NRCS Alaska News

February 26, 2008

Click Here to View Archive Editions

 

In This Issue

Alaska RC&D Coordinator Shares in National Conservation Award

The Hooper Bay Alaska Subsistence ATV Trail Project Partnership has been recognized as a 2008 recipient of the Department of Interior (DOI) Cooperative Conservation Award. The project was nominated for the award by Lisa Hozapfel from the National Park Service, and RC&D Coordinator Ryan Maroney will receive an individual award for his leadership in the project. NRCS has provided both technical assistance and cost share assistance to the project.

An award ceremony will take place at Monday, April 21 in Washington, DC. And will be followed by a two-day Cooperative Conservation workshop. Each member organization of the Partnership will receive an award certificate and, in addition to Ryan, individual awards will be presented to William Naneng, Sea Lion Corporation and Mike Reardon and Doug Staller, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Representatives of the Partnership will be asked to speak at the workshop, sharing their "experiences and best practices for collaboration and partnering to achieve conservation outcomes." Additional guidance on the presentations will be forthcoming from DOI.

There were 21 cooperative conservation projects selected for awards this year including the Matanuska Susitna Salmon Habitat Partnership.

(Back to top)

NRCS Launches Awareness Campaign at NACD Conference

Chief Arlen L. Lancaster launched “Conservation…Our Purpose. Our Passion.” during the National Association of Conservation Districts annual meeting in Reno, Nevada, on February 12, 2008.  This campaign is designed to tell the NRCS story through the conservation successes of landowners and field employees. 

One of the first components of the campaign is a DVD focused on eight featured customers that headquarters felt represent the diversity and scope of our conservation work – and personifies our shared purpose and passion for conservation. The video and other campaign materials can be viewed at www.nrcs.usda.gov/feature/ourpurpose .

Alaska will participate in the campaign by posting success stories on its website and seeking media placements of stories about the benefits created by NRCS and its work with private landowners. Have ideas for how your office can participate or be featured in the campaign? Contact Public Affairs Specialist Cassandra Stalzer at cassandra.stalzer@ak.usda.gov or call 761-7749.

(Back to top)

USDA PLANTS Database has Alaska Updates

USDA maintains the PLANTS Database (www.plants.usda.gov) to provide standardized information about the vascular plants, mosses, liverworts, hornworts, and lichens of the U.S. and its territories. The database was recently overhauled and includes much new and revised information relevant to Alaska including borough level distribution data with 90,000 herbarium records created in collaborative effort with the University of Alaska,.

Other changes include:

• Checklist: Over 30,000 revisions have been made to the taxonomic backbone to meet current NRCS data standards.
• Canada: In cooperation with Dr. Luc Brouillet, Universitè de Montrèal, province level data have been added to provide you with a more complete picture of the species in North America.  Dr. Brouillet also provided data for Greenland and the islands of Saint-Pierre and Miquelon.
• Map: The map and its functionality have been updated to reflect North America with links to access maps illustrating nativity. You can click the “View Native Status” link below left of the distributional map to view a native status map on the Plant Profile.
• Native Status: PLANTS native status has been completely reworked to better assist the field. Native in PLANTS previously meant that it was native to the somewhere in the U.S. or its Caribbean territories. Now nativity can apply to various jurisdictions, such as, the lower 48 states, Alaska, Hawaii, or Puerto Rico.  The nativity maps use blue (native) and gray (introduced) colors  Please consult the Native Status link on the Plant Profile for further definitions. 
• Images: 8,000 images have been added to PLANTS.
• Alternative Crop: The data in this module have been updated.

(Back to top)

Alaska Plant Spotlight

Can you identify this very common plant?   Hint:  the scientific name is Chamerion angustifolium (L.) Holub ssp. Angustifolium   

Symbol: CHANA2                              

Group: Dicot

Family: Onagraceae

Duration: Perennial

Growth Habit: Forb/herb

Status: Native (in AK)

Wetland Status: Facultative Upland

General: Erect perennial from rhizome-like roots, stems usually unbranched, 0.3 - 2 m tall or taller, upper part often purplish and short-hairy.

