NRCS This Week - 04/07/00

News

Friday, April 7, 2000 Washington, DC.

"The biggest public health problems I think in India and many other countries throughout the world are based on the fact that there's not enough clean water and too much of the soil is washing away or blowing away in the wind." President Clinton, Jaipur, India

SPECIAL NOTICE: Next week is National Volunteer Week!

Focus on the Field

North Dakota: Soil Primer Earns High Marks

Louisiana: State's First American Indian Youth Camp Held

Oklahoma: Choctaw Nation Gets First Conservation Plan, Approved for Grant

Pennsylvania: Flyash Cuts Paving Costs for Heavy-Use Areas, Says Study

Ohio: RC&D Identifies 3K Limited Resource Farmers

Tech Tip

Restoring Plants Important to Indigenous People

Awards & Accolades

Buffers Group Honored for Innovations for Wildlife

Connecticut: Trout Unlimited Pres Congratulates NRCS, Partners on Norwalk Plan

What's Up on the Web

Farm Policy Hearings Info On-line

NRCS Legislative Summaries

Secretary's News Release on Using GIS to Increase Donations to Farmer's Markets

The April issue of NACD's District Leader

FOCUS ON THE FIELD

Soil Primer Earns High Marks in North Dakota - Soil scientists from NRCS North Dakota report that producers and crop consultants are saying good words about the agency's recently released "Soil Biology Primer." North Dakota State University professors have requested copies of the primer for use in soil microbiology courses. Seed company representatives are using illustrations from the primer in their presentations. A seed dealer informed NRCS that his company is willing to pay for the printing cost of 5,000 copies of the primer. One producer said, "This is one of the best publications NRCS has produced in a long time." Your contact is Arlene Deutscher, State Public Affairs Specialist, on (701) 530-2099.

Louisiana's First American Indian Youth Camp Held - The Louisiana Indian Education Advocacy Committee and the Governor's Office of Indian Affairs conducted the State's first-ever American Indian Youth Camp. Approximately 40 American Indian young adults from various tribes learned about heritage, leadership, crafts, dance, and opportunities for higher education from tribal members and elders. NRCS personnel took the opportunity to talk to the group about USDA, NRCS and other agencies, natural resource conservation, Earth Team, and possible employment with USDA. The Louisiana Indian Education Advocacy Committee's mission is to support the Office of Indian Affairs with establishing guidelines to support traditional Native cultures and values, enable Native learners to be contributing members of their communities, and improve educational opportunities and resources for American Indians. Your contact is Herb Bourque, State Public Affairs Specialist, on (318) 473-7762.

Choctaw Nation Gets First Conservation Plan, Approved for Grant - The first conservation plan for the Choctaw Nation was written and approved for property located in McCurtain County, Oklahoma. The Little River Conservation District approved the plan, written by Tribal Resource Conservationist Ann Colyer. The plan consists of 3,082 acres. The cropland is leased to an individual. Bermuda grass and alfalfa are grown for the cattle operation. The Choctaw Nation was also recently approved for a grant through the Oklahoma Grazing Lands Conservation Association. Through the grant, three varieties of bermuda grass will be grown. This will be a 2-year demonstration project. Your contact is Ann on (580) 924 8280 x5134.

Flyash Cuts Paving Costs for Heavy-Use Areas, Says PA Study - Studies by NRCS Pennsylvania and its partners shows that applying flyash is an effective and low-cost way to protect heavy-use areas on farms. NRCS, USDA's Agricultural Research Service (ARS), and Pennsylvania State University are seeing impressive results in trials on cooperators' farms and are determining which additives help flyash work best in barnyards, access lanes, and manure stacking pads. When it comes to cost, the price is definitely right. Local power plants provide the flyash free of charge because it saves them from having to dispose of it. If there are hauling charges, they are usually less than the cost of paving with gravel or concrete. Research done by NRCS and ARS in Ohio was used in the Pennsylvania study. For more information, contact Alan Wood, State Project Engineer, at awood@pa.nrcs.usda.gov

Ohio RC&D Identifies 3K Limited Resource Farmers - More than 3,000 limited resource farmers identified by Southeast Ohio's Buckeye Hills RC&D will be contacted and surveyed to increase awareness of conservation programs and practices. Incentives will be offered for applying conservation practices. This outreach focused on 10 townships that have significant populations of Appalachians, African Americans, American Indians, and Hispanics. Farmers will be asked for their input regarding programs and practices, acquainted with pasture land and forestry practices, and offered follow-up technical assistance. Your contact is Latawnya Dia, State Public Affairs Specialist, on (614) 255-2471.

