Tom Weber to Act as Associate Chief -- Tom Weber, Deputy Chief for Management and Strategic Planning, has been named to act as Associate Chief while Pearlie Reed heads the civil rights action team which has been tasked by the Secretary to do a thorough audit of civil rights issues in the Department.

NRCS National Vegetative Buffer Initiative -- A communications team and a technical team have been created to carry out Chief Paul Johnson's National Buffer Strip Initiative. This initiative will encourage farmers to participate in the continuous sign-up portion of the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), and use other programs to install filter strips, riparian corridors, grass waterways, field windbreaks, shelterbelts, living snow fences and other strip practices for environmental improvement purposes.

The goal is to be flexible in the design of filter strips and thereby accomplish multiple conservation objectives with their use. Also, our intent is to encourage the use of upland treatments -- crop residue management, nutrient management, integrated pest management, and the like -- in combination with filter strip practices, which will enhance the value of the filter strips. We expect that public announcement of the initiative will be made in January and we hope to tie a major share of the first year's activity to the fact that contracts expire on 24 million acres of CRP land.

NRCS hopes to take advantage of this opportunity to help landowners understand the value of filter strips and how they can leave filter strips in place if they plan to leave the CRP, or add strips if they are necessary. In this process, we also hope to counsel landowners on what use they might make of their land exiting the program, and what conservation treatments beyond filter strips might be needed.

RC&D Coordinators Meet To Develop Training Plan -- A team of Resource Conservation and Development (RC&D) coordinators will meet here the week of January 6 to begin work on a long-range training plan. The meeting is being held in Washington, D.C., so that members of the USDA RC&D Working Group and the Rural Economic Development Action Team can participate in order to develop a Department-wide plan.

NRCS Expands Use of Earth Team Volunteers -- In fiscal year 1996, NRCS successfully expanded its Earth Team Volunteer program. Numbers and hours donated both climbed to new levels -- volunteers reached 14,748 (an increase of 11 percent over the previous year) and hours donated reached 530,854 (an 8 percent increase). Furthermore, 56 percent of NRCS offices now use volunteers on a regular basis.

Also in fiscal year 1996, NRCS started to use volunteers to carry out selected National projects. The Signature Project, carried out during Earth Week, exemplifies the new approach. In that project, NRCS set a goal of reaching 25,000 school children with a conservation message. Instead, the volunteers reached 137,000 school children, surpassing the original goal by 548 percent. Currently, Earth Team volunteers are engaged in working with school children to write 250,000 "thank you" notes to farmers and ranchers around the country.

Hurry! There's Still Some Left -- After making the distribution to all offices, we still have some copies of "Historical Changes in Soil Erosion, 1930-1992: The Northern Mississippi Valley Loess Hills," Historical Notes Number 5. Requests for additional copies can be made by calling Douglas Helms at 202-720-3766 or Marita Baker on 202-720-7295.

IN THE FIELD

North Dakota Tree Handbook Released -- Building upon the efforts and experiences of foresters, horticulturists, and conservationists of the past, conservation partners in North Dakota have released the North Dakota Tree Handbook. Designed to assist specialists and lay people in developing conservation and community tree plantings, the handbook is a joint effort of the Natural Resources Conservation Service, North Dakota State University and the North Dakota State Soil Conservation Committee. The handbook contains 4 photos and descriptive information about each of 85 species of trees and shrubs adapted to the Northern Plains. The 200-plus pages contain general growth and identification characteristics; soil, water and light requirements; pest problems; agroforestry, urban, wildlife and conservation uses; weed control methods, including chemical rates; insect and disease diagnostic tools; and a quick reference section addressing 26 characteristics for each of the species. Handbooks can be purchased for $49.00 by contacting the North Dakota State Soil Conservation Committee at 701-328-2650.

Opportunities for Short Rotation Woody Crops (SRWC) in Agroforestry Systems -- Natural Resources Conservation Service and Forest Service agroforesters have formed a SRWC partnership located in Lincoln, NE. The partners are affiliated with the USDA National Agroforestry Center and are working with NRCS Conservation Districts, outside agencies, universities, private timber companies, and other organizations to explore using SRWC in riparian buffer strip plantings, agricultural wastewater treatment facilities, and rotational windbreaks across the United States. The following are examples of the increasing use of SRWC:

• Washington and Minnesota, where private timber companies and landowners have begun growing block plantings of hybrid poplar selections in 6 to 10 year rotations for fiber to produce quality paper. Currently, 70,000 acres of these "fiber farms" are in production.
• The Northeast where willow species are being grown in 2 to 5 year rotations to produce biomass for energy. This demonstration will monitor the suitability of different hybrid poplar selections for fiber production in this area and the ability of this poplar buffer to uptake excess nutrients.
• In the Yakima Valley of Washington, hybrid poplar plantations will be established to produce fiber and filter irrigation wastewater before it reaches the Yakima River.

