NRCS and USDA Honor Awards Presented - On June 11, the outstanding efforts of more than 100 NRCS employees were recognized during NRCS and USDA Honor Awards ceremonies in Washington, DC. Award categories and names of those receiving awards follow:

NRCS HONOR AWARDS

National Civil Rights Award

Group Winner: Marianna Field Office, Marianna, FL, for outstanding efforts in outreach to a group of Limited Resource Farmers that made a significant impact in Civil Rights and Program Delivery. Group Leader: Greg Nolin. Group Members: Glyen Holmes, Joseph Baxley, Forrest Dilmore, Scott Kuipers, Cindy Williams, Darrell Johnson, Charles Connerly.

Individual Winner: Bertha T. Venegas, Johnson City, TX, for developing an outreach program that has targeted females and minorities for interest in science and engineering and ensuring equal assistance to all landowners.

Chief's Workforce Diversity Award

Manager: William Hunt, MN, for exceptional efforts to increase work force diversity and foster sensitivity of multi-culturalism in the workplace while carrying out the Agency's mission.

Non-Manager: Holly Martien, LA, for her extraordinary efforts to ensure quality and diversity in recruitment and outreach within the AmeriCorps program.

USDA HONOR AWARDS

Emergency Response

Group Winner: Emergency Watershed Protection Team, Richmond, VA, for special action in protecting hundreds of Virginians from threats to life and property caused by three major floods within 15 months. Group Leader: M. Denise Doetzer. Group Members: R. Wade Biddix, James F. Blodgett, Jerry D. Hughston, Barry D. Skiles, Gregory W. Hounshell, Shannon D. Rodgers, C. Randy Sewell, Alica J. Ketchem, Eddie R. Smith, William H. Widner, Jr., Gerald L. Sole, Jr., Rachel E. Hollins, John D. Myers, Gregory H. Moser, Martha E. Powers, Charles E. Bear, Jr., John M. Cooke, Bennie N. Cubbage, Charles L. Cummings, Jr., Roger N. Canfield, Roger F. Flint, John J. Jeffries, L. Willis Miller, Michael L. Fisher.

Group Winner: Letcher County Emergency Watershed Protection Group, Bowling Green, KY, for dedication and sacrifice in an around-the clock effort to administer emergency watershed protection measures in Letcher County, KY, in May and June 1996. Group Leader: Donald L. Canary. Group Members: Mark P. Christians, Mike E. Donaldson, Joey B. Dykes, William M. Shanklin, Connie L. Sturgill, Clifford E. Willis, William G. Lacy. Whitesburg, KY, Conservation District Group Member: Ella Sparks.

Environmental Protection

Team: Antonio L. Baeza/Gary L. Franke, Breckenridge/ Albany, TX, for continued and dedicated work using innovative educational approaches to develop high school students in the "Bobwhite Brigade."

Group Winner: Farm Bill Implementation Group for providing leadership in successfully implementing the conservation provisions of the 1996 Farm Bill, achieving more effective and flexible scientific conservation programs. Group Leader: Thomas A. Weber. Group Members: Carl E. Bouchard, Craig Cox, Richard L. Duesterhaus, Helen R. Flach, Malcolm Henning, Fen C. Hunt, Bruce A. Julian, Warren Lee, Jeffrey R. Loser, Gary Margheim, Jeanne M. Melanson, Robert J. Misso, Ronnie D. Murphy, Gary R. Nordstrom, Sandra N. Penn, Willie L. Ruffin, John M. Safley, Danny D. Sells, Daniel A. Smith, John H. Stierna, Dennis Thompson, Lloyd E. Wright. OGC Members: Martha Joseph, Stuart L. Shelton.

Equal Opportunity

Group Winner: "Working Effectively with American Indians," Teaching Cadre or Harmony Cadre for educating Federal and state government employees about American Indian culture and improving USDA program delivery to American Indians. Group Leader: Richard N. Vigil. Group Members: Alan C. Epps, Roylene Rides At the Door-Waln, Marcelene Arrowchis, Jerry Gilmore, Gerald A. Lunak, Henry B. Old Horn, Sr., Gina D. Kerzman, Gerald B. Rouse, Levi D. Montoya, Timothy W. Oakes, Allen Bucktooth.

Heroism

Team: Ronald C. Harben/Beverly Harben, Hawaii, for heroism and bravery in rescuing a victim from a traffic accident.

Personal And Professional Excellence

Individual Winner: Denise M. Decker, East Region, for outstanding achievement and personal and professional excellence in improving customer service and quality management in NRCS programs and activities.

Individual Winner: James K. Walls, Aberdeen, WA, for outstanding leadership, coordination, and partnership while implementing natural resource projects in the Columbia-Pacific Resource Conservation and Development Community.

