Vice President Celebrates Connecticut River, Announces Grant - July 22, Vice President Gore joined in a celebration of the Connecticut River's designation as an American Heritage River, and announced an $800,000 grant. Adding sensation to the celebration was the announcement of a Memorandum of Agreement (MOU), signed by more than 40 partners including personnel from NRCS and the governors of Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Vermont, that endorses a 29-point action plan for initiatives along the river. The partnership has been hailed as a model for the rest of the country.

Pac Rim Forum Showcases Sustainability - Deputy Secretary Richard Rominger was the keynote speaker for the Pacific Rim Sustainable Resources Forum held in Seattle, Washington, on July 15-17. Sponsored by the Pacific Rim Regional Resource Conservation and Development (RC&D) Association, the forum promoted economic and environmental sustainability of farming, forestry, and fisheries. Showcased were best processes for sustainable product development and marketing. The forum featured personal marketing assistance, technical assistance workshops, and discussions and recommendations on national policy for sustainability. Participants had the opportunity to sell their products at Pike Place Market, the Nation's oldest farmers' market. Seed money for the conference came from a RC&D challenge grant from the NRCS West Region.

South Carolina Buffer Effort Goes for the Goal - NRCS South Carolina reports that it is steadily adding to the national conservation buffer goal of 2 million miles by 2002. South Carolina leads the southeast, per land acre, with 25,000 acres in conservation buffers - nearly 16,000 miles. Approximately 13,000 acres are in riparian forest buffers and filter strips. In addition, approximately 5,000 acres of eroding cropland have been treated using contour buffer strips. The State's new cost-share program will encourage conservation buffer installation through conservation districts as well as other projects, such as POWER for Wildlife, which promotes creating conservation buffers under utility rights-of-way. Minority landowners in the State are also reaping benefits, having installed nearly 1,800 acres of buffers.

Cyclists See Conservation in Action - More than 500 people visited a conservation rest stop in Hancock County during the Des Moines Register's annual bike ride across Iowa. The stop, one of four during the 7-day ride, was sponsored by the local soil and water conservation district and Farm Bureau office. Sponsors handed out nearly 300 pounds of bananas, hundreds of gallons of water, and many lessons about conservation farming. Through a series of road signs, the riders were invited to look at the natural resources, listen to wildlife, and take a break at the farmsteads of four conservation farmers. NRCS Iowa, soil and water conservation districts, and the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship supported the effort.

Education, Burns To Rekindle Productivity of Berry Areas - NRCS Alaska and the Alaska Soil and Water Conservation District (ASWCD) conducted an Environmental Quality Incentives Program educational assistance project targeted at subsistence berry regeneration. Berry picking is a traditional and important food source for Alaska Natives. To keep the tradition - and the berries - alive, the ASWCD, in partnership with the Loudin Tribal Council of Galena, will conduct a controlled burn of two traditional berry-gathering areas that have been invaded by woody and scrubby plant species. The areas set for prescribed burns hold species of blueberries, cranberries, and crowberries. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will execute the burn. The Galena Charter School, which serves Alaska Native students from interior villages, will conduct the educational component of the berry regeneration project.

RC&D Produces Sammy Soil Interactive CD-ROM - Tennessee's Chickasaw-Shiloh Resource Conservation and Development (RC&D) Council has produced an interactive soil conservation-themed CD-ROM based on the character Sammy Soil. The target audience is kids in grades K through 2. The goal of the CD is to educate them about of the importance of soil conservation. The disc was developed with help from teachers and meets the standards of the Tennessee Comprehensive Curriculum Guide. Distribution will begin in the 1999-2000 school year. For additional information, contact Chris Moyers, RC&D Coordinator, at 901/668-0700, Ext. 103.

WHAT'S UP IN WASHINGTON, D.C.

PA Ag Secretary Tells Senate about Benefits of FPP - The Secretary of Pennsylvania's Department of Agriculture testified before the Senate Agriculture Committee on reauthorization of the Farmland Protection Program. Secretary Samuel Hayes spoke about how important the program is to preserving farmland that is threatened by urban sprawl and how it is improving environmental quality and soil health.

Tech Assistance Final Rule to Appear in August 3 Register - The NRCS Technical Assistance final rule will be published in the Federal Register on August 3. This rule sets forth the policies and procedures for the use of State Technical Committees by USDA, the membership criteria, and the responsibilities assigned to these committees. It also outlines NRCS' technical assistance roles and responsibilities. It replaces the Technical Assistance proposed rule, which was published on December 4, 1997. Current copies of the rule may be obtained by accessing the NRCS homepage and clicking on 1996 Farm Bill provisions. For more information, please contact Denise C. Coleman at: (202) 720-9476.

Civil Rights FYI. . . Here, from NRCS Civil Rights, are an address and telephone number to add to your Rolodex or Day Timer. Please note that you can contact NRCS' Civil Rights at: 5601 Sunnyside Avenue, Beltsville, Maryland, 20705, Mail Stop 5472, or by calling (301) 504-2181. In future editions of "NRCS This Week," that information will share space with the Department's Equal Opportunity Statement.

Tech Tip from the NRCS Science and Technology Deputy Area

Dane County, Wisconsin, is the focus of a multi-agency partnership to develop innovative uses of technology for county-based land use planning. Working with a strong county-led planning effort, the project will provide professional planning services to the county's citizens by using Geographic Information Systems, web-based analysis tools, and geographic visualization. NRCS Wisconsin is providing expertise in the application and interpretation of a variety of digital data sets, including soils. Primary partners are the Dane County Government, University of Wisconsin, Federal Geographic Data Committee, NRCS and ESRI. Further information on this and similar projects can be found at www.fgdc.gov/nsdi/docs/cdp.html

See the Site. . .

Asian Pacific Islander Organization Now on Web - The Asian Pacific Islander (API) Organization, the newest NRCS employee organization, recently unveiled its new web site. Featured is information about API issues and concerns. The web site can be found - and bookmarked - at: www.nv.nrcs.usda.gov/apio

SPECIAL EVENTS

American Agricultural Economics Association Annual Meeting

Nashville, Tennessee

August 8-11, 1999

This year's theme is "Farm to Table: Connecting Products, Communities, and Customers." NRCS economists will make presentations. For information on the meeting, contact AAEA at www.aaea.org

 

Soil and Water Conservation Society Annual Conference

Biloxi, Mississippi

August 8-11, 1999

This year's theme is "Walk on the Wild Side." For more information, visit www.swcs.org

 

Blacks in Government 21st Annual Training Conference

New Orleans, Louisiana

August 16-20, 1999

 

Seventh Annual Nonpoint Source Monitoring Conference

Morro Bay, California

September 13-17, 1999

Information is available through a link on the Morro Bay National Estuary Programs web site at www.mbnep.org

 

National Conference on Reclamation

Roanoke, Virginia

September 16-18, 1999

This year's theme is "Building Successful Watershed Partnerships." For more information, please contact Byron

Thompson on (803) 253-3930 or at b.thompson@usda.gov

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