News

Water Supply is Critical Issue in Alabama's Wiregrass Region - The water supply in the Wiregrass region of Alabama is becoming an increasingly serious problem due to the continuing drought in the southern part of the State. Recently, a group of about 75 citizens, politicians, and professionals met to discuss the area's water problem and to stimulate public interest in solutions to alleviate it. Many believe that the creation of a system of reservoirs to serve the entire Wiregrass region is the best solution to the problem. But, the dialogue is far from over and this meeting represents a first step in what may be a long, formidable, and expensive process to assure a water supply for southern Alabama. Your contact is Joan Smith, NRCS Public Affairs Specialist, at 334-887-4530 or joan.smith@al.usda.gov

Unmasking Urban Naturalists - NRCS is the proud sponsor of the "Mask Making Adventures in Creativity" project in Los Angeles, California. Through its Natural Resources Partnership for Youth Achievement Program (NRPYAP), NRCS provides opportunities for urban students from diverse cultural backgrounds to participate in natural resource education, experiences, and hopefully, careers. "Mask Making," a Los Angeles-based concept developed by artist Judy Leventhal, has science teachers guide students through a creative expression of their relationships to the environment by having them create masks as a personal statement on how they perceive their communities as integral parts of the earth's ecosystems.

Rich Campbell, NRPYAP program coordinator and NRCS District Conservationist in Lancaster, recently accompanied NRPYAP students to Washington D.C. where they displayed their masks. You can view the masks by visiting the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County website at http://www.nhm.org/masks/main.html. Your contact is Jolene Lau, NRCS Public Affairs Specialist, at (831) 754-1595 or jolene.lau@ca.usda.gov

NACD Forestry Committee Meets - The National Association of Conservation Districts Forestry Resources Committee met in Nebraska City, Nebraska, this week. During the meeting, the National Agroforestry Center conducted a tour of demonstration areas. A report on the forestry survey of all districts was presented to show where there is an increased need for forestry assistance around the country. Robert Molleur, Forestry Incentives Program (FIP) Manager, and Doug Williams, NRCS National Forester, presented a complete overview of the Expanded Forestry Incentives Program (EFIP) proposal. The proposal is a concept that will help bring financial, technical, and educational assistance to the Nation's nearly 10 million owners of almost 500 million acres of non-Federal forestlands. Through EFIP, NRCS and the Forest Service plan to increase awareness of assistance available from both agencies. Contact: Robert Molleur, FIP Manager, at (202) 720-6521 or robert.molleur@usda.gov

Scouting Erosion - Conservationists from Pennsylvania's NRCS Field Team Seven, the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission, and the Washington County Conservation District recently spent time at Camp Anawanna with about 80 cub scouts, boy scouts, and their leaders. The NRCS technical staff, along with State and local conservationists, introduced scouts to some of the causes of streambank erosion. The conservationists helped scouts create a simulated "storm" to demonstrate that erosion occurs more quickly on soils that do not have a vegetative cover. Your contact is Stacy Mitchell, NRCS Public Affairs Specialist, at (717) 237-2208 or smitchell@pa.nrcs.usda.gov

Ecology Camp Sparks Conservation Interest - This was the first year of the Conservation Adventures Ecology Camp, designed to encourage African-American males to consider environmental sciences as a career option. Sponsored by the Richland Conservation District and Richland County, South Carolina, the one-week, expense-free camp exposed the youth to hands-on activities to enhance their awareness of and experiences in the environment. The camp was lead by Johnny Robinson and John Galbary, Richland County's 1994 and current conservation teacher-of-the-year, respectively. NRCS Outreach Coordinator James Williams was among the participating guests, discussing opportunities available with NRCS. Your contact is Perdita Belk, NRCS Public Affairs Specialist, at 803-765-5402.

AWARDS & ACCOLADES

26 Honored with USDA Group Honor Award - At a recent celebration, 26 conservationists were honored for their efforts to "preserve and enhance" the environment and economic health of the Russian River Watershed in California. The Gold Ridge Resource Conservation District (RCD), Mendocino County RCD, Sotoyome RCD, NRCS in Ukiah, and NRCS in Petaluma were presented with awards from State Conservationist Jeff Vonk and Congressman Mike Thompson. Congresswoman Lynn Woolsey also participated in the celebration. Your contact is Jolene Lau, NRCS Public Affairs Specialist, at (831) 754-1595 or jolene.lau@ca.usda.gov

TECH TIP

Calibrate That Manure Spreader! - The question of how to calibrate manure spreaders was recently posed to the National Water Management Center (NNMC). Specialists explained that NRCS Agricultural Waste Management Handbook (Chapter 13 and appendix 13a) provides an excellent discussion on the subject. The appendix explains both the load-area and the weight-area calibration techniques. It also has worksheets for figuring spreader capacity, load-area calibration, weight-area calibration, and uniformity testing.