Reinventing Government

Group Winner: Administrative Management Reengineering Team, Washington, DC, for outstanding effort in reengineering NRCS administrative management to eliminate paperwork, streamline processes, save money, and provide better and faster customer services. Group Leader: Patricia J. Brown. Group Members: Owen C. Unangst, Nathiel M. Deutsch, Hans E. Heidenreich, Sandra R. Smiley, Patricia D. Cecil, William G. Walker, Jr., Neil F. Sheldon, James H. Lowe, Carmen A. Diaz-LeMon, Sharyn C. Alvarez

Individual Winner: Michael J. Hansen, Bozeman, MT, for development of a new, streamlined soil survey publication process, readily adopted by 23 states to save production time and costs.

NRCS Employees Receiving USDA Honor Awards as Part of an Interagency Group - Purchase Card Implementation Team: Robert Williams. Conservation Reserve Program Team: Malcolm Henning. Marlboro Conservation Core Group: David Arthur, Danny Driggers, Barb Teresa. Farm Bill Assistance Team: David Mason, Doug Knox.

NRCS Received Hammer Award for Guidance on Mitigation Banks - On June 10, NRCS received a Vice Presidential Hammer Award for its efforts in the development of the Federal Guidance for the Establishment, Use, and Operation of Mitigation Banks. The document provides guidance on procedures that will clarify the utilization of mitigation banks to satisfy the wetland conservation provisions of the Food Security Act and Section 404 of the Clean Water Act.

NRCS Customer Service System Being Developed - The NRCS Customer Service Quality Improvement Team is developing customer service standards, a customer service measurement system, and customer service training to meet the requirements of the Government Performance Results Act of 1993, meet the goals of the National Performance Review, and fulfill the Agency's desire to improve customer service.

The team will present its final report at the agency business meeting scheduled for October in Washington, DC. The team's executive sponsor is Tom Weber, Deputy Chief for Management, and team leader is Pat Leavenworth, State Conservationist, Madison, WI. For more information contact Judy Smith, Management Analyst, Operations Management and Oversight Division, Washington, DC.

Nominations for the Terry Johnson Agroforestry Award Due July 1 - This is the first year that the Terry Johnson Agroforestry Award, established in honor of Terry Johnson, NRCS National Forester from 1985 until his death in 1994, will be presented. The award will recognize activities that contribute to the advancement of agroforestry science and/or the adoption of agroforestry practices. To be given at the Semi-Annual Agroforestry Conference in Ithaca, NY, August 3-6, the Terry Johnson Award will go to a professional, landowner, or individual who has achieved sustained quality, innovative applications, renowned research, outstanding technology transfer, exemplary education, or other notable actions in the field of agroforestry.

For more information about the award, eligibility, and criteria, fax your questions to 202-720-1814. Include your name, fax number, and phone number. Nominations for the award should include the individual's name, address, phone number, and a description of the individual's agroforestry accomplishments. Send nominations to: Keith Ticknor, National Forest Ecologist, NRCS-ECS, P.O. Box 2890, Washington, D.C. 20013-2890. Nominations are due July 1, 1997.

Channel Earth Segment on Earth Team Volunteers - On June 16, DIRECTV's Channel Earth show, "From the Grassroots," will air the third of six NRCS segments. The segment will feature Earth Team volunteers from the John Marshall Soil and Water Conservation District near Warrenton, VA; volunteers from Thurston County, WA; and an interview with NRCS Chief Paul Johnson. The April segment focused on conservation buffers and the CRP continuous sign-up; the May segment dealt with wetlands and wildlife habitat protection.

Each conservation segment airs at least three times on the third Monday of the month. "From the Grassroots" is shown from 5:30-6:00 a.m. (central time) and repeated at 11:30 a.m.-Noon and 4:30-5:00 p.m. (central time). Channel Earth, the first DIRECTV channel devoted exclusively to farmers, ranchers, and other rural residents, has more than 2 million subscribers nationwide.

Four-Part PBS Series Chronicling Water's Role in the American West to Premier this Summer - A new four-part documentary series on PBS, Cadillac Desert: Water and the Transformation of Nature, chronicles the role that water has played in shaping the American West. The series looks at Los Angeles and William Mulholland's search for water, the Colorado River and the regulation that has shaped it, the transformation of California's Central Valley into the most productive region in the world, and present-day water issues. The series is based on Marc Reisner's Cadillac Desert and Sandra Postel's Last Oasis. The series is a production of Trans Pacific Television and KTEH/San Jose Public Television. Check your local PBS listings.

IN THE FIELD

Utah Field Office Staff Named Cooperator of the Year - The Northern Utah Soil Conservation District honored the NRCS staff of the Tremonton field office in an unusual way this year. The District named the NRCS staff their 1997 District Cooperator of the Year. District Chairman Fred Selman said that choosing the NRCS staff was somewhat out of the ordinary, but because of the increased workload placed on the staff by the 1996 Farm Bill, "we felt they should be recognized for their overtime effort and their devotion."

Members of the NRCS Tremonton office are: Brian Miller, Verl Peterson, Brock Benson, Kehl Murray, and Randy Lewis.

