Administrative Convergence Action Teams Formed - In a recent memo, Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman announced the administrative convergence of the three county-based agencies to be located at USDA Service Centers: NRCS, the Farm Service Agency, and Rural Development. There will be one administrative structure for the three agencies for administrative support, information technology, and civil rights. Pearlie Reed, Acting Assistant Secretary for Administration, and Anne Thomson Reed, Acting Chief Information Officer, will serve as the co-leaders of the convergence project. Seven teams called Administrative Convergence Action Teams (ACAT) have been formed and team members selected. Teams began meeting in the Washington metropolitan area this week. Anne Reed, Pearlie Reed, and the seven ACAT leaders will make up the Core ACAT which will provide oversight for the project.

NRCS Internet Homepage Gets New Look - The NRCS homepage has undergone the first phase of a redesign to make agency information more accessible to wider audiences. The single homepage photo has been replaced with clickable images that link to featured sections. Currently, the Geography of Hope, historic speeches by agency founder Hugh Hammond Bennett, and Farm Bill Conservation Provisions are featured. The NRCS homepage will continue to evolve over the coming months.

Frequent users will want to change their bookmarks to go directly to the page. Delete the old NRCS bookmark and point your browser to <http://www.nrcs.usda.gov>, then create a new bookmark.

RC&D Policy Advisory Board Meets - On August 14, the USDA RC&D Policy Advisory Board met to explore opportunities for agencies to support the activities of the RC&D program and, in turn, for the RC&D program to help agencies achieve their goals and objectives. Tom Hebert, Deputy Under Secretary, Natural Resources & Environment; chairs the RC&D Policy Advisory Board, which includes NRCS Chief Paul Johnson and top leaders of Rural Development; the Agricultural Research Service; the Cooperative State Research Education and Extension Service; the Office of Sustainable Development; the Farm Service Agency; the Forest Service; and the Economic Research Service.

The meeting included discussion of the roles and responsibilities of the RC&D Policy Advisory Board and the RC&D Working Group. Interest was expressed in the RC&D Policy Advisory Board providing guidance, leadership, and direction for several USDA rural and community development activities including the Rural Economic Development Action Team (REDAT), USDA Sustainable Development Council, the Empowerment Zones/Enterprise Communities initiative, and others. The advisory board will meet again in about 6 weeks.

NRCS Chief Addresses Public Affairs Specialists/Earth Team Coordinators Conference - On August 21, NRCS Chief Paul Johnson addressed a joint conference of public affairs specialists and Earth Team coordinators in Minneapolis, MN. Johnson said he was pleased with the increase in Earth Team volunteers and the information and outreach efforts of public affairs staffs. He emphasized the need for everyone in NRCS to help spread the word about the good work NRCS does.

Risk Management Forum Announced - On August 11, Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman announced a Risk Management Education Forum to be held in Kansas City, MO, September 16 and 17. The purpose of the forum is to begin a comprehensive educational program that assists producers and agribusinesses in understanding their increased risk exposure and responsibility in the current economic environment; in using risk management tools and strategies; and integrating these strategies in decision making that enables them to meet business, personal, and community goals.

A steering committee composed of USDA's Risk Management Agency; Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service; and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission organized the forum and will evaluate plans to engage a nationwide network of organizations to reach producers and their advisors. The forum, which is expected to draw between 500 to 700 invited participants, will bring together members of Congress; educators; and representatives from the farm, commodity, grain trade, futures, insurance, and banking industries in support of the initiative.

The forum will be held at the Westin Crown Center, One Pershing Road, Kansas City, MO 64108. For registration information, call Isabelle Howes at 202-401-9138 or 202-401-9421.

