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| Friday, December 17, 1999 Washington, DC. |
Public Comment Period On CNMP Tech Guide Underway - The public has until March 7, 2000, to submit comments on the draft of "Technical Guidance for Developing Comprehensive Nutrient Management Plans." USDA seeks comments from individuals, the livestock industry, private consultants, State, Tribal, and local governments or subgroups thereof, universities, colleges, environmental groups, and other organizations. Comments will assist in development and implementation of the final tech guide. NRCS and its partners, State and local field staffs, private consultants, landowners and operators, and others will use the guide to develop comprehensive nutrient management plans.
The "Federal Register" version of the guidance document is available on the NRCS Home Page at http://www.nhq.nrcs.usda.gov/PROGRAMS/ahcwpd/ahCNMP.html For further information, contact Obie Ashford, NRCS National Leader for Animal Husbandry, on (301) 504-2197; fax 301-504-2264; e-mail obie.ashford@usda.gov
Indiana Farmer Praises Wetlands, WRP - Five years ago, Iona, Indiana, farmer Ray McCormick gave up trying to grow corn and soybeans in the fertile, but flood-prone river bottoms he owns along the Wabash and White rivers. Instead of crops, he plants water-loving trees. He also has 900 acres enrolled in the NRCS' Wetlands Reserve Program. His tree-planting efforts attract growing populations of turkeys, ducks, and geese. Two bald eagles have nested near his property. In a recent interview with the Associated Press, Mr. McCormick said, "Farmers have spent generations draining these [wetland] areas. But when you restore some of them and you see all the wildlife it attracts, you wouldn't dream of draining it again." Source: The Star Press, Muncie, Indiana
NRCS Alaska, District Study Trail Damage Caused by ATVS - NRCS Alaska's Homer Field Office staff and the Kodiak Soil and Water Conservation District are studying the impacts that all-terrain and off-road vehicle erosion have on trails on Kodiak Island's highly erodible tundra. The Homer Field Office staff has completed detailed evaluations of erosion on four trail systems. Findings and mitigation recommendations will be presented next month to the Kodiak Fish and Game Advisory Board and the Kodiak Borough Planning Commission. The island, located in the Gulf of Alaska, is well known for record-size brown bears, great fishing, and spectacular scenery. Your contact is Mark Kinney, Homer Field Office District Conservationist, on (907) 235-8177.
Oregon Connects Citizens to Watershed Info - Oregon Governor John Kitzhaber announced the inception of the Oregon Watershed InfoLine, a toll-free telephone number that connects Oregonians to information on watersheds, fish, and restoration. Callers to (888) 854-8377 can ask questions and order materials, including information about the Willamette Restoration Initiative and the Oregon Plan for Salmon and Watersheds. InfoLine is sponsored by the Willamette Restoration Initiative and the Oregon Plan for Salmon and Watersheds.
WHAT'S UP IN WASHINGTON, D.C.
COD Reports GLCI Accomplishments for FY99 - From NRCS' Conservation Operations Division (COD), here is a list of accomplishments of the Grazing Land Conservation Initiative (GLCI) for FY99:
Your contact is Mitch Flanagan, NRCS Soil Conservationist, COD, on (202) 690-5988.
TECH TIP
Getting a High-Tech Look Into Idaho's History - Modern technology is helping Jim Doolittle give NRCS Idaho and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) a look into the history hidden beneath the State's soil.
Jim, a Research Soil Scientist for NRCS Pennsylvania, recently returned to Idaho with equipment that lets him explore archaeological sites without disturbing the soil. In addition to continuing the work he and a BLM archaeologist began last year at a Shoshone cemetery, Jim examined an historic stagecoach station and determined the depth of deposits above bedrock at a prehistoric site. The information he collects helps BLM archaeologists decide how to preserve and protect cultural resources.
To bring Idaho's history into view, Jim used two tools from a modern archaeologist's toolbox: ground-penetrating radar and electromagnetic induction, which, depending on the soils and geology of an area, can detect graves, metal artifacts, as well as house floors and other architectural features. Though the equipment doesn't produce a picture-perfect image of what's underground, it does give NRCS and BLM a reliable look into the past, all without lifting a shovel. Your contact is Sharon Norris, NRCS State Public Affairs Specialist, on (208) 378-5725.