Vermont State Conservationist Named NRCS Employee of the Year - Overriding Vermont State Conservationist John Titchner's long standing policy to exempt the State Conservationist from the running, the selection committee named Titchner Vermont's NRCS Employee of the Year. The committee cited Titchner's unfailing commitment to agriculture and the environment in Vermont, especially water quality initiatives, and his long standing record on equal employment opportunities as their reason for overriding the selection policy. Titchner was honored at a statewide Federal Executive Committee Awards Ceremony for his recognition from NRCS.

LEGISLATIVE NEWS

Emergency Supplemental Funding Signed by President - Late on June 12, Congress removed the provisions on the continuing resolution and other items which caused the bill to be vetoed and offered a clean supplemental appropriations bill, H.R. 1871, which then passed in the House 348-74 and in the Senate 78-21. The measure was signed by the President as soon as it was delivered to the White House Thursday night. Included in the emergency supplement appropriations are:

-Emergency Watershed Program (EWP) $166 million

-Emergency Conservation Program (ECP) $70 million

-Floodplain easements - to allow NRCS to fund up to $15 million

-Tree Assistance Program for Small Ochardists - $9 million

-Prohibits funding of Salmon Memorandum of Understanding

Conservation Reserve Program Hearing - On Wednesday, the Forestry, Resource Conservation, and Research Subcommittee of the House Agriculture Committee held a hearing on the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP). The hearing focused on the recent allocations announced by Secretary Glickman. USDA witnesses were Dallas Smith, Acting Under Secretary for Farm and Foreign Agricultural Services; Parks Shackleford, Asst. Director for Farm Programs, FSA; Tom Hebert, Deputy Under Secretary, Natural Resources and Environment; and Paul Johnson, Chief, NRCS. The hearing was well attended and most of the subcommittee members were present. NRCS and FSA received many compliments on their work during the recent CRP sign-up, including one from Chairman Combest, who said " I would like to thank USDA at all levels, from the Washington office to the county staff, for their hard work during the 15th sign-up."

HOUSE BRIEFING ON BUFFER INITIATIVE

Chief Johnson's presentation and discussion on the conservation buffer initiative was well received by congressional staff on June 13. The briefing included presentations by Parks Shackleford, Asst. Director for Farm Programs, FSA; Tom Van Arsdale, National Council of Farmer Cooperatives; Robbie Savage, Association of State and Interstate Water Pollution Control Agencies; and Steve Capel, Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries. The concept of utilizing buffers was positively received with the congressional staff encouraging success with the initiative. A briefing for Senate staff is being planned for the near future.

UPCOMING EVENTS

June 24-26 - National Agricultural Resource Management Planning Conference, Omni Royal Orleans, New Orleans, LA. Call Lyn Kirschner at 765-494-1827 or send e-mail to: kirschner@ctic.purdue.edu.

July 16-19 - Best Management Practices for Irrigated Agriculture and the Environment, Holiday Inn, Fargo, ND. For information call the U.S. Committee on Irrigation and Drainage at 303-628-5430 or send e-mail to stephens@uscid.org.

July 17-19 - Land Improvement Contractors of America Summer Meeting, Providence, RI. Contact Wayne F. Maresch at 301-248-9313 or e-mail to: Wayne F86@aol.com.

July 22-25 - The 52nd Soil and Water Conservation Society Annual Conference; Interactions, Managing Ecosystems on a Watershed Basis; Toronto, Canada. Contact: Jennifer Pemble, 800-843-7645. Conference information can also be found at: http://www.swcs.org/AnnCon.htm.

July 26-30 - Annual Meeting of the American Agricultural Economics Association, Toronto, Canada, immediately following the Soil & Water Conservation Society meeting. For more information, visit the web site http://www.aaea.org/M97Sess.html.

August 3-6 - Fifth Conference on Agroforestry in North America, "Exploring the Opportunities for Agroforestry in Changing Rural Landscapes," Ithaca, NY. Contact Cornell University Conference Services 607-255-6290 or visit the Association for Temperate Agroforestry Web site at: www.missouri.edu/~afta/afta_home.html.

August 10-14 - American Society of Agricultural Engineers National Meeting, Minneapolis, MN.

September 1-6 - The 9th World Water Congress, International Water Resources Association, Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Contact Aly M. Shady at 819-994-4098 or e-mail aly_shady@ACDI-CIDS.gc.ca.

November 2-4 - International Irrigation Exposition & Technical Conference, Nashville, TN. For conference information visit the Irrigation Association's Web site at <http://www.irrigation.org/ia/main.html>.

QUOTE

"A Sustainable society requires a sustainable environment. One depends upon the other."

--Geography of Hope

NRCS This Week is issued weekly by the Conservation Communications Staff, NRCS headquarters, Washington, D.C., and posted on the NRCS Home Page at http://www.nrcs.usda.gov. Please send correspondence and material via e-mail to: nancy.garlitz@usda.gov or mail to Editor, "NRCS This Week," NRCS, P.O. Box 2890, Washington, DC 20013 or FAX to Editor, "NRCS This Week," 202-690-1221.

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