United States Department of Agriculture
Natural Resources Conservation Service		 Go to Accessibility Information
Skip to Page Content






Strip cropping in Palouse River Basin, Washington. USDA image.

March 24, 2004

The Natural Resources Conservation Service provides leadership in a partnership effort to help people conserve, maintain, and improve our natural resources and environment.

NEW!  NRCS This Week 2004 Articles Index   |   NRCS This Week Archives   |   Subscribe to NRCS News Lists   |   Contact Us  |   TSP Express  (Adobe Acrobat PDF)   |   eNotes from NACD   |   Events and Activities

Focus on the Field

Watershed Dams Save Millions
Heavy rains in Oklahoma earlier this month might have caused serious flooding had it not been for the more than 2,000 PL-566 and PL-534 small watershed dams along the State’s waterways.  FULL STORY

Rare Florida fern. Image courtesy of Scripps Treasure Coast Newspapers.Wetlands Reserve Program Protects Rare Florida Fern
Audubon officials in Martin County, Florida, have finished plans to restore the land where a local wildlife hospital plans an expansion and a botanist discovered a rare fern more than 15 years ago.  Restoration work on 130 acres within the property will be conducted through the NRCS's Wetlands Reserve Program.  FULL STORY
 

New Plant Materials Center to Rehabilitate Nevada Rangelands
Fallon, Nevada, will be home to a new NRCS plant materials center that will focus on cultivating native seeds to rehabilitate damaged rangeland in Nevada.  NRCS this summer will take over the 160-acre Newlands research farm owned by the University of Nevada, Reno, to study and grow native seeds for range restoration.  FULL STORY

Boy enjoys Coco Puffs at NRCS event. Image courtesy of Grand Island Independent.NRCS Makes Nebraska Kids "Coo-Coo" for No-till
Cocoa Puffs made a tasty impression for students at the Children's Groundwater Festival on the difference between tilled farm ground and no-till farmland.  The "Dirty Diner" demonstration to promote no-till farming was put on by Dan Gillespie, Tim Schaaf, Jim Husbands, and Mark Nowack of NRCS.  FULL STORY

Florida District Shows Homeowners How to Reduce Water Usage
If your sprinkler spends as much time watering the wall as watering your plants, it might be time to call in Broward's new Mobile Irrigation Lab.  The lab, operated by the Broward Soil and Water Conservation District, offers residents a chance to conserve water and save on their water bills -- for free.  FULL STORY

Iowa RC&D's Proposed 7-county Trail Picks Up Resources
Years from now, creators of a seven-county trail route said they hope the project will benefit bicyclists and businesses.  The Iowa Valley Resource Conservation and Development group, based in Williamsburg, started an informational campaign last month about its newly established Ioway Trails Master Plan Project. The trail system would span seven counties.  FULL STORY

Word from Washington

Two men in a fieldDelmarva Peninsula to Receive $5 Million for Natural Resources Improvements
Secretary Veneman announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture has targeted $5 million to Maryland, Delaware and Virginia to help improve natural resources in the Delmarva Peninsula. Maryland will receive nearly $2.9 million for nine Eastern Shore counties; Delaware, $1.7 million for three counties, and Virginia, $435,200 for two counties. USDA will use the Farm and Ranch Lands Protection Program, Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program, and the Wetlands Reserve Program to provide additional financial and technical assistance to landowners in the Delmarva.  USDA NEWS RELEASE

Fiscal Year 2004 EQIP allocations map. NRCS image.Where Conservation Dollars are Working and Much More
 Feel like you just don’t know enough about the details of NRCS’s portfolio of conservation programs? Are you constantly challenged to find specific answers to questions from your conservation customers? Would you like to have access to a single source for descriptions, application information, forms, rules and other information? If so, help is just a click or two away.  FULL STORY

National Federal Grants and Cooperative and Contribution Agreements Conference and Training Session
Awarding grants and agreements is a significant part of how NRCS accomplishes its mission and objectives. This conference, April 26–30, in New Orleans, Louisiana, will clarify the grants and agreements process and emphasize the competitive process. This conference is for the agency's leaders, administrators, partners, non-government officials, program managers, specialists, management analysts, and other involved with operations, agreements/grants, evaluations, administration, decision process, auditing, program management, budgeting, contracting, and program delivery.  MORE INFORMATION AND REGISTRATION FORM

NRCS Proposed Reorganization Web Page
UPDATED FAQs!  Get the latest official information about the proposed reorganization of NRCS.  PROPOSED REORG WEB PAGE 

NRCS Legislative Summaries, Testimony, and Reports
Timely and accurate information from NRCS Legislative Affairs.

Tech Tip

Cover of Henry's Fork case study. NRCS image.
Henry's Fork Case Study Completed
The NRCS Watershed Science and Wildlife Habitat Management Institutes worked with Utah State University to create the Henry’s Fork Agricultural Corridor Wildlife Habitat Conservation Case Study FULL STORY

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, or 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 and TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.