NRCS Alaska News

June 22, 2007

In This Issue

Seward Residents Receive Flooding Reprieve with EWP Support

In early June the Kenai Peninsula Borough Office of Emergency Management (OEM) made a request to NRCS for assistance with a debris deposition and flooding situation north of the City of Seward in the Bear Creek Flood Service Area. Residents had failing septic systems and mixed varieties of runoff in yards and basements. One resident had abandoned his house. 

A multi-agency meeting with the Borough, USDA, State Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, and the State Department of Transportation took place to assess the situation and determine response and mitigation alternatives. The consensus among meeting participants was that some of these homes never should have been built where they are - which is old news to these residents.  The long term-solution is a combination of easements, buyouts, and relocations. However, the long-term solution was not going to take care of the immediate concern. 

The Kenai Peninsula Borough Mayor made an emergency declaration that released special funding within the Borough and gave the OEM coordinator authority to remove the debris.  EWP was used to remove some of the debris to restore creek bed elevation so that residents could maintain their homes until further mitigation is available.

(back to top)

Big Lake WHIP Project Provides Training Opportunity

District Conservationist Casey Sheley provided Wasilla and Anchorage Field Office personnel with refresher training on the operation of Total Station survey equipment during a recent site visit to a Big Lake WHIP project.

An owner of lake-front property had experienced accelerated bank erosion on his property following devegetation caused by the Big Lake fire. In intervening years, ravages of wind and water had taken their toll on the shore. The constant pummeling of waves had slowly eroded back under the bank creating a hazardous situation for man and beast alike.  

Sections of the bank periodically slide off into the lake, increasing sediment loads in an adjacent salmon spawning area. Prior to contacting NRCS, the landowner had attempted to address the erosion with the installation of soil wraps and revegetation encouragement efforts – with mixed results. 

With support from WHIP, the slope of the shore will be reduced to mitigate erosion potential. Once the slope is reduced, coir logs, soil wraps and revegetation plantings will be installed. The current survey work for the project provided an excellent training opportunity for Jane Standifer-Trenton, Bob Smith and Jim Hazlett.

With the data collected and equipment reloaded into the boat, an examination of a nearby site with similar erosion issues was conducted on the return trip to the boat launch. Initial indications are that there might be additional Big Lake property owners requesting assistance in the coming years. The sunny weather and a calm lake during this excursion make these outings a particularly enjoyable part of this job in Alaska.     

(back to top) 

Keeping MatSu Soil Healthy: Challenges We Can Manage

We all know that keeping our bodies strong through proper nutrition and exercise makes us less prone to disease and sickness.  The relationship between our soil and our plants is no different.  A healthy soil promotes healthy plants.  Soil health can be achieved by managing nutrients, moisture, and cultural manipulation impacts.

Palmer Soil and Water Conservation District’s Curtis Dunkin has installed and is monitoring soil moisture on cooperator farms, not only to advise farmers on their irrigation management but also to minimize soil erosion. NRCS purchased a soil penetrometer to measure soil compaction. Mark Clark collected information on two soil types to compare infiltration from the soil in a natural setting and the soil in an agricultural setting.

Field infiltration trials were completed in silty surface horizons of agricultural soils in the Palmer area to determine the value of the Mini-Disk Infiltrometer as a tool for supporting field estimates of soil quality. Specifically, the tools were evaluated for the usefulness and practicality to quantify differences in soil compaction from cultivation and pasture management practices. The Mini-Disk Infiltrometer was used because the tool requires low volumes of water and each trial requires only about 10 minutes. The following paragraphs describe the sites that were selected for the trials and the results. Information regarding the Mini-Disk Infiltrometer methods is available at (http://www.decagon.com/manuals/InfiltrometerManual.pdf).

Three hydraulic conductivity (Ksat) trials were completed in a row cropped vegetable field in the Yensus soil at the Arthur Keys farm. The first trial is in the surface soil horizon between cultivated rows where tractor tires have compacted the soil. The second trial is in friable soil material along the edge of a row. The third trial is in slightly compact soil material at the bottom of the plow layer at approximately 12 cm depth. The trials indicate the slowest Ksat measurements in the tire compacted zone between rows with 0.08 inches/hour measured followed by the slightly compact plow pan beneath the cultivated row with 0.16 inches/hour measured with associated penetrometer readings of 170 and 250 psi, respectively.  The friable row had the highest Ksat measurement with 0.2 inches/hour with a penetrometer reading of 45 psi. 

These measurements were compared to Ksat values from undisturbed soils under native mixed forest vegetation.  Surface mineral soils under native vegetation of mixed forest have Ksat measurements that range from 0.5 to 0.7 inches/hour (no penetrometer readings available).  Infiltration has been reduced by roughly 7.5 times in the compacted row and 3.75 times within the moderately compacted plow pan beneath the cultivated row and 3 times slower in the friable vegetable row.