Leaves: Alternate, narrowly lance-shaped, 5-15 cm long, slightly paler and veiny below.

Flowers: More than 15 in long clusters at stem tips; pink to purple, 1.5-3.5 cm across; 4 petals; bract below each flower.

Fruits:  Linear seed pods (capsules), green to red, 4-10 cm long; split lengthwise to release 100s of seeds with fluffy, white tufts of hair.

For many folks, the scientific name and symbol would be enough to identify this plant. However, as I recently found out when updating the Alaska Plant List, plant taxonomists have been working hard to make even the most well known plant names a challenge!  I am sure this image will reveal this plant’s identity:

Fireweed is no longer Epilobium angustifolium (EPAN).  This seems trivial to most, but for those of us in the plant world of Latin names, this is quite a shocker! 

Fireweed is common throughout Alaska and Canada, Minnesota, Montana, Washington and Wyoming. It is listed as endangered in Indiana, Ohio and a species of concern in Tennessee. Fireweed grows in open woods, burned over forests, waste ground and roadsides. Fireweed is one of the first plants to colonize after a fire. It spreads rapidly by seed and by underground networks of rhizomes, and is often very important in controlling erosion of disturbed areas. Soon after World War II, in which bombs leveled much of London, fireweed appeared in the heart of the city for the first time in generations. 

Fireweed is very high in vitamins A and C, and can be eaten raw or in a tea. The plants or their roots have been used as poultices on sores and wounds, and dried plants have been powdered and used to stop bleeding. Alaska Natives took fireweed tea to relieve stomachaches. The flowers make a colorful addition to salads, but usually the young tender plants and later the leaves were eaten like other greens, either cooked and served with butter and seasoning or added to soups and stews. The Dena'ina  mixed cooked plants with the food for their dogs.

Because of its abundance and long flowering season, fireweed is an important source of nectar for honeybees although fireweed plays a minor role for food for large and small mammals.

To find out more about the PLANTS Database at www.plants.usda.gov

Meanwhile, Rick Strait, our Database Genius, and I are updating the Alaska Plants List, which contains over 3,000 common species.  Stay tuned for more information about the use of this list and how to access it.

(Back to top)

NRCS Soils Information Featured at “Green Planning” Event

On February 12^th, Soil Scientist, Dennis Mulligan spoke at the Strategic “Land-Use and Transportation Planning Using a Sustainable Infrastructure Approach” workshop in Fairbanks.

The event focused on sustainable or “Green” approaches for land use planning, conservation and development. This workshop was sponsored by The Conservation Fund, US Fish and Wildlife Service, Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities, Fairbanks North Star Borough, Fairbanks Soil and Water Conservation District, Fairbanks Fish and Wildlife Field Office, and the US Environmental Protection Agency.

The audience included interested parties from the national, state, and local and levels as well as those from the private sector.

Dennis focused on the importance of considering soils in these planning activities as well as introducing this diverse group to the relatively new tools and technology for soil information delivery. He provided descriptions of both Web Soil Survey and Soil Data Mart and gave a brief walk through of each application.

Overall, the new data delivery methods got positive reviews but there were a couple that wanted to cling to the old paper publications.

(Back to top)

To Be, Or Not To Be, A Hydrophyte

What would seem to be a simple question is, in reality, quite complex. Attendees of last week’s meeting of the National Technical Committee for Wetland Vegetation (NTCWV) in Norfolk, Virginia found themselves frequently debating an answer to the question “what is a hydrophyte?”

The NTCWV was established to evaluate various technical and scientific vegetation topics following the increased awareness of numerous wetland vegetation technical issues brought forth in the process of the regionalization of the US Army Corps of Engineers (COE) 1987 Wetland Manual.

