NRCS Alaska News

November 16, 2007

 

In This Issue

Hooper Bay Community Gathers Again to Talk Trails

On November 6, more than 30 Hooper Bay community members and Sea Lion Corporation shareholders gathered together to share ideas about past, present and future ATV subsistence trails on their Native village corporation land.  Several representatives of partner organizations were also in attendance including Crystal Leonetti and Ryan Maroney of the NRCS. 

Sea Lion Corporation General Manager William Naneng and Ryan co-facilitated this bilingual meeting conducted in Yup’ik and English. 

William and Crystal both gave reports on the accomplishments of the 2006 planning and 2007 trail installation work. The first section of trail is approximately 1,970 feet in length and was installed with NRCS cost-share assistance under a 2006 WHIP contract.

Crystal then presented the routing for the trail extension of approximately 8,130 feet to be constructed in the summer of 2008. This second section of trail will also be accomplished with cost-share assistance in the form of the second largest WHIP contract in Alaska for NRCS in 2007.

Next, discussion in the meeting focused on planning for the future. US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) staff talked about developing best management practices for wildlife habitat conservation and ATV access. Elders and other community members then shared their concerns regarding the importance of developing education and trail ethics standards to protect their village corporation lands from uncontrolled ATV use.

With these challenges and opportunities in mind, a second community trail mapping exercise was conducted. Small groups illustrated their priority destinations for extension of the trail on large poster-sized maps prepared by Ted Cox of the NRCS. Group members then shared each of their trail routing ideas and provided justification to the community. Consensus was reached on a priority trail route and the Sea Lion Corporation management stated their intention to apply for a 2008 EQIP contract with NRCS to work towards this goal.

Both facilitators were happy with the results of the meeting. I was personally glad that so many people in Hooper Bay took time out of their day to come and participate in the planning process. It was also great to have so many of the partners present at this meeting. The contributions of Crystal Leonetti of NRCS, Brian McCaffery and Hollis Twitchell of USFWS, and Mike Hoffman of Association of Village Council Presidents made it a more productive and informative meeting for the public.

William Naneng commented, “We got away from the meeting that the public does want the trail extended. It seems it is all the more important that we include the public in the development of the education, ethic and management material.”

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NRCS Helps Borough Assembly Members Increase Soils Acumen

The Matanuska-Susitna Borough is one of the fastest growing areas in Alaska. A pattern of land use common in the Borough includes housing subdivision interspersed with farm fields, industrial developments, and gravel pits. Conflicts between adjacent and often incompatible land uses have becoming common in the Borough’s core area. NRCS soil scientists are active training resource folks from other agencies to more efficiently use soil survey data to better manage resources in order to minimize land use conflicts and protect public health.

During the past few months NRCS Regional Soil Scientist Mark Clark made presentations at several Borough-sponsored workshops designed to educate the Mat-Su Borough Assembly members on soil survey information and its relevance to several land-use issues.  The Assembly intends to use NRCS and other scientific data to craft several ordinances to protect farmland, control emissions for large utility generation facilities, and provide aquifer protection from associated with commercial gravel pit developments.

Soil survey information provided to the Assembly included interpretive maps illustrating the location and acreages of Farmland Soils of Local Importance within the Borough. These data are an important component in developing a strategy to protect valuable farmland in the Valley. Interpretive maps and information were also developed by the Regional Soil Scientist to illustrate the potential impacts of acid deposition from proposed coal-fired power plants on area soils and water. Soil differences in terms of their ability to adsorb and buffer acid deposits from coal-fired power plants was illustrated and described. NRCS staff also provided the Assembly maps and descriptive information regarding sand and gravel resources in the Borough. Associated with the maps were general management recommendations to minimize the hazard of groundwater contamination during gravel extraction activities and suggested reclamation practices.

