NRCS Alaska News

December 27, 2007

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In This Issue

Conservation Photo Contest Underway

The January 18 deadline for the 2007 Conservation Photo Contest is fast approaching, and a call has been issued for digital photos taken by NRCS staff and Earth Team volunteers during FY07 that are at least 300 dpi.

This year, in a not-so-subtle attempt to increase photos of NRCS staff, cost-share projects and customers, new categories have been created to accept entries that communicate EQIP Contract, WHIP Contract, Field Work, and NRCS Partners/Customers. Other categories for photo entries are Soil, Water, Plants, Air and Animals

The top photos from each topic area will be displayed in the state conservationist’s office and published in NRCS Alaska News and other publications.

Submit entries to Cassandra.stalzer@ak.usda.gov, and be sure to include your name and the topic your photo addresses on all submissions. Individual photos should be entered in only one topic area. Please submit large files or multiple submissions on CD.

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NRCS, Mat-Su Borough Project Wins Award

The International Right of Way Association (IRWA), Sourdough Chapter 49, recognized the Matanuska River Terrace Erosion Area Pilot Project as the Small Project of the Year at their annual meeting on December 8 in Anchorage. 

The Pilot Project was a partnership between NRCs and the MatSu Borough to voluntarily acquire properties at most at threat from erosion caused by the Matanuska River. Acquired properties will be managed permanently by the Borough as part of the active floodplain and will be restricted from any future development.

Dedicated exclusively to the right of way profession, IRWA has nearly 10,000 members throughout the U.S. and Canada. Its members are multi-disciplined professionals employed by private industry and government agencies as Acquisition Agents, Appraisers, Environment Professionals, Engineers and surveyor.

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National Water and Climate Center Staff Visit Alaska

Water and Climate Center Director Mick Strobel, Information Systems Team Leader Laurel Grimsted, Water and Climate Monitoring Team Leader Garry Schaffer, and Hydrologist Tony Tolsdorf traveled to Alaska In October to discuss the upgrade of the Alaska Snow Telemetry (SNOTEL) master station and see the operation of two Alaska SNOTEL sites

The master station is jointly owned by the Corp of Engineers, Bureau of Land Management and the National Weather Service-River Forecast Center (NWS-RFC).  Plans are to upgrade the 30-year-old master station in the next 2 to 3 years as funds become available.

Garry and Tony traveled to Fairbanks to maintain SCAN sites at Nenana, Tok and Ward’s Farm near Delta Junction.

Mike and Laurel visited the Independence Mine SNOTEL site that is cooperatively run with the NWS-RFC. NRCS supplies most of the sensors and the NWS-RFC telemeters the data. 

Alaska State Conservationist Bob Jones traveled to the Kenai Mountains to visit the Summit Creek SNOTEL site with the group. The Summit Creek SNOTEL site was installed in September 1989 in cooperation with the Alaska DOT & PF avalanche controllers and the Chugach National Forest.  The equipment was originally installed on Andy Simons Mountain above Kenai Lake in about 1985 and the equipment was moved to its current location in 1989.

The Alaska DOT & PF continues to take winter observations of the sensors at the site.  The data from the site can be viewed at http://www.ak.nrcs.usda.gov/Snow/index.html

The Summit Creek SNOTEL site was upgraded this year with the installation of a new shelter and concrete footings.  New Soil moisture/Soil temperature probes were installed by NRCS Soil Scientist Mark Clark at the 2”, 8” and 20” depth and a Soil Characterization description will be provided by the National Soils Lab in Lincoln, NE.

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Yakutat Tlingit Tribe to Form Tribal District

In Resolution 2007-15, the Yakutat Tlingit Tribe unanimously supported the resolution to establish the Yakutat Tribal Conservation District (YTCD). Once formed, the YTCD would become the second tribal conservation district in Alaska following the Tyonek Tribal Conservation District which formed in 2005.