Short rotation woody crops offer both environmental and economic benefits in agroforestry systems. In the past, willow and poplar species were mainly used for windbreaks and streambank rehabilitation. But, now they are being grown to produce biomass for energy and fiber for paper. These species have been receiving a lot of attention lately since it only takes between 2 to 10 years to harvest these valuable products. An additional benefit is that both species have the ability to uptake large amounts of nutrients, such as nitrogen, from agricultural runoff, subsurface flow, irrigation return water, and urban wastewater (effluent). They also happen to make excellent visual screens and windbreaks.

With this growing interest in agroforestry practices such as riparian forest buffers and windbreaks SWRC may very well offer additional economic benefits to the already recognized environmental benefits of these practices. For more information on the USDA National Agroforestry Center or any of its projects, call 402-437-5178.

Aquatic Assessment Workgroup Meeting -- An Aquatic Assessment Workgroup has been established to guide efforts to support ecological assessment of streams and lakes. The workgroup met last November in Athens, GA, to identify needs and project priorities. The workgroup is sponsored by the National Water and Climate Center and the Watershed Sciences Institute and includes State Biologists from each region and representatives from NHQ, the North American Benthological Society, and Environmental Protection Agency. Among the priority projects discussed at the meeting were enhancing the Water Quality Indicators Guide, developing a simple visual assessment method, developing assessment guidance geared to State Biologists and skilled field staff, providing support for implementation, and developing awareness-level training materials. For more information, contact Bruce Newton, Limnologist, National Water and Climate Center at 503-414-3055.

1997 "The Leader in You" Series -- Mark your calendars for the NRCS Social Sciences Institute's 1997 "The Leader in You" series.

- April 15, Keeping "First Things First": The Secret To Real Productivity;" A. Roger Merrill, Covey Leadership Center, Inc.

- April 29, "Be Direct!: Make Your Direct Marketing Pay;" Lester Wunderman, Wunderman, Cato, Johnson.

- May 20, "It's About Sales: Develop Selling Skills - Even If You're Not In Sales!" Molly Breazeale and Daniel M. Handley, Dale Carnegie Training (R).

- June 3, "Mission Possible: Creating A World-Class Organization While There's Still Time;" Dr. Ken Blanchard, author of The One Minute Manager.

CONSTITUENCY AND PARTNERSHIP NEWS

Riverside County, California Flood Control Project Underway -- A long-awaited flood control project, proposed 2 decades ago and finally authorized by Congress in 1995, will greatly alleviate flooding problems in the watershed. The 5-year project will receive about $5 million as part of a joint venture among NRCS, the Palo Verde RCD, and the McCoy Wash Flood Control District. The plan calls for the construction of a dam and bypass channels to contain flows from McCoy wash.

Work will be completed in 3 stages. Stage 1, construction of the outlet channel, began on December 2. The official groundbreaking ceremony will be held in January. Stage 1 should take about 75 days to complete. Stage 2 should begin in the fall of 1997. Stage 3, construction of the main dam, will take 2 to 3 years.

Ducks Unlimited Louisiana Waterfowl Project -- Under the Ducks Unlimited Louisiana Waterfowl Project, private landowners are given technical assistance and materials to create a temporary or seasonal wetland for migratory waterfowl and other wetland dependent wildlife species. Eighteen parishes (counties) are participating. In 1996, 45 landowners became cooperators in the program, 81 shallow area units were developed, and 138 water control structures were installed to develop 5,500 acres of shallow water wetlands. Since 1992, approximately 23,500 acres of temporary or seasonal wetlands have been developed in the northeast delta and northwest delta areas of Louisiana through the cooperative effort with landowners.

A Ducks Unlimited biologist has been assigned to the project and is headquartered at the NRCS area office in Monroe, LA. The Louisiana Waterfowl Project is a joint effort among Ducks Unlimited, the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries and NRCS. Ducks Unlimited provides pipe to construct water management structures for landowners to create the temporary-flooded wetlands. NRCS and soil and water conservation district personnel provide technical engineering assistance for the landowner.

