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Kansas Highlights - April 2006Inside this Issue:
Soil Survey of Stevens County Now Available on Compact Disc
The CD will be particularly useful to farmers and developers. Users can simply click on the data they would like to see, including aerial photography, roads, towns, slopes, drainage, soil types, and crop yields. "This tool gives a broad view of soil conditions for planning purposes," said Warner. "It is a land-use planning tool so development and farming can be done in a way that is environmentally responsible." Until now soil survey maps, which help landowners and land-use professionals make informed land-use decisions, were only available in printed form. The CD, which offers many advantages over printed soil surveys, was a cooperative project among Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas NRCS offices. Warner added that Kansas has soil survey information available in the same format for Geary, Brown, Morton, and Reno counties. Stevens County's computerized soil survey information is certified and is available through the Stevens County Conservation District. Submitted by: Sheila Forrester, Visual Information Specialist, Salina Kingman County USDA Service Center Receives 2005 Conservation Organization of the Year Award
The program, commonly referred to as "field borders," develops permanent herbaceous habitat along cropland edges for bobwhite quail and other upland bird species. Through a national effort, FSA introduced the field borders and NRCS provided the technical assistance to create 250,000 acres of CP33 habitat buffers in 35 states. Kansas was allotted 20,000 acres of CP33 field borders and acres were divided into two priority areas. From the beginning of the signup period on October 1, 2004, until present, the Kingman County USDA Service Center has 131 signed contracts enrolling 2,585 acres of CP33's. This is 13 percent of the total statewide acres in one county. This not only leads the state in number of contracts and acres but also leads the nation! Several factors have made this program so successful for the Kingman County USDA Service Center, but by far the main reason is the cooperation, teamwork, and dedication. They deserve recognition not only for conservation work, but also for setting USDA Service Centers to higher standards. Greg Weaver, FSA County Executive Director; Fred Tiesmeyer, KCCD Chairman; and Clint Evans, NRCS District Conservationist were present to receive the award in Manhattan, Kansas. Jeff Rue, Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks Biologist, nominated the Service Center for this award. Submitted by Clint Evans, Resource Conservationist, Salina Marion County Addresses Water Quality
Peggy Blackman, Coordinator of Marion Watershed Restoration and Protection Strategy (WRAPS) has been leading the initiative to address sediment and blue-green algae issues that has been plaguing the reservoir for years now. Blackman emphasized the importance of Marion Reservoir, not just as the county's water source but for tourism. She said there were 415,000 people who visited the reservoir in 2000, spending millions of dollars. "Several years ago, it was determined that our nation was losing 6.4 billion tons of soil each year," said Blackman. The soil or sediment could fill 320 million dump trucks, and if parked end to end, could extend to the moon and three-fourths back. "This soil was blown into the air where it polluted the environment or washed into lakes and rivers,” she said. "Currently it is estimated that Marion Reservoir is filling with 250 acre feet of silt each year which is the equivalence of 250 football fields." To combat this erosion, area farmers have participated in applying best management practices (BMPs). BMPs are effective, practical, structural or nonstructural methods which prevent or reduce the movement of sediment, nutrients, pesticides, and other pollutants from the land to surface or ground water. According to Blackman, 99 BMPs have been implemented since 2003. These include:
Marion County NRCS has received recognition by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment and the Kansas Water Office for the Marion Reservoir WRAPS project as being very successful. The Marion Reservoir is commended for the implementation of BMPs within the watershed to address water quality of the area and the reservoir. Gary Schuler, NRCS District Conservationist; Dale Ehlers, NRCS Soil Conservation Technician; Douglas Svitak, NRCS Soil Technician; and Douglas Spencer, NRCS Rangeland Management Specialist, worked to assist the producers in the development of the required conservation plan, implementation, and inspection of conservation practices on this WRAPS project. Submitted by Sheila Forrester, Visual Information Specialist, Salina Klein's Hurricane Detail ExperienceOn December 7, 2005, I was notified that I had been selected to assist the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in its disaster recovery program. The very next day I was on a plane to one of my most worthwhile and enjoyable endeavors of my career. I first reported to FEMA's Florida Long-Term Recovery (FLTR) intake facility/training center in Orlando, Florida. The intake facility is used for registration, badge issuance, orientation, training, and deployment. You are also given injections that may be required to go into disaster-related areas. The FLTR center can process as many as 1,000 disaster assistance employees in one day. The training center deployed people to Katrina, Rita, Wilma, and a new disaster; the tornadoes in Indiana. The intake group I was with was offered options in the Disaster Recovery Center's (DRC) in Indiana, Miami, areas north of Miami, and Naples, Florida. I was assigned to Naples, Florida, and later learned the eye of Hurricane Wilma passed right over Naples and also spawned many tornadoes. Disaster assistance employees came from other federal agencies, such as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Small Business Administration, Social Security, Federal Aviation Administration, U.S. Patent and Trademark, USDA Grain Inspection Service, as well as the Peace Corps, Volunteer Firefighters, and a dedicated corps of people from all over the U.S. The DRC's not only have FEMA workers but workers from unemployment agencies, Small Business Administration, Project Hope, Corps of Engineers. Social workers and interpreters for both Spanish and Creole speaking customers also assist the DRC. The Naples' center was initially slow but we soon had 70 to 120 customers per day. We performed community relations