ON PAPER, ON DISC, ONLINE
RC&D, NRCS Delaware Produce Spanish-Language Pubs - The USDA's civil rights outreach is dynamic in Delaware. Seven fact sheets that explain NRCS programs, a brochure about contacting NRCS staffs and offices, and the Council's Area Plan were recently translated into Spanish and will be distributed throughout the State. Sponsoring the translations were the First State Resource Conservation and Development Council and NRCS Delaware. The Council plans translations of other items, including information about its Emergency Home Repair Project. Your contact is Paul Petrichenko, Assistant State Conservationist, NRCS Delaware, on (302) 678-4180.
Hydric Soils Interactive CD-ROMs Available - The NRCS' Wetland Science Institute has available a limited number of Hydric Soils Interactive (HSI) CD-ROMs. The HSI presents text, graphics, pictures, and animations that explain landscape formation and hydrology, wetland recharge-discharge relationships, and the genesis and description of soil morphology related to wetness. The CD-ROMs are in Windows 3.1 and Windows 95 formats. To request copies, please contact Michael Whited at michael_whited@fws.gov
Directory Links Farmers, Consumers in Food Partnerships - Practitioners of Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) grow fresh produce, a healthier environment, steady incomes for farmers, and opportunities for farmers to stay in touch with their customers' tastes. You'll find more than 450 of the Nation's 1,000 CSA farms listed in a new directory offered through USDA's Sustainable Agriculture Network. Click into this new source of information at http://www.sare.org/san/csa/index.htm Farmers and consumers can receive lists of CSA farms in their States by writing to CSA/ Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service, 1400 Independence Ave., SW, Stop 2207, Washington, DC, 20250-2207. Organizations can request a free copy of the CSA directory from the same address; they must specify whether they want to receive a directory or a State list.
Tillage Alliance Takes to the 'NET - To keep its commitment to a creating new era for agriculture, Georgia's Coffee County Conservation Tillage Alliance, Inc., announces its entry onto the Internet. At http://www.cccta.net/, visitors can see what this grassroots organization of agriculturists, university and Extension personnel, members of conservation agencies, and other interested individuals has underway. The Alliance was formed in 1994 by a group of farmers and personnel from the Georgia Extension Office, and NRCS.
Farming looks mighty easy when your plow is a pencil, and you're a thousand miles away from the cornfield.
-- Dwight D. Eisenhower, Former American President and military leader
Please send correspondence and material for "NRCS This Week" to the editor by: e-mail to: brad.fisher@usda.gov; or by fax to: Editor, "NRCS This Week," 202-720-1564; or by mail to: Editor, "NRCS This Week," NRCS, P.O. Box 2890, Washington, D.C. 20013
If you are not a NRCS employee, you can receive NRCSTW on an e-mail by contacting: listproc@nrcs.usda.gov (NHQ personnel should send their e-mail to: GW:"listproc@nrcs.usda.gov@i"). Do not use a subject line and put the following in the body of the message: subscribe NRCS-THIS-WEEK Firstname Lastname (example: subscribe NRCS-THIS-WEEK Eleanor Roosevelt). To get help with other commands that are available at the "listproc@nrcs.usda.gov" address, send a message with no subject and the word HELP on a line by itself in the body of the message. "NRCS This Week" will continue to be posted on the NRCS Homepage.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, gender, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, and marital or family status. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for communication of program information (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact USDA's TARGET Center at 202-720-2600 (voice and TDD).
To file a complaint of discrimination, write USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, Room 326W, Whitten Building, 14th and Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, D.C. 20250-9410 or call 202-720-5964 (voice or TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.
Addresses and telephone numbers for NRCS' Civil Rights Staff are: NRCS Civil Rights Program Compliance Division, 5601 Sunnyside Avenue, Mail Stop 5471, Beltsville, MD 20705-5471; phone: (301) 504-2287. NRCS Civil Rights Employment Division, 5601 Sunnyside Avenue, Mail Stop 5472, Beltsville, MD 20705-5472; phone: (301) 504-2181.
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