MEDIA

Radio -- On December 17, Chief Johnson gave 4 interviews from his office in Washington, D.C. Interviews included: radio stations KBUF, Garden City, Kansas; station WFMD, Frederick, Maryland; station WTSO, Madison, Wisconsin; and the Idaho Farm Bureau News Network in Pocatello. The focus of the interviews was on conservation provisions of the Farm Bill.

On December 20, the Chief was interviewed by Rick Hawkins of WHB-AM/KMZU-FM, Kansas City, MO (reaches an ag-audience in Kansas, Missouri, southeast Nebraska and Iowa). The interview was live with listeners calling in with questions on such topics as the philosophy behind conservation programs like CRP, how farmers can participate in these programs, what will actually be available at the time of next year's spring planting, how will the working relationship between FSA and NRCS affect the administration of the programs, and where these programs are headed in terms of actually getting conservation on the ground.

Print -- Bridge News (formerly Knight Ridder) requested additional information on WHIP, such as size of land area eligible for the program.

On December 18, the Chief was interviewed by: "Farm Journal", "Successful Farming" and the "Farm Progress" Companies (which publish 26 agricultural periodicals). The topic was the conservation provisions of the Farm Bill, particularly Conservation Reserve Program and the need for conservation buffer strips.

UPCOMING EVENTS

January 5-9 -- American Farm Bureau Federation Annual Meeting, Opryland Hotel, Nashville, TN. Call: 202-484-3600 or 312-399-5700.

January 9-February 1 -- 1997 National Cattlemen's Beef Association Convention & Trade Show, Kansas City, MO. Call: 303-694-0305.

January 14-15 -- Eastern Iowa Conservation Tillage Show, Five Seasons Center, Cedar Rapids, IA. Contact: Ed Andrews, 319-652-2337.

January 27-29 -- The 19th Annual Manitoba-North Dakota Zero Tillage Workshop sponsored by the Manitoba-North Dakota Zero Tillage Farmer's Association. Contact: Lyle Samson, 701-852-8895.

February 19-22 -- Land Improvement Contractors of America Convention, Holiday Inn City Center, Tucson, Arizona. Contact: Ken Williams, 605-892-3116, or Wayne F. Maresch, 301-248-5749.

February 2-5 -- National Association of Conservation Districts, 51st Annual Meeting, "Building for the Future," Kansas City, MO. Call: Brenda Anderson, 800-825-5547.

February 24-25 -- Agricultural Outlook Forum '97, Omni Shoreham Hotel, Washington, DC. Call: 202-720-3050 or 202-401-9421.

March 12-14 -- Soil and Water Conservation Society Conference; Cover Crops, Soil Quality, and Ecosystems, Sacramento, California. Contact: Nancy Herselius, 800-843-7645, ext. 18 or e-mail: nancyh@swcs.org. Conference information can also be found at: http://www.swcs.org.

April 27-May 2 -- 21st Annual Conference of the Association of State Floodplain Managers, Little Rock, AR. Contact: Rod Emmer, 608-274-0123.

May 25-28 -- 8th Global Warming International Conference & Expo, New York, NY. Conference FAX Hotline: 630-910-1561.

July 23-26 -- The 52nd Soil and Water Conservation Society Annual Conference; Interactions, Managing Ecosystems on a Watershed Basis; Toronto, Canada. Contact: Nancy Herselius, 800-843-7645, ext. 18 or e-mail: nancyh@swcs.org. Conference information can also be found at: http://www.swcs.org/AnnCon.htm.

July 27-30 -- The 84th American Agricultural Economics Association Annual Meeting, Toronto, Canada. Call: 515-233-3202. Conference information can also be found at: http://www.aaea.org/Meetings.html.

QUOTE

"The world, we are told, was made especially for man -- a presumption not supported by all the facts...Now, it never seems to occur to these far-seeing teachers that Nature's object in making animals and plants might possibly be first of all the happiness of each one of them, not the creation of all for the happiness of one...The universe would be incomplete without man; but it would also be incomplete without the smallest transmicroscopic creature that dwells beyond our conceitful eyes and knowledge."

John Muir (1838-1914) from A Thousand Mile Walk to the Gulf.

NRCS This Week is issued weekly by the Office of Public Affairs, NRCS headquarters, Washington, D.C., and posted in the SCS:SCS shared folder on FTS2000Mail. Please send correspondence and material via FTS2000Mail to !A16SCSOPA and type "This Week" on the subject line or e-mail: fred.jacobs@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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