IN THE FIELD

Northeast Delta RC&D Area Awarded Grant - The Northeast Delta Resource Conservation and Development Area was awarded a $98,000 grant to restore and enhance wetlands on private agricultural lands in the Tensas River Basin in northeast Louisiana. The project has two phases. In phase one, landowners will be provided hardwood seedlings to restore 400 acres of riparian and farmed wetlands back to forested wetlands. In phase two,10 water and sediment control structures will be installed. An advisory group will be formed to design, implement, and monitor the program. Partners will include Region Six of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality, NRCS, the Northeast Delta RC&D Council, local soil and water conservation districts, and local landowners. A member of the local Limited Resource/Minority Landowner Advisory Committee will participate as a member of the advisory group.

USDA Customer Service Fair Planned in Tennessee - On Saturday, September 27, Jackson, TN, will be the site of a USDA Customer Service Fair aimed at reaching small and limited resource farmers. The fair is part of a special outreach and partnership effort to reach customers who may not be receiving information on USDA programs through current channels. The Farm Service Agency, Rural Development , the Natural Resources Conservation Service, and Cooperative Extension will present concurrent sessions on 1996 Farm Bill programs, the Small Farmer Assistance Program, direct and guaranteed rural housing loan programs, agricultural nonpoint source pollution, price support/commodity loans, and production adjustment programs. Other partners in in the customer service fair are Tennessee State University, Tennessee Department of Agriculture, and the Tennessee Farm Bureau Federation.

LEGISLATIVE NEWS

Congress is in recess and will return to Washington, DC, on September 2.

CONSTITUENCY AND PARTNERSHIP NEWS

Restoration Forum for River Corridors and Wetlands - NRCS, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and more than 23 other partner groups are sponsoring a one-day workshop on river corridor and wetland restoration on September 23, at the Springfield Hilton (Springfield/Franconia Metro Station), Springfield, VA, about 15 miles southwest of Washington, DC. The purpose of the workshop is to broaden and strengthen relationships among restoration partners. For more information call Mary Hinton at 202-260-7797, or send e-mail to: hinton.mary@epamail.epa.gov.

1998 American Wetlands Month Conference Announced - The theme of the 1998 American Wetlands Month Conference will be "Team Wetlands: 101 Ways to Win the Game." The conference will be held April 15-17, 1998, at the Hyatt Crystal City Hotel, Arlington, VA. Deadline to submit participation summaries is November 7. For more information contact the Terrene Institute at 703-548-5473.

INTERNET SITES OF NOTE

http://nhq.nrcs.usda.gov/ITD/Welcome.html - The NRCS Information Technology Division homepage.

UPCOMING EVENTS

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.

September 15 - October 15 - Hispanic Heritage Month

September 22-26 - National Watershed Water Quality Project Symposium, Hyatt Regency Washington Capitol Hill, Washington, DC. Contact the Conservation Technology Information Center (CTIC) at 765-494-9555 or visit CTIC's Internet site at http://www.ctic.purdue.edu.

October 6-10 - National Conference on Urban Soils, New York City, NY. Contact Tyrone M. Goddard at 315-477-6526 or send e-mail to tgoddard@ny.nrcs.usda.gov for more information.

October 15-17 - Fourth Annual Conference, Workshop, and Exposition of the Mid-Atlantic Chapter of the International Erosion Control Association, Eisenhower Inn and Conference Center, Gettysburg, PA. Contact Ed Stein by phone at 410-545-0362 or by FAX at 410-209-5010, or contact David Snyder by phone at 704-398-0954 or by FAX at 704-394-7946.

November - Native American Heritage Month

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>.

November 2-5 - The National Urban and Community Conservation Conference "Natural Resources Issues in Rural America," Columbus, OH. For conference information contact Robert Raschke at 303-988-1810 or visit NACD's Web site <http://www.nacdnet.org>.

November 2-5 - Third North American Conference of the Farming Systems Research & Extension Association, "Food & Natural Resource Systems: Integrating Diversity, Inquiry, Action, & People," Welches (Mt. Hood), OR. For information contact seiters@bcc.orst.edu of Oregon State University.

QUOTE

"Public sentiment is everything. With public sentiment, nothing can fail; without it, nothing can succeed."

--Abraham Lincoln, 1859

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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