MLRA REGION 10 NEWSLETTER--FEBRUARY 1, 1999

          TREASURE UNCOVERED IN LACROSSE, WISCONSIN BASEMENT

While  cleaning out the basement of the La Crosse, Wisconsin, County 
Courthouse in preparation for a move, Steve Kluess, NRCS district 
conservationist, came across a rarity and a mystery.  He found two 
hand-crafted cases, dated 1916, labeled "Major Soils of the 
Western Region and Eastern Provinces of the United States."  
Inside was a collection of about 80 small glass vials containing 
samples of soil from across the U.S.  

The Bureau of Soils was formed in 1899, and by 1916 soil surveys 
were just getting underway in a few areas of the country.  This 
collection may be the first and only of its kind.  Steve contacted 
Duane Simonson, Soil Survey Project Leader in Richland Center, and 
presented him with his find.  

Duane did a little investigating to try and find out why a rare 
collection of American soils would be buried on a shelf in the La 
Crosse County Courthouse and how long it has been there.  No 
current or retired soil scientists in the State had ever heard of 
it or anything like it.  There were no papers or letters referring 
to it in La Crosse.  One might conjecture that the nearby Coon 
Creek Watershed Demonstration site, the first large-scale erosion 
control project in the country in 1935, may have something to do 
with it.  La Crosse was also the site of a USDA Experimental 
Station working on erosion control, also in the 1930's.  

Recovering this historic collection could not have been more 
timely. The year 1999 is the centennial year of the soil 
survey.  NRCS is celebrating a Soil Survey Centennial to help 
people learn about soil.  Wisconsin has contributed the Soils 
Collection to the Centennial for display around the country during 
1999.  No more dusty courthouse basements for this treasure of 
soils. 

From NRCS This Week

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     ALL SOIL SCIENTISTS HAVE A ROLE IN MAINTAINING THE NASIS DATA

I have returned to the office after visiting several offices this week.
This is the first of a series of messages that I am writing.  So, don't
get too disgusted.

I have received a couple of comments from the Technical Soil Scientists
about their role in the application and use of NASIS.  I wanted to address
the importance of ALL soil scientists learning how to use the computer
and how to use NASIS.

As everyone is aware, the published surveys are aging.  In order to
"update" these surveys, we must have evaluations.  NASIS is a tool that
we use to document all work that is completed in the survey area.  There
are two methods in which I see we can evaluate a survey:
1.  Devoting full time to running transects, road checking, and gathering
information from appeals, errors, etc. and analyzing and compiling this
data to complete a written record of the survey evaluation.
2.  Maintaining a historical record of each account that the soil scientist
visits the survey area.  Then, document what was found, what
improvements will be needed, and/or the overall quality of the soil survey
information.  

IF, each one of us would use NASIS to document ALL on site
evaluations, we would develop a historical record to the survey area. 
Your notes can be printed out and attached to a cover letter.  This
provides the user your comments on the site, it provide the Field Office
your documentation and it provides the National Cooperative Soil Survey
(5, 6, 8 or 10 years down the road) one location to get your thoughts and
ideas of the survey as it existed  when you were at the site.

Okay, reason 1 for using NASIS - survey/onsite documentation

Reason 2  Verification of the data

You are responsible for the data we provide to the public.  Is it correct? 
Are the properties populated?  Are the interpretations justifiable?  Is the
FOTG up to date?

If a governmental agency in your area asked for an interpretation of the
soils in the area, do we have the properties needed to develop the
interpretation?

I just want you to be aware that the NASIS database is not like the old
State Soil Survey Database.  The State Office does not "own" and
"develop" the database.  NASIS is owned and managed by all soil
scientists.  It is our job to populate, test, verify and develop the
information in NASIS .

Contributed by Paul Finnell (MLRA Region 5) <prf@ks.nrcs.usda.gov>

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               SECURITY ON THE NASIS COMPUTER

In addition to the security built into the NASIS software,
the UNIX operating system on the NASIS computer in MLRA 10
has additional security features that have been activated
(at the recommenation  of the IT staff in Ft. Collins).
Apparently, computer hackers have been successful in gaining
access to government computers that have limited security
features.

The security features that affect most users are:

1. Three failed attempts to log in will inactivate your
account--this means three in a row, not three failures over
the course of several days, weeks, or months. Failed login
attempts usually result from mistyped logins or passwords.
Also, please remember that UNIX is case sensitive, so that
if you type QWERTY for your login, and it's really qwerty,
then QWERTY is incorrect.

When an account is made inactive, it means that the user
cannot log into the NASIS computer even if the login and
password are typed correctly. Inactivation does not alter
the user's data, files, directories, etc.

Reactivation can be achieved by contacting myself or one of
two St. Paul IT staff members [Rich Dougherty (1-651-602
7904) or Cathy McCormick (1-651-602-7906)]. It's about a 60
second procedure.

2. Password aging is set to 6 months. In other words, if you
do not change your password at least once every six months,
UNIX will disable your account. You will receive a warning
30 days before your password expires--this warning comes
when you log in to the NASSSSIS computer, not via e-mail or
other means. 

However, many of you obtain access to NASIS by automated
procedures that do not require entry of a password, nor
provide you an opportunity to periodically change your
password. In these situations, there are two choices--you
can contact your system administrator to alter your access
procedure to provide you a prompt on the NASIS computer
(from which you can change your password), or you can
contact myself or one of two St. Paul IT staff members [Rich
Dougherty (1-651-602-7904) or Cathy McCormick (1-651-602
7906)] to enable your account--it's about a 60 second
procedure.

