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| Friday, December 3, 1999 Washington, DC. |
EWP Aids Livestock Disposal; Bear Creek Structures Hold - Nearly 70 percent of animals killed by Hurricane Floyd in North Carolina have been disposed of through technical and financial assistance through the NRCS' Emergency Watershed Protection (EWP) Program. NRCS acted quickly to develop procedures that empowered field and State offices to see to disposal, and worked closely with the State veterinarian and the USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. The remains of nearly 2 million animals were disposed of through the program. Farmers could bury, compost, or haul their dead animals to incinerators or rendering plants and receive funding through EWP.
NRCS is completing stream assessments and targeting streams that need debris removed or repairs to stream banks. There will be considerable Emergency Conservation Program (ECP) work as a result of the storm. A number of ponds and animal waste lagoons were damaged and will likely be repaired under ECP.
The Bear Creek Watershed received 32 inches of rain in September. Two storms, including Hurricane Dennis, were 100-year events; Hurricane Floyd was a 500-year event. All spillways for the seven structures in the Bear Creek watershed received some damage. Though some of the structures had dams overtopped, all provided flood protection. Your contact is Andrew Smith, State Public Affairs Specialist, on (919) 873-2107.
Rivers Heritage Leaders Convene; Reps State Support - Fifty community partners and river navigators representing the 14 designated American Heritage Rivers met in Hartford, Connecticut, to build a stronger national partnership for rivers and communities across America. Participants came from the public and private sectors, and included Congressional representatives, and personnel from Federal agencies, national nonprofit groups, and foundations. Discussed were ways to support the American Heritage Rivers Initiative (AHRI), make local river conservation and development efforts successful, and aid communities and non-profits. Connecticut Representatives John Larson and Sam Gejdenson addressed the gathering; Representatives Joe Lieberman and Christopher Dodd sent videotaped messages stating their commitment to AHRI. Hudson River Navigator J. Eric Scherer participated. NRCS Connecticut assisted personnel with facilitation and audio-visual services. For more information on the event and the American Heritage Rivers Initiative, contact the Connecticut River Watershed Council at (413) 529-9500 or crwc@crocker.com
Native Plants Summit Tackles Growing Concerns - Nearly 150 persons took in an exciting array of ideas and issues from the fifth annual Native Plant Summit held in Bismarck, North Dakota. Attendees interacted on issues such as controlling invasive plants, managing for biodiversity, establishing and measuring biodiversity, meeting native plant production needs, and recognizing agricultural and ecological perspectives related to plant selection and establishment. Speakers came from the public and private sectors of the U.S. and Canada. Sponsors included NRCS North Dakota, the Northern Great Plains Plant Committee, Ducks Unlimited Canada, the Northern Great Plains Section of the Society of Range Management, and the North Dakota Chapter of the Wildlife Society. The Bismarck Plant Materials Center and its partners organized 31 speakers to address native plant biodiversity. Abstracts are available and a Web site has been established by the Northern Great Plains Native Plant Committee at http://www.nativeplantsummit.org
WHAT'S UP IN WASHINGTON, D.C.
Agency Provides Comments on Continous CRP to FSA - NRCS has reviewed a draft of the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) Proposed Rule pertaining to the Continuous CRP, and has provided comments to the Farm Service Agency (FSA). Under the proposed rule, the land eligibility criteria for Continuous CRP would be changed to allow orchards, vineyards, etc. to be enrolled in conjunction with a filter strip or riparian buffer. In addition, FSA would be allowed to obtain CRP technical assistance from sources other than NRCS and the Forest Service. Your contact is Roger Rayburn, Soil Conservationist, Conservation Operations Division, on (202) 720-5742.
Planning Handbook Update - The National Planning Procedures Handbook (NPPH) has been updated to correspond with the agency's July 1999 conservation planning policy. When printed and distributed, the handbook will replace the April 1998 version in its entirety. Work is also underway to make the NPPH accessible on the Internet. Your contact is Roger Rayburn, Soil Conservationist, Conservation Operations Division, on (202) 720-5742.
SSD Director to Talk Surveys on North Carolina Public TV - Horace Smith, Director, Soil Survey Division, NRCS, Washington, D.C., recently participated with representatives from North Carolina State University in a presentation on the Soil Survey Centennial that concentrated on the history, current status, and future of the Soil Survey. The importance of soil surveys in conservation and environmental planning and decision making was also emphasized. The first segment of this presentation will be aired on University of North Carolina Public TV on December 7 at 8 p.m. Your contact is Horace Smith on (202) 720-7848.