The committee consists of 17 permanent members composed of botanists and plant ecologists with a nationwide geographic representation among the agencies and universities. Federal agencies are represented by two regional botanists or plant ecologists from the COE, US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), and one each from the Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management. At least six members represent universities from different geographic areas in the nation.

Some of the tasks and responsibilities of the NTCWV is to:

• Provide technical leadership in the evaluation and application of hydrophytic vegetation as used in wetland delineation and other issues;

• Review technical sampling, study design, and calculation methods for hydrophytic vegetation;

• Refine and maintain vegetation sampling protocols;

• Address, research and provide recommendations to the COE Wetland Manual National Advisory Team (NAT) on wetland vegetation issues and concerns; and

• Make recommendations for needed research.

The second annual meeting of the NTCWV was hosted last week by Old Dominion University and the Norfolk Botanical Garden. Members representing the COE, USFWS, NRCS, EPA, Old Dominion University, Colorado State University, State University of New York, and Stephen F. Austin State University attended the meeting.

This year NAT asked the committee to define, formulate, and suggest solutions to three subjects that have been problematic nationwide.  These are:

• Morphological Adaptation Indicators;

• Vegetation Sampling Techniques and specifically, Strata; and

• Growing Season.

All three subjects produced challenging and lively discussion often leaving members with more questions than answers.

This discussion continued as we left the confines of the classroom and visited the Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge located in southeastern Virginia and northeastern North Carolina.  It was established in 1974 to protect the swamp’s 111,000 acres of unique forested wetlands ecosystem.

As we toured the Refuge it reminded me again of how important our task is. The Dismal is higher than the surrounding countryside, on a hillside at least 20 feet above sea level, and is known as one of the few places on the North American Continent where peat is being formed. However, due to a lack of consistent rain, (many of the places we visited should have been inaccessible due to standing water) the peat depth is decreasing noticeably.

One of the ongoing tasks is to encourage participation by academics on the committee.  If there is anyone from the academic community in Alaska that is interested in becoming a member of the NTCWV, contact Michelle Shuman at michelle.shuman@ak.usda.gov or at 761-7781.

(Back to top)

Science Fair Judging at Joy Elementary School

It’s science fair time once again!  Every year, the faculty of Joy Elementary School seek out those with a background in science to participate as judges for the dozens of science projects, presentations, and demonstrations put together by the students. Chris Savastio teamed up with George Hitz of the Fairbanks Soil and Water Conservation District to represent the Fairbanks office at this year’s event. 

The entries covered a wide range of subject matter, from a homemade robot to the ever classic erupting papier-mâché volcano. Other students chose to run experiments, including a student who developed an innovative test for determining swiftness of reflexes (she was proud to point out that her father scored the highest among her many trials).

One of the judges’ favorite projects was an insect collection which had been shabbied up over the course of three years. It was very attractively presented and expertly researched.  The student was very well versed on his subject matter and is sure to become one of the great entomologists of our time. This project was one of many which will surely make the cut for the district-wide science fair later in the school year. 

Many thanks to the faculty, staff and students at Joy Elementary School for making this a fun and memorable experience for the science fair judges again this year. 

Girl Scouts Explore Groundwater Conservation

As a part of the Girl Scout "World Thinking Day" event, the Homer Field Office demonstrated a ground water flow model to Brownie Troop 260 in Homer. The girls were able to watch how pollutants (modeled by colored water) move through the ground and can enter streams and water aquifers. They were impressed to see the polluted water drawn out of the wells in the model and discussed the effects it can have, not only on their own drinking water, but on streams and lakes as well. They discussed where the pollutants can come from in real life, including leaky fuel tanks, landfills, and even automobile oil changes that might occur in their own driveways. These budding conservationists then led a lively discussion on the importance of picking up trash and their outdoor experiences at the nearby Anchor River. 

(Back to top)

Personnel Actions

Resignation

• Cassidee Hall, Soil Conservationist, Fairbanks, effective March 12, 2008

Vacancies

Back to Alaska NRCS Intranet