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Integrated Pest Management “Rules” at Chena Hot Springs

Chena Hot Springs Garden and Greenhouse Manager Rusty Foreaker gave a special tour to students attending the “Nutrient and Pest Management Considerations in Conservation Planning” course.

While most visitors to Chena Hot Springs (roughly 56 miles northeast of Fairbanks) are drawn by the lure of soaking in the rock lined pool or by learning about how the geothermal springs provide energy, our group was more interested in the pest management techniques used by Foreaker. Students were learning about pest management and Integrated Pest Management (IPM) during the course and the tour provided a real life example of putting IPM techniques to work.   “It was just like Rusty was reading to us from the IPM handbook on the tour” reported Helen Denniston, state agronomist and course instructor.

Foreaker manages both of Chena’s greenhouses and all of the outside gardens.  The newest greenhouse has over 5,000 square feet of growing area. Tomatoes, lettuce, green beans, peppers, cucumbers, and numerous greens and herbs are grown using hydroponic techniques in the greenhouse. The plants grown in the greenhouse are used year-round at the resort’s restaurant. The smaller greenhouse is not as technically advanced as the newer one, but still provides a great growing space for testing new varieties and procedures. 

Foreaker begins his pest management program by first carefully selecting the varieties of vegetables he grows.  “Insect and disease resistance are a key factor in the varieties I select,” he said.  By selecting varieties that are more resistant to pests, he can stop some pest problems before they begin. Rusty is continually monitoring the greenhouse for signs of pest infestations and acts quickly to address any problems that arise. He uses the full spectrum of IPM methods to provide control. His second line of defense after variety selection is to maintain a clean greenhouse, limit access to the growing areas, and maintain healthy plants by adjusting the nutrient solution, temperature and growing media. He is also working to install a positive pressure system in the greenhouse to help push any insects out of the building. 

If pests reach levels that necessitate the next level of control, he begins by implementing biological control methods using beneficial insect predators, parasitoids and pathogens. “We have had a really bad greenhouse whitefly problem recently,” lamented Foreaker.  Foreaker has used Encarsia Formosa, a parasitic wasp; Delphastus pusillus, a very small, black ladybird beetle called the Whitefly Destroyer that attacks all stages of whiteflies; and fungi Beauveria bassiana and Paecilomyces fumosoroseus, fungus species that are effective against eggs, immature and adult whiteflies. Aphids, thrips and spider mites are also common pests found in the greenhouse. Foreaker has also used Coleoptera: Coccinellidae, ladybird beetles; Neuroptera: Chrysopidae, lacewings; Diptera: Syriphidae, flower flies; and predaceous midges (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae, Aphidolete aphidimyza) to help control these pests.  He routinely places 2 million beneficial nematodes, Steinernema spp., in his hydroponic watering system to control thrips and fungus gnats.  Rusty has spent a lot of time researching beneficial insects and can’t say enough about their effectiveness. 

If an infestation can’t be controlled by these methods, chemical pest control may be used to deal with the problem.  Rusty stressed that he only uses a chemical when other methods have failed and he is very choosy about the chemicals he uses on the property.  “I only use any specific chemical product two times to prevent pesticide resistance from developing” advised Foreaker. Extreme caution must be used with any chemical application but even more so with products grown for human consumption such as those produced in the greenhouse at Chena. “We are currently working with researchers to assess the effectiveness of a new systemic pest product on our tomatoes, so unfortunately, I have to toss all the tomatoes being produced at this time” stated Foreaker. 

Foreaker’s knowledge and savvy pest management methods are making the greenhouses at Chena Hot Springs the main attraction. Foreaker is definitely the “poster child” for IPM in Alaska. We left Foreaker cleaning his hand lens after using it to show us parasitic wasp emergence holes from mummified aphids.  “Who could ask for more excitement than that?” asked Denniston.