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Homer Students Learn to Survey

NRCS Civil Engineer Jeff Rypka and Soil Conservationist Craig Sanders recently spent time with the Homer High School Natural Resources class teaching them about surveying and GPS. In a classroom setting, the students learned about different types of survey instruments and how they are used for different types of surveys. In particular, they learned about how automatic levels work, how to read the grade rod, and how to survey bench level loops and profiles/cross sections. It took a while, but they finally figured out that the backsight (BS) is added to the known elevation to compute the height of the instrument (HI), and that the foresight (FS) is subtracted from the HI to compute the elevation of the surveyed point. Once they had that down, the fun began.

Craig had located a few points in the neighborhood with the GPS and the students went out and located the waypoints with their own handheld GPS.  Jeff, with the assistance of Conservation Technician Rick Pierson, laid out a survey course and the students broke up into two groups and each completed the bench level survey consisting of two benchmarks and three turning points. Unbelievably, both groups completed the loop with less than 0.1 foot of error, and one group came in with only 0.01 foot error!  Maybe there are some future NRCS survey technicians down there. However, it wasn’t all fun-and-games as Jeff assigned homework requiring the students to reduce a set of survey notes and to hand draw contours for a 20 point surveyed grid, which the students grudgingly completed.  All-in-all it was a good experience for both the students and the instructors.

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Funds Offered for Conservation Innovation

Alaska State Conservationist Bob Jones has announced that Alaskans are eligible to compete for $20 million in Conservation Innovation Grants (CIG) for the development of innovative conservation technologies in conjunction with the production of food and fiber. 

Grants will be awarded through a nationwide competitive grants process for single- or multi-year projects, not to exceed three years. Applications will be accepted from all eligible entities including federally-recognized tribes, state and local governments, non-governmental organizations and individuals.

Two CIG categories are available to Alaskans in FY 2008:

CIG will fund projects targeting innovative on-the-ground conservation, including pilot projects and field demonstrations. An example of a successful Alaska application is the project awarded last year to a Kodiak rancher to help producers manage and conserve natural resources on grazed islands in the Aleutians by providing economically viable method to harvest livestock on-site rather than attempting to move animals to market on the hoof.

Applicants must send their proposal and budget information by February 8, 2008, to Bob Jones, Alaska State Conservationist, NRCS, 800 W Evergreen Ave, Suite 100, Palmer AK  99645.  While proposals will be judged by a national panel, each needs letter of review by the Alaska State Conservationist to be eligible. 

To view the complete Announcement of Program Funding, visit: http://www.gpoaccess.gov/fr/index.html. Enter NRCS in the Quick Search box, then click on the Submit button. On the Search Results page, look for fr17de07N Conservation Innovation Grants Fiscal Year 2008 Announcement. To apply electronically visit: http://www.grants.gov/.

Questions about CIG can be answered by Tom Hedt, Assistant State Conservationist for Programs at Thomas.hedt@ak.usda.gov or by calling 761-7757.

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Designated Conservationists Announced

The following individuals have been assigned Designated Conservationists for the Field Office Service Areas. As changes occur, Acting Designated Conservationist updates will be issued.

Anchorage Service Center - Joe White

Bethel Service Center - Jim Helm

Copper Center Service Center - Catherine Hadley

Delta Junction Service Center - Catherine Hadley

Dillingham Service Center - Craig Sanders

Fairbanks Service Center - Joanne Kuykendall

Homer Service Center - Mark Kinney

Juneau Service Center - Samia Savell

Kenai Service Center - Meg Mueller

Kodiak Service Center - Mark Kinney

Mat-Su Service Center (Wasilla and Upper Su SWCD) - Chet Fitzgerald

Nome Service Center - Jim Helm

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2008 Soil Planners Available from State Office

The 2008 Soil Planners arrived in the State Office this week and are available for distribution to field offices or individuals. The 2008 Planners have the theme “Soils Under the Microscope” and feature soil particles magnified up to 10,000 times. Contact cassandra.stalzer@ak.usda.gov with requests for the planners.