Four trials were completed in the Kalambach soils at the Pettit farm. Two trials were completed within a pasture that has been under grass for ten years or more and grazed intermittently by bison. The pasture is root bound with a dense surface mineral layer.  The second location is in a pasture with a less intensive grazing history with soils that are only slightly root bound and have a slight degree of compaction.  The two trials completed in the field with compact surface Ap horizon have Ksat ranging from 0.07 to 0.3 inches/hour.  The two trials in the pasture with slightly compact surface soil have Ksat values ranging from 0.19 to 0.59 inches per hour.  Both locations had similar penetrometer readings of 325 psi. These measurements were compared to Ksat values from undisturbed soils under native mixed forest vegetation which ranged from 0.3 to 0.5 inches/hour (no penetrometer readings available).  The compacted pasture has Ksat values approximately one-half those of the undisturbed forested soil.  The slightly compacted pasture has Ksat values similar to the undisturbed forested soil.

Trial results suggest that the Mini-Disk Infiltrometer provides a good method of quantifying expected infiltration rates associated with various degrees of compaction.  The results also suggest that the highest reduction in infiltration rates may be expected under row crop cultivation with less significant decrease under pasture.

If anyone would like more information on the Infiltrometer or results from these trials contact Mark Clark.

(back to top) 

New Revegetation Guide Online

The Alaska Plant Materials Center has published the “State of Alaska Revegetation Manual” online at http://www.dnr.state.ak.us/ag/pmcweb/PMC_reveg.htm. The guide was written by Stoney Wright, Director of the Alaska Plant Materials Center, and replaces the May 1991 publication "A Revegetative Guide for Conservation Use in Alaska".

The new guide is written for revegetation of disturbed sites and isn't specifically designed for pasture and hayland plantings. Consequently, crops such as timothy are not in the new guide, so the 1991 guide should be retained for these purposes. Rangeland Management Specialist Calvin Steele is heading up the committee to formulate pasture and hayland planting recommendations to supplement the new publication.

(back to top) 

NRCS Welcomes New Tribal Outreach Specialist

In 2004, Deborah Baines came to NRCS for advice on how to better manage animal waste and vegetation on her 2.5 acre farm in Anchorage. She had heard about NRCS through the Anchorage Soil and Water Conservation District, where she was a board member. Since the city was quickly growing in around her, she decided that her land needed a little better management to fit into the new neighborhood that was suddenly appearing on all sides of her property.

She began working with NRCS and qualified for EQIP to help pay for a composting facility on her land. In addition to the composting facility, her conservation plan added new vegetated buffers and green belts which are both appealing to the eye and good for the land. She has also been diligent in eradicating Canada thistle, a destructive weed on her property. The latest part of her conservation plan includes adding a roof to her composting facility. Deborah hopes that adding the roof will help regulate the amount of water that is added to the compost and keep the manure a little more out of sight for the neighbors.

Having 26 dogs, 10 chickens, 5 horses, 2 sheep, 2 cats and 1 steer kept Deborah busy for a while, but not busy enough to stop her from applying for a new job with NRCS. At an Anchorage Soil and Water Conservation District meeting a few months ago, Deborah heard that a new position had opened up at NRCS. NRCS was looking for a Tribal Outreach Specialist and Deborah decided to apply. This position is funded through the Agricultural Conservation Enrollees/Seniors (ACES) program. Her work as an urban land owner with NRCS made her want to find a new way to help with conservation projects. Deborah joined the NRCS team this month and is currently working with the Tyonek Tribal Conservation District and learning more about tribal conservation districts here in Alaska and in the lower 48.  

Welcome to NRCS Deborah, we look forward to working with you in a new way.

(back to top) 

NRCS Kicks Off Dust Palliatives Research Project

Dust in Togiak is pervasive during summer months. It coats fish hanging to dry on racks, it dirties laundry hanging on the line, and it infiltrates berry picking areas – especially those most accessible to the elders. ATV riders and pedestrians must turn and cover their faces when they encounter vehicles on the 10 or so miles of road. From the ocean, Togiak is a plume of dust.

The local clinic sees 300 patients each month – nearly all complaining of respiratory problems. It’s no surprise that a door-to-door survey conducted in 2000 revealed that dust was the number one concern of the village’s 1,000 residents.

Last week NRCS Air Quality Team member Roel Vining, State Agronomist Helen Denniston, and State Design Engineer Aimee Rohner traveled to Togiak to collect information from village leaders and soil samples from village roads and trails used in resource management and production.

The samples will be analyzed for particle size, which, in turn, will determine the three dust palliatives selected for testing on the site. The West National Technology Support Center will assist in selecting dust control products to include in the tests. Once the products are applied, data will be collected through next year to determine the effects on airborne particulates.

NRCS expects to conclude the tests by winter 2008. Should any of the tests prove successful, NRCS may issue practice standards allowing dust abatement on eligible roads and trails to be cost-shared.

(back to top)

NRCS Engineer First American to Finish Race Across America

After nearly 11 days on a bicycle, NRCS Civil Engineer Jeff Oatley was the first American rider to finish the 3,043 mile Race Across American when he crossed the finish line in Atlantic City yesterday. You can catch up with Jeff at www.jeffoatley.blogspot.com, or on the official race website www.raceacrossamerica.org.

(back to top) 

Personnel Actions

Job Announcements

• Civil Engineer – GS09/11 – Mat Su Field Office

• Executive Assistant – GS07/08 – Palmer State Office

Promotion

• Jeff Oatley to GS12 – Civil Engineer

• Mark Clark to GS13 – Regional Soil Scientist

Transfer

• Rick Strait – GS11/12 – Soil Scientist (Database Mgr) – from NRCS Flagstaff, AZ

(back to top)