work outside the DRC for several days. This consisted of distributing information to the public and local government officials about FEMA benefits for hurricane victims. My assignment in the DRC was to provide individual assistance to customers to register and/or do queries in FEMA's database on a computer, then route them to other assistance programs as needed. I met people with family roots in many different states and countries. Florida is a true melting pot, and I really enjoyed the cultural diversity. I met many good people in a bad situation. Some of their stories would break even the toughest of individuals. The workers in the DRC were fantastic and always made sure no customer was ever left wandering or wondering. Naples is a beautiful location with nearly perfect weather. I was fortunate to get to stay in a hotel. This, however, is not always the case. In other disaster situations, FEMA employees have slept in tents or bunched up in hotel rooms. They have had rugged working conditions because of scarce resources. I recommend this duty to anyone that enjoys a challenge and working in diverse situations. I found it rewarding and challenging. Although FEMA has received some bad press, it should never be confused with the commitment, sense of service, and responsibility that the front line workers have towards those affected by the disasters. I am proud to have been a part of the FEMA disaster recovery effort and the service my DRC provided in Florida. Submitted by Ron Klein, District Conservationist, Lyons Vehicle Fire SafetyIn the United States, 1 out of 5 fires involves motor vehicles; approximately 600 people are killed each year from motor vehicle fires. Whenever we go to the field to plan or stake out conservation practices, we encounter a variety of field conditions, and there's always the potential of starting a fire. The primary fire hazard areas on your vehicle are the engine compartment, muffler, exhaust pipe, and the catalytic converter. Most of these areas are easily located. The catalytic converter, a part of the exhaust system, is between the engine and muffler on the underside of the vehicle, usually beneath the passenger seat. It resembles a muffler in shape. Fires can start from flammable vegetation, such as dry grass, crop stubble, or weeds caught in a vehicle's hot metal exhaust pipe, muffler, catalytic converter and shield, or engine compartment. Any motor vehicle exhaust can become hot enough to start a fire in dry grass or stubble even under normal conditions. The following are some tips to help avoid a fire:
REMEMBER THAT YOU CAN NEVER BE TOO CAUTIOUS! If there is a fire, shut the vehicle off immediately and get yourself and all others away from the vehicle. Grab your fire extinguisher on your way out. If you forget the extinguisher, don’t go back after it unless the fire is extremely small or confined to an area well away from the cab. Never put yourself in danger using a fire extinguisher or attempt to get back into a burning vehicle for any reason. Stay away from the burning vehicle. If you do use a fire extinguisher, only do so from a safe distance and always have a way to get away. After you are a safe distance from the vehicle, call the fire department. Always think safety and remember that you can never be too cautious! Submitted by Ray Colglazier, Soil Conservation Technician, Kinsley No Privacy Rights When it Comes To Government ComputersThroughout the day, each of us constantly use government telephones, computers, and other office equipment. At times, our use of government property crosses the line from business into personal use. For example, an employee who has dropped the car off at an auto repair shop may call to inquire whether the repairs have been completed. Or a parent may return a call to the school nurse to make arrangements to pick up a sick child from school. Some employees use their computers to receive and send personal e-mail. So, the question often arises--when is it permissible for federal employees to use government equipment for personal use? As a general rule, limited personal use of government equipment is authorized by Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). However, there are some important points to remember:
An important point to remember is that federal employees have no privacy rights when it comes to government computers. This is a crucial point. The use of government office equipment is not secure, private, or anonymous. This means that any use of a government computer--or any other government equipment for that matter--can be monitored, recorded, archived, retrieved, or researched by the government. A number of federal employees have gotten themselves into serious trouble because they were not aware of this fact. One of the best ways the agency can drive home this point is by setting up those annoying pop-up screens that appear each time you log on. That pop-up screen puts you on notice that you should not have any expectation of privacy when using the agency's computer system. Submitted by Jane Medina, Human Resources Manager, Salina What's HappeningMay – American Wetlands Month May 29 – Holiday – Memorial Day July 4 – Holiday – Independence Day July 23 – 26 – 2006 Soil and Water Conservation Society (SWCS), National Meeting, Keystone Resort, Colorado Last Modified: 11/30/2006 |
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A
new digitized soil survey of Stevens County that allows for easy access to
information about soils and other natural and cultural resources is now
available on compact disc (CD), according to John Warner, Soil Survey Data
Quality Specialist, Soil Survey and Major Land Resource Area (MLRA) Staff, NRCS,
Salina, Kansas. The CD’s PDF format is compatible with most home or office
computers. 
The
Kingman County USDA Service Center, including the Kingman County Farm Service
Agency (FSA), Kingman County Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Field
Office, and the Kingman County Conservation District (KCCD), was recently
recognized for its joint efforts in the promotion and delivery of the Continuous
Conservation Reserve Program (CCRP) CP33 Habitat Buffers for Upland Birds. 
We
turn on a water faucet and expect clean, clear water to flow. Cities have spent
millions of dollars making improvements to water plants to assure water quality.
That same assurance is being done by the Marion County Conservation District and
Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) personnel along with county and
state officials regarding water quality at the Marion Reservoir. 
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