TECH TIP

Restoring Plants Important to Indigenous People - By Scott Peterson, National Plant Data Center

Gathering plants from the land and using them to weave baskets, make meals, heal ailments, and carve utensils is known as ethnobotany. Throughout the U.S. today, indigenous people still harvest native plants that play a very important part in maintaining cultural identity. Information about the uses, propagation, establishment, and management of these native plants is available through a series of cultural Plant Guides available through the PLANTS Web site http://plants.usda.gov/ The Plant Guides also provide information on propagation and management of these native species that are important for ecological restoration projects.

The National Plant Data Center (NPDC) would like to assist each NRCS region in developing plant guides for your area that would be available electronically. Please let your State PLANTS Coordinator know if there are key species not on the PLANTS Web site for which you would like Plant Guides completed to aid you in providing assistance to clients. They will forward that information on to the NPDC. For more information, contact Scott at speterson@npdc.usda.gov

AWARDS & ACCOLADES

Buffers Group Honored for Innovations for Wildlife - The Buffers for Wildlife Group, which teamed personnel from NRCS, State agencies, and University of Illinois Extension, received the Wildlife Management Institute's Touchstone Award at the recent held 65th North American Wildlife and Natural Resources Conference. The group developed and implemented wildlife friendly job sheets that assist field personnel with producing farmland conservation plans and programs for enhancing wildlife. Sharing the award are:

From NRCS: Hank Henry (Watershed Science Institute), and Charlie Rewa, Ed Hackett, Kathy Staley, Wendell Gilgert, and Bill Hohman (Wildlife Habitat Management Institute).

From the States and Extension: Virgil Kopf (Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries), Edith Thompson (Maryland Department of Natural Resources-Wildlife and Heritage Division), Steve Hall (Texas Parks and Wildlife Department), Allan Clark (Utah Division of Wildlife Resources), Dick Warner (University of Illinois Extension), and Pat Kuck (South Dakota Department of Environment and Natural Resources).

Chief Pearlie S. Reed congratulated the group and gave special acknowledgement to Hank Henry who was the overall coordinator of the project. Hank accepted the award on behalf of the group. WMI President Rollin D. Sparrowe presented the award. Your contact is Richard E. McCabe, Vice President, Wildlife Management Institute on (202) 371-1808, ext. 24.

Trout Unlimited Pres Congratulates NRCS, Partners on Norwalk Plan - NRCS and its partners received special recognition when Charles Gauvin, National President and CEO of Trout Unlimited, visited the Norwalk River Watershed. Gauvin recently toured sites where the local Trout Unlimited Chapter, NRCS, and the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection are working together to improve fisheries habitat and water quality. He congratulated the partners on the Norwalk River Watershed Action Plan and said that the partners' plan serves as a model for protection of natural resources. The plan focuses on water quality, flood protection, habitat restoration, land use changes, and long-term stewardship of the watershed. For more information about this initiative, contact Walter Smith, Water Quality Coordinator, on (860) 487-4040. For more information on the fisheries habitat improvement work, contact Todd Bobowick, Resource Conservationist, on (860) 626-8258.

CONFERENCE & TRAINING CONNECTION

April 7, 2000

As a service to NRCS personnel and the agency's partners, "NRCS This Week" offers the following by-subject list of conferences and training sessions. To add an event, please send an e-mail message to brad.fisher@usda.gov

Agricultural Engineering

UPDATE! Agroforestry/Forestry

NEW!Alternative Agriculture

Buffers

Carbon Sequestration

Core 4

Economics

Employee Organizations

Environmental Education

UPDATE! Ethics

Executive Women in Government

Farming & Ranching

Flood Control

Grazing Land & Grassland

Land Use

NEW! Mining & the Environment

Partnerships

Resource Conservation & Development

Rivers

UPDATE! Science & Natural Resources

Water Quality

Watersheds

Wetlands

Agricultural Engineering

American Society of Agricultural Engineers 2000 Annual International Meeting

July 9-12

Milwaukee, Wisconsin

The theme for this year's meeting is "Engineering Solutions for a New Century." Interact with engineering professionals worldwide; share your ideas, techniques, and research with your peers; and promote the profession of agriculture, food, and engineering. For additional information, contact ASAE at http://www.asae.org, or William Hughey at (202)-720-5023 and william.hughey@usda.gov