3. The IP address of your computer must appear on the list
that the NASIS computer maintains. If it does, you will be
able to login, use telnet, use ftp, and execute remote
commands. If this address is not on the list, access to the
NASIS computer is completely denied--you will not be able to
obtain any kind of prompt or obtain access to NASIS. 

These IP numbers are entered on the list when your login is
established on the NASIS computer. The only time this may
affect you is if you attempt to access NASIS from another
computer whose IP address does not appear on the list.

Prepared by John Handler <jfh@mn.nrcs.usda.gov>

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                 COMMONLY ASKED NASIS QUESTIONS

Commonly asked questions, and some I have asked myself

1.  How can I edit the texture?  The field is protected!

    Yes the field labled Tex Mod & Class [in the Horizon
Texture Group Table] is protected and can not be edited.

    You must go downtable one more time [to the Horizon
Texture Table].  The result is a field called Texture.  This
field can be edited.  After you put the correct texture code
in this field, put you cursor under the S in the Horizon
texture Group.

The next step is to go to Options - Calculate Data Elements
- Texture Group Name and Apply.  This will populate the
Texture Modifier and Class field using your data that you
just entered in the Texture field.

2.  Where in the world is the Hydric Soils Data?  How can I
edit what I can not find?

    Go to View - Data Mapunits - Components - Component
Interpretation. One of the choices of kind is hydric soil
rating. If it is not listed already, use F8 or Edit - Insert
to insert a row.

Use the choice list for Kind to pick hydric soil rating
Fill in the rating then go down table

Beneath is the Component Interpretation Restriction. Once
again use F8 or Edit - Insert to insert a row

The choices include 1, 2a, 2b1, 2b2, 2b3, 3, 4 ... Use the
codes you have used in the past with SSSD hydric module to
populate this field

ALSO   Under component there is a field called hydric
condition.  If a soil is hydric this field should be filled
in with the following choices:

   Farmable under natural conditions
   Neither wooded nor farmable under natural conditions
   Wooded under natural conditions

3.  I keep getting disconnected from my NASIS session what
can I do?

If you are going through Kansas city there is a potential
for being cut off.  There are several reasons and there is
more than one thing that you can do about it.

  A.  You can start a second telnet session to try to keep
the connection going.
        If you remember to press return every once in a
while in this window it is the most effective method of
staying connected.

  B.  You can use network tools to ping another computer and
this may help. However, I have not been 100 percent
successful with this procedure.  Possibly because I may not
have my call waiting turned off properly.  Even with a Ping
going on, I have been cut off.

  C. In many cases you can reconnect automatically and your
nasis session will still be going fine.  In may cases Kansas
City will give you the same IP address over and over again
and you will be able to resume your NASIS session with
little interruption.

     One other helpful hint is that often the mouse can not
get your session back in sync.  If you remember that F5 is
save, you can use an F5 to force the Nasis Session to become
active again and you will get the Save message back.
     As a remote site, it is important to remember to use
clean_edit -d nasis before you start a session and anytime
you get bumped off and can not reconnect.

4.  I have access to a desktop on a UNIXWARE box and I have
access to an XTERM but I do not know how to access NASIS
from another location.   How can I connect?

Login as yourself on your XTERM

Type xhost (ipaddress)    example:

   xhost 165.221.42.41   for Indianapolis
   xhost 151.121.208.15 for West Virginia

Then telnet to the machine:

   telnet 151.121.208.15

Login as yourself  (you must have a login at the MO to
connect). With security you must also be added to the host
machine or it will not let you in.

then type:  set DISPLAY (ipaddress):0

example:

   set DISPLAY 165.221.42.56:0

You can now run nasis.

   use nasis_ppp   to run dxpc

   use nasis -nobitmap if you are accessing an MO with a
detailed graphic and you do not wish to see it

Just type nasis for Indianapolis since we have disabled the
graphic.

You should be up and running.

There are variations on the set DISPLAY command depending
upon your system and your own setup.  If you are a csh user
use the following command:

   setenv DISPLAY  ipaddress:0

If you are a sh user:

   setenv DISPLAY= ipaddress:0

If you do not know what I am taking about, try both and see
which one works.

Example:
      setenv DISPLAY 165.221.42.56:0
where the IP address is for the machine you are working on. 
Not for the Machine that you are telneting to.

If you are having additional problems, please contact your
local IRM support.

5. Please forward your ipaddress and logins to me if you
need continued access to NASIS.  Security measures will
require that each NASIS user be recognized by the HP machine
that you are logging into.  For you in other MO's, this is
coming your way and you will have to make arrangements with
your users as security is tightened.

6. REMINDER TO BACKUP you computers!!

7.  NASIS is valuable as much as a report tool as it is an
editing tool.  Make use of it!  Don't limit yourself.  Don't
let a few seconds or minutes hold you back.

Remember the days when you hand edited your tables, mailed
them to another office, waited days, weeks or even months
for them to be entered, and to top it off, someone else
might have over ridden your proposed changes without asking
you.

Now is the time to make a difference.  Use the report
options to evaluate similar components, look at what your
neighbors are doing with your series.  All the soils data in
the country will soon be at your fingertips.  Make it count.

8.  For those of you with slow printers and poor
connections.  Try doing a FOCS download.  If you do not have
access