There are several websites that could be helpful:
http://agri.gov.ns.ca/pt/agron/manure/mancal.htm
http://www.bae.uga.edu/extension/pubs/c825-cd.html
http://hermes.ecn.purdue.edu/cgi/convertwq?7802

Calibrating the manure spreader is important, but it is only part of the process. The largest variable in waste management application may be the nutrient content of the manure. It is difficult to obtain a true representative sample from a large pile of manure. The assumption that the nutrient content is uniform throughout the manure pile is probably not valid anyway. With a large potential variable in nutrient content, the calibration of the manure spreader does not have to be very precise. A rough estimate of tons per acre applied for a given setting and speed is usually all you need.

A more complete description of procedures for calibrating manure spreaders is attached to the NWMC home page under Technical Documents at http://wmc.ar.nrcs.usda.gov/

Your contact is William Boyd at (501) 210-8917 or David Moffitt at (817) 509-3315.

WHAT'S UP IN WASHINGTON

Aging Watershed Bill Takes a Big Step in Congress - Before Congress adjourned for the summer, the House passed H.R. 728, the "Small Watershed Rehabilitation Amendments." The legislation provides authorized funding of $90 million for rehabilitation of aging watershed infrastructure. During floor debate, members from both sides of the aisle applauded the Small Watershed Program and the work of NRCS. Rep. Don Sherwood (PA) provided endorsement of the legislation from the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. He stated that the bill was about protecting lives and property. Rep. Charles Stenholm (TX) stated his support for the bill, and also expressed his interest in pursuing additional conservation data privacy protection at a future date. (Privacy language was not included in the House-passed bill). Rep. Doug Bereuter (NE) added support and complemented the work of the bill's lead sponsor, Frank Lucas (OK). The Senate companion bill, S. 1762, is awaiting floor action after Congress returns from recess on September 5.

White House Releases Report on Livable Communities - A report entitled "Building Livable Communities," prepared by the White House Task Force on Livable Communities, was recently released. The report consists of a policy narrative that describes growth-related challenges in urban, suburban, and rural communities; innovative solutions to these challenges; and the role of the Federal government in supporting local initiatives. In addition, the report outlines the Livable Communities Initiative, a comprehensive 30-point package of policies designed to support local efforts to revitalize existing communities, expand transportation choices, improve schools and increase public safety, protect farmland and open space, and generally encourage economic prosperity consistent with a high quality of life. You can either read the report online or request a copy at http://www.livablecommunities.gov. Your contact is Dave White, Director of Communications, White House Task Force on Livable Communities, at (202) 395-0815 OR david_white@ ceq.eop.gov

NRCS InFocus, Integrated Accountability System Website Released - The Strategic and Performance Planning Division's new NRCS InFocus website provides access to the agency's accountability related information from a single website. The new website brings together information collected from the agency's accountability data collections systems such as the Performance and Results Measurement System, the Time and Cost Accounting System, the National Workload Analysis, and Workforce Planning. Reports are organized to assist users with answering key questions regarding resource concerns, workload, staff goals, progress, and operations at all organizational levels. The URL for NRCS InFocus is http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/ias. Currently, access is available only to those using a PRMS login and password. If you do not have a PRMS login, contact your State, regional, or national PRMS coordinator. Your contact is Dan Lawson, Director, Strategic and Performance Planning Division, at (202) 690-0407 or dan.lawson@usda.gov

CONFERENCE & TRAINING CONNECTION

August 11, 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 fred.jacobs@usda.gov

Agroforestry/Forestry

Air Quality

Alternative Agriculture

Animal Residuals Management

Bioengineering
Carbon Sequestration

Dam Safety

Environmental Education

Farmland Preservation

Grazing Land & Grassland

Mining & the Environment

Partnerships

Resource Conservation & Development

Rivers

Water Quality

Watersheds

Wetlands

Agroforestry/Forestry

Fragmentation 2000-A Conference on Sustaining Private Forests in the 21st Century

September 17-20

Annapolis, Maryland

An examination of the forces that are fragmenting American working lands and forests. Contact: Lester DeCoster on (703) 860-2513, and at lesdecoster@worldnet.att.net To submit papers, contact: Terri Bates at 3325 Rose Lane, Falls Church, Virginia 22042. Her telephone number: (703) 538-1134, and at Bates-Stasny@erols.com To get updates, articles, and registration material (coming soon), click on http://www.sampsongroup.com/FragCon/frag_conf.htm

International Poplar Commission 2000 Conference

Sept. 24-30

Portland, Oregon

Will include scientists and practitioners from more than 32 countries. The theme: "Poplar and Willow Culture: Meeting the Needs of Society and the Environment." Papers will be presented in working group sessions, including Poplar and Willow Breeding, Diseases, Insects and Other Animal Pests, Production and Environmental Systems, and Logging and Utilization. The Web site is http://www.ncfes.umn.edu/IPC2000/

Forest Utilization Conference

May 1-3, 2001

Wagoner OK

The Ouachita Mountains Resource Conservation and Development, Inc. will sponsor its 6th annual Forest Utilization Conference and Equipment Exposition at the Western Hills Guest Resort in Sequoyah State Park on the shores of Lake Fort Gibson. For information, contact Gary Garman, Coordinator for Ouachita Mountains RC&D Council, at (918)-423-2479, fax 918-423-0793, email omrcandd@icok.net or visit the web site http://www.icok.net/~omrcandd