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| Friday, August 20, 1999 Washington, DC |
"Volunteer Army" Among Partners for Fish, Habitat Project - Alabama's Franklin County Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD),government agencies, and local fishers have teamed up to increase fish populations and improve habitat in Little Bear Reservoir. Helping power the project is an army of nearly 150 Earth Team volunteers recruited by SWCD Supervisor Joel Pounders, District Advisor Daryl Whitehead, and NRCS District Conservationist Danny Williams. Volunteers list places where trees, shrubs,and aquatic plants would improve fish habitat, as well as areas threatened by sedimentation. The project will grow to include three other lakes in Franklin County. Among the project's partners are: NRCS Alabama, Tennessee ValleyAuthority, Bear Creek Development Authority, Alabama Department of Environmental Management. Your contact: Danny Williams on (256) 332-0274, or danny.williams@al.usda.gov
NRCS, Partners Win Coastal America Award - Bob Wengrzynek, NRCS State Biologist for Maine, and a host of partners recently received the 1999 Coastal America Partnership Project Award. Bob led the Penobscot River Watershed Anadromous Fish Restoration Team that restores anadromous fish populations in the State's waterways. Sharing honors were State Conservationist Darrel Dominick, the Penobscot Indian Nation, and numerous Federal, State, and local agencies and groups. Singled out for recognition were the District Conservationist for the area and the local Soil and Water Conservation District. At the event, Under Secretary for Natural Resources and Environment James R. Lyons climbed aboard a backhoe and knocked a hole in the Brownville Dam, which when removed will open more than 300 miles of stream to salmon and nine other species of anadromous fish. Your contactis Mike W. Anderson, NRCS Wildlife Biologist, National Headquarters, on (202)690-0856.
Tennessee RC&D To Help Administer "First Wheels" - The Tennessee Resource Conservation and Development Association is entering into an agreement with the Tennessee Department of Human Services to help administer "First Wheels," a program that helps welfare recipients acquire anautomobile so that they can return to work. "First Wheels" is part of the successful "Families First" Program. Your contact is Larry Blick, Assistant State Conservationist for Field Support, on (615) 736-5472.
Youth Camp Gets High Water Marks - This year's Texas State Water Camp not only continued its tradition of offering high school-age youth opportunities to learn about water conservation, use, and quality, but became an award-winner, as well. StateRepresentative Gary Walker presented the camp with the Governor's Clean Texas 2000 Finalist Award for efforts in the Youth Organization category. NRCSTexas, the Upper Pecos Soil and Water Conservation District, and many private organizations, businesses, and schools coordinate the camp. Your contact is H. Harold Bryant, State Public Affairs Specialist, on (254) 742-9800, or by fax on (254) 742-9819.
NRCS, BOR Dialogue in Denver - At a recent workshop in Denver, NRCS and the Bureau of Reclamation (BOR) exchanged information, discussed their agencies' functions, and looked at possibilities for future partnerships. Experts from both agencies discussed methods, procedures, tools, and materials for carrying on water resources management and related activities. Participants included staff from NRCS' National Water Management Center, National Water Climate Center, Watershed Science Institute, and Conservation Engineering Division, and from BOR's Technical Service Center (TSC). The TSC provided the site for the workshop and offered tours of BOR's Water Resources Research Lab, Remote Sensing Lab,and Water Treatment Lab. Your contact is Ron Marlow, Agriculture Engineer, NRCS National Headquarters, on (202) 720-8723
Institute Director Talks Barbed-wire, Rangelands with BBC - NRCS Grazing Lands Technology Institute Director, Dr. Larry D. Butler was recently interviewed by a reporter from the British Broadcasting Corporation. The topic was barbed wire and its influence on America's rangelands and livestock management. Dr. Butler described NRCS's role in providing technical assistance to farmers and ranchers, ecological dynamics, and the proper use of fencing, water developments, prescribed grazing, and the role of fire in rangeland ecosystems. The broadcast will be aired in the United Kingdom in April 2000.
Iowa Quilt Commemorates Wildlife Revival - NRCS Iowa reports that a new one-of-a-kind, conservation-conscious quilt has been touring the State this summer. Crafted by quilters from across Iowa, it commemorates 100 years of building wildlife habitat diversity and showcases 12 wildlife species that have been revived on private lands in this century. The quilt is part of Conservation Milestones at the Millennium, a statewide campaign celebrating conservation progress on Iowa's private lands. Your contact is Amy Smith, Public Affairs Specialist, on (515) 284-4262.
Tech Tip from the NRCS Science and Technology Deputy Area. . .
Corridors Handbook Ready for Printing - Expanding field sizes, fewer fence lines, forest and grassland fragmentation, and expanding urban sprawl emphasize the importance of corridors as habitat for a variety of wildlife species. To address fragmentation and habitat loss,the NRCS Watershed Science and Wildlife Habitat Management Institutes, with Utah State University, have produced "Conservation Corridor Planning at the Landscape Level: Managing for Wildlife Habitat Handbook." This technical publication emphasizes creation, restoration, and enhancement of wildlife habitat. Though its focus is on a landscape scale and is national in scope, its information can be tailored for use by field offices. Printing isscheduled for early 2000. A training module that includes the handbook's concepts will be ready for distribution in late 1999. Your contact is Carolyn A. Adams, Director, NRCS Watershed Science Institute, by e-mail at caradams@u.washington.edu, or by telephone on (206) 616-5724 or fax on (205) 616-8417.
SPECIAL FEATURE
Intern Offers Tribute to HACU, NRCS - Sandra Ortiz, who served in NRCS' Waynesboro, Georgia, Field Office thissummer as a Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU) intern, wrote the following feature. She recounts some of her more memorable experiences and expresses her appreciation to HACU, NRCS, and the agency's customers. Your contact is Rafael Salazar on (706) 554-5183.
"This has been one of the best summers I have ever had. I had the opportunity to be a HACU program intern with the NRCS field office in Waynesboro, Georgia. Coming from New Mexico, I didn't know what to expect, and was somewhat terrified that I would get here and not know what is going on. However, the first week here, I learned a lot about rural landowners and farming. I was trained by Carlton McCray, Soil Conservation Technician, and Rafael Salazar, District Conservationist.
"I got the opportunity to participate in many of the programs implemented by NRCS. One major project that was put into practice while I was doing my internship was through EQIP. We helped a farmer stop soil from being lost to erosion by water. This, I believe, is a major accomplishment because this will ensure fertile land for many years that will follow.
"One day, we got the opportunity to glean a field of water melons for a local food bank. This was a wonderful opportunity to give back to a community that shows a love for its land. This left a lasting impression on me of how we can still care about people and about the land. "The HACU intern program enabled me to go into my next job with confidence and knowledge that I would have never gained in school. For this, I thank HACU,Rafael, Carlton, and all the farmers of Burke County who welcomed me into their community."
Sandra Ortiz, College of Santa Fe, Santa Fe, New Mexico.
SPECIAL EVENTS
Nature ever flows; never stands still. Motion or change is its mode of existence.
-- Ralph Waldo Emerson, American poet and essayist
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