will participate in the Agricultural Outlook Forum scheduled for February 21-22, 2002. The meeting will take place at the Crystal Gateway Marriott Hotel in Arlington, Virginia. USDA's 78th outlook conference 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.
Employees Return from Assignments in Nicaragua -
The Hurricane Mitch Project in Nicaragua ends December 31, which means that NRCS soil conservationist Carlos Suarez and NRCS engineers Yamilette Suarez and Ildefonso Chavez will return to their jobs in Indiana and Arizona. They have helped farmers in Nicaragua recover from the effects of the hurricane through a variety of projects, including road and rangeland restoration, fruit tree reforestation, streambank stabilization, irrigation work, removal of debris and sediment from farmland, bee hive construction, capacity building, and may other types of assistance. NRCS success in Nicaragua can be attributed in large part to technical advisor Manuel Ayala, Jr. from the International Programs Division. Manuel managed Hurricane Mitch recovery activities in Nicaragua, Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador. He also managed project activities for Hurricane Georges in the Dominican Republic. NRCS helped bridge the complex working relationships between the national governments, the U.S. Agency for International Development, non-governmental organizations, and private sector partners. Since the project began, the agency has completed 108 short-term assignments in Central America.
Your contact is Manuel Ayala, Jr., NRCS soil conservationist, at 202-720-1883..
Rehabilitation of Aging Watershed Dams Training Available -
The training, Rehabilitation of Aging Watershed Dams, which was distributed earlier this year for the use of sponsors, NRCS field employees, community leaders, and State Dam Safety officials, is now available on CD and will soon be distributed to NRCS State offices. Janie Wade, with the NRCS National Employee Development Staff, spearheaded the effort, with support from the development team that included members of the National Design, Construction, and Soil Mechanics Center; the National Water Management Center; and Mark McCurdy, Project Engineer, from Iowa. The CD includes background on legislation authorizing rehabilitation of watershed dams, typical problems and solutions associated with aging dams, and steps in the planning processes required for these projects. Contact your NRCS state conservationist to obtain a copy of the CD.
Your contact is Larry Caldwell, NRCS National Policy Coordinator for Aging Watershed Infrastructure, at 405-742-1254.
Your contact is Mitch Flanagan, NRCS range conservationist, at 202-690-5988.
TECH TIP(s)
PLANTS Adding More Features -
Additional sources of plant information requested by the field have been developed for the PLANTS website at http://plants.usda.gov. Links to sites with information on bioremediation, poisonous plants, trees, fire resistant landscaping, State and National floras, native plant gardening, grasses, aquatic plants, xeriscaping, rare plants, invasive plants by State, weed control, beneficial insects, and many others can be accessed by clicking on "links" on the PLANTS website or by going directly to http://plants.usda.gov/links.html. Please let us know if there are other topics that would be useful in helping to provide technical assistance.
Your contact is Scott Peterson, Director, NRCS National Plant Data Center, at 225-775-6280.
Fast Growing Trees for Waste Treatment - Nutrient run-off from the many large dairies in southern Idaho has created water quality and odor concerns. In response, the National Agroforestry Center (NAC) has embarked upon a cooperative project with NRCS, the North Side Soil and Water Conservation District, and landowners to employ a relatively new technology - using fast-growing trees for dairy waste treatment. The NAC has initiated a joint venture near Jerome, Idaho, to apply dairy wastewater to hybrid poplar trees planted adjacent to the dairy lagoon. The primary objective of the project is to help determine the nutrient uptake rates for hybrid poplar in a nutrient and water rich environment. Existing research has focused primarily on the nutrient uptake and total nutrients captured in biomass under natural or standard poplar plantation management. It is hoped that by using the fast-growing poplars under high evapotranspiration rates, the trees can uptake significantly more nutrients and water.
Your contact is Gary Kuhn, NRCS agroforester, at 509-358-7946.
SITES2000 Revisited - The URL appearing in the November 30 edition of the NRCS This Week article titled "Flood Control Program Released" contained an incorrect URL for downloading software and support materials. The correct URL is http://www.wcc.nrcs.usda.gov/water/quality/hydro/.
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 Oren Lyons). 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.
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