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Public Meeting Scheduled for Delta Clearwater Watershed Project

The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) is hosting a public meeting to gather testimony about the future of the Delta Clearwater Watershed Project. The meeting will be held January 16 at 6:30 p.m. in the Community Center, 2288 Deborah Street, Delta Junction.

The Delta Clearwater Watershed Project was undertaken to protect important fish rearing habitat in the Clearwater River from flooding and erosion. Early in the construction of the project, problems with soil infiltration caused progress on the project to halt. Following an extensive engineering assessment, NRCS and the project sponsors are considering options for concluding the project that include stabilizing the existing structure, restoring the site, or erecting new flood control measures.

Sponsors of the Delta Clearwater Watershed Project are the Salcha-Delta Soil and Water Conservation District, and the State of Alaska Departments of Fish and Game, Environmental Conservation, and Natural Resources.

 Written comments can also be submitted to the NRCS Delta Junction Field Office located in the Jarvis Office Center, PO Box 547, Delta Junction, AK 99737. Call the NRCS Delta Junction Field Office at 895-4241 with questions or to request additional information.

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Three Appointed to Natural Resources Conservation and Development Board

The five-member board, comprised of land users from around the state, makes recommendations to the commissioner of the Alaska Department of Natural Resources on the orderly development of agricultural, forest and grazing land in the state. It also makes recommendations on the use or disposal of land and resources, represents the state in local, federal, state soil and water conservation programs, and serves as the board of directors for the Alaska District Soil & Water Conservation Board, for areas not organized into local conservation districts.

Fisler, of Kasilof, recently retired from a 28-year career with the Alaska Department of Natural Resources, as a ranger on the Kenai Peninsula and chief ranger on the Kenai River. She worked as a natural resources specialist and the department’s representative on the multi-agency Kenai River Center. Fisler and her family live on her husband’s family’s historical homestead and farm near Tustemena Lake. She has won numerous public service awards from the Soldotna Chamber of Commerce, the Kenai River Sportfishing Association, the Alaska State Troopers’ Bureau of Wildlife Enforcement and the Department of Natural Resources. She is a graduate of the Anchorage Municipal Police Academy. She was appointed to a seat reserved for a resident of Southwest Alaska or the Kenai Peninsula.

Parsons Renfrew, of Trapper Creek, raises and sells horses, sheep, chickens, pigs and hay. She works as a special education teacher for the Anchorage School District. She was district manager of the Upper Susitna Soil & Water Conservation district from 2004-07. She earned an associate’s degree in food hospitality and a bachelor’s degree in technology from the University of Alaska, Fairbanks. She holds Alaska teaching and special education certificates. She was appointed to a seat reserved for a resident of Southcentral Alaska.

Thompson, of Nome, owns a greenhouse business and raises rabbits and sheep. She teaches sub-arctic horticulture and gardening as an adjunct instructor at the Northwest Campus of the University of Alaska, Fairbanks and at the University’s Cooperative Extension Service in Nome. Thompson conducts an annual tour of area gardens for local horticulturalists. She earned a bachelor’s degree in microbiology from the University of Nebraska. She was appointed to a seat reserved for a resident of Northwest or Arctic Alaska.

The new board members join existing board members Bernie Karl of Fairbanks and George Woodbury of Wrangell.

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New Guidelines on NRCS Logo Use

I receive questions and requests throughout the year regarding the use of the NRCS logo.  Based on new visual information guidelines for NRCS, here are some logo guidelines.

The “NRCS symbol” is the water drop, the letters NRCS, and the name of the agency spelled out below. Use of the NRCS symbol by itself is appropriate for internal items.

Materials for a public audience – and especially print publications - should feature the “NRCS Signature.” The combination of the NRCS symbol and name with the USDA symbol and name is referred to as the signature.  The proportions and relationships of these elements and the manner of their display are fixed by design. Do no re-create them in any manner.

The top graphic represents the NRCS symbol, the bottom one the NRCS signature. If you are unsure of the appropriate use, or need electronic versions of either of these graphics, email me at cassandra.stalzer@ak.usda.gov.

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