NRCS staff receive prestigious national honor

Beverly Moseley, Public Affairs Specialist

Three USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) employees in Texas were recently honored nationally with a USDA Abraham Lincoln Honor Award in Washington, D.C.

Tim Dybala, NRCS civil engineer, Maria Hrebik, NRCS civil engineer and Chris Lester, NRCS soil conservationist were recognized for their excellence in service and contributions to natural resources through their teamwork on the Texas Water Resources Assessment Team through the national multi-agency Conservation Effects Assessment Project (CEAP).

Team members work to quantify the effects of conservation programs and practices on the environment. In turn, data from conservation assessments and analysis conducted on crop and grazing lands, wetlands and wildlife can provide a valuable foundation for science based conservation efforts moving forward.

“Today is a special day. Today we honor individuals and groups of folks who have worked here at USDA and provided extraordinary service to our Department, to our constituents and customers and to our country,” USDA Agriculture Secretary Thomas J. Vilsack said during opening remarks in the Jefferson Auditorium.

Currently, the national CEAP has upwards of 60 partners working on assessments out in the field and at the watershed and landscape scales. Some conservation practices CEAP is working on are associated with the 2014 Farm Bill’s largest program – the Environmental Quality Incentives Program, or EQIP.

Salvador Salinas, NRCS state conservationist in Texas, said: “I am extremely proud of these three individuals and the fact their work and Texas was recognized nationally. One of Chief Weller’s priorities is to ‘enhance and expand NRCS’s scientific and technical capabilities.’ The work being done by the CEAP team and resulting data, will help in providing an effective conservation path to follow as NRCS moves into the future. Congratulations to Tim, Maria and Chris.”