TECH TIP
Plants Web Site: New Look, More Functional - Point your browser to the NRCS PLANTS Web site plants.usda.gov for current plant information to assist your field efforts. PLANTS has a new look and added functionality. You can obtain updated Plant Materials Fact Sheets on species for practices such as buffers and forage production. Detailed Plant Guides are available on species that are culturally significant to Native American clients. Are you interested in a source for further information on noxious and invasive plant species? PLANTS provides State lists and links to other Web sites containing detailed identification and control information. PLANTS also has plant characteristics information on-line for 2,000 conservation plants that can provide valuable data about a species you might be considering for a practice installation. Give PLANTS a try. If you have an idea about improving PLANTS, send it to the National Plant Data Center via email through the PLANTS Home Page. Your contact is J. Scott Peterson, NRCS National Plant Data Center, Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70874-4490. His e-mail address is speterson@npdc.usda.gov
For more excellent NRCS Web sites, read on!
NRCSITES.GOV
Core4 Tech Training Guide Now on Web - The CORE4 Technical Training Guide is now up on the Agronomy Home Page. It can be accessed on http://www.nhq.nrcs.usda.gov/BCS/agro/agronomy.html The Guide enhances the technical knowledge of NRCS personnel and their colleagues in the public and private sectors and assists them in helping landowners effectively use conservation tillage, nutrient management, pest management, and conservation buffers. These key practices significantly reduce nonpoint sources of pollution from cropland as well as provide opportunities for many other conservation benefits when applied as a system. To read the guide, users will need to use Adobe Acrobat Reader. The Guide is hyperlinked to the index, so you can double click on any item in the index and go directly to that location. When the document appears on the screen, it can be enlarged by clicking on the magnifying icon.
NRCS is also in the process of duplicating CD-ROM versions of the CORE4 Training Guide and printing a limited supply of the Guide for distribution to States. For additional information, contact Arnold King on (817) 509-3213; voice mail, 9043-3213; or by email at aking@ftw.nrcs.usda.gov
Get the Latest on Conservation Practice Standards - NRCS recently established a Web site for National Conservation Practice Standards (NCPS). At http://www.ftw.nrcs.usda.gov/practice_stds.html, you'll find: a location for information on the National Handbook of Conservation Practices (NHCP); State Conservation Practice Standards for States that have their standards on the Web; access to national standards that are being revised prior to their posting in the Federal Register; and the site where revised national standards are displayed for Federal Register advertisement requesting public comment. The NHCP link has all national standards, as well as Conservation Practice Physical Effects, a Picture/Information selections column, and a worksheet. For additional information, contact William Kuenstler (817) 509-3363 or William Hughey (202) 720-5023.
Besides Football, What's Happening in Nebraska? - NRCS Nebraska's Web site now has a PowerPoint presentation that features agency activities throughout the State. There is a brief highlight for each of the State's 23 districts and the 9 RC&D areas. Take a few minutes to surf the site at http://www.ne.nrcs.usda.gov/schickstory/Webstory/index.html Your contact is Pat McGrane, State Public Affairs Specialist, on (402) 437-5328.
HONORS AND ACCOLADES
"Doc" Redmond Receives NCSS Award - Charles E. (Doc) Redmond is the 1999 recipient of the National Cooperative Soil Survey (NCSS) Soil Survey Soil Scientist Achievement Award. This annual award was initiated by the NCSS during the centennial year of the Soil Survey and is the highest award presented to a soil scientist involved in the production phase of the Soil Survey Program. Dr. Redmond was honored for his many years of dedicated, innovative leadership. He is currently serves as a resource soil scientist with NRCS, headquartered in Mt. Vernon, Ohio. Dr. Redmond received the award at the Soil Science Society of America Annual Meeting held in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Eswaran Wins Soils Audio-Visual Award - Dr. Hari Eswaran, National Leader for World Soil Resources, Soil Survey Division, NRCS, Washington, D.C., received a special award at the American Society of Agronomy's Educational Materials Awards Program. Dr. Eswaran's entry was a slide set titled: "Vertisols: Their Properties, Classification, Distribution, and Management." The award was presented at the recent American Society of Agronomy Annual Meeting held in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Poor land makes poor people
-- Pare Lorentz, American filmmaker, poet
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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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