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NRCS Staff Contribute Record Amount to CFC

This year NRCS staff contributed to the Combined Federal Campaign (CFC) in an amount more than double the $5,000 goal set by the agency. The final calculation shows that a total of $10,978 was contributed by 27 individuals representing an average gift of $407 per person. Thirty eight percent of the NRCS Alaska work force in Alaska made a charitable donation during the campaign.

An additional $160 was raised from eight donors who purchased pies for the Mark Clark Pie Pummel. Most the donors to the pie pummel were former NRCS staffers who had been pied by Mark and who were happy to contribute to CFC in order to return the favor. Purchasing pies were Dan LaPlant, Chien Lu Ping, Lou Fletcher, Mark Weatherstone, Rob Sampson, Michelle Schuman, Kim Brannen, the Soils Staff and the Ecological Sciences Staff.

Adhering to his pledge to kiss a pig if his staff raised at least $5,000 for the Combined Federal Campaign (CFC), Alaska State Conservationist Bob Jones, puckered up for a porcine peck. Jones said he initially went along with the plan because the goal was higher than the $3,950 raised last year by the agency, and because he thought staff wouldn’t really be able to find a pig living in Alaska in November.

Luckily Mat-Su field office Soil Conservationist Jim Hazlett had gotten word that his NRCS customer, Al Hummel, had recently purchased three wiener pigs for his operation. The smallest of the group, named Bacon, was selected for the event because of his winning personality and incredibly kissable snout.

Alaska NRCS employees raised a grand total of $11,138 for CFC. CFC is the organized program through which federal employees (military, civilian and Postal Service) can give to charitable organizations.

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Alaska Doubles Earth Team Volunteers in FY07

Statistics just released from the national Earth Team office shows that the number of Earth Team Volunteers in Alaska grew from 33 last year to 66 in FY07. Likewise, the number of volunteer hours increased to 1,225 from 601 the previous year. Questions about Earth Team Volunteers should be directed to the state coordinator Cassandra Stalzer at 907-761-7740 or email Cassandra.stalzer@ak.usda.gov.

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Students Get Soil Facts

Dennis Moore made his annual pilgrimage to Cheryl Wilson’s three advanced natural sciences classes at Wasilla High School. Dennis, once again, challenged the students to think of something that they use in everyday life that doesn’t come directly or indirectly from soil, with the exception of moon, sun, stars, and heavenly bodies. He offered free extra credit points and a “get out of class free” card to anyone who could answer the question. After seventeen years the eminence still stands: “Everything we use in everyday life comes directly or indirectly from soil.” Hopefully the students left the class realizing that soil was important to them.

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Farm Bill Update

The farm bill impasse in the Senate seems to be ongoing after Friday’s failed cloture vote. A cloture is a motion aimed at ending debate. The Senate began debating its version of the 2007 Farm Bill on Monday, November 5, 2007. After opening statements, work on the bill was effectively halted on Tuesday when Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (NV) limited the introduction of amendments to those that are “germane,” or related, to the Farm Bill.

 The House passed its version—The Farm, Nutrition, and Bioenergy Act of 2007—in late July. The measure provided continuation of the major farm bill programs— EQIP, WHIP, WRP, CRP, FRPP, and GRP. Then, Senate Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee members met in late October to craft their version, providing for similar continuations. Both bills have major program reforms only in CSP, but do provide some policy reforms for customer service to beginning and socially disadvantaged farmers, organic and specialty crop producers and expanded grant programs.

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Continuing Resolution Extended

President Bush has signed a Continuing Resolution (CR) that gives authority for the agency to continue to operate through December 14, 2007.  This CR puts the agency at an operating level of 20.49 percent of our FY 2007 appropriated discretionary funding level.  We are currently working on revised allocations based on this CR and anticipate distribution next week. 

Personnel Actions 

Promotion

• Joe Moore, MLRA Leader, to GS14

New Hires

• Jerry Soper, Contract Specialist, Palmer, from US Army

• Tracy Christopherson, Soil Scientist, Fairbanks, from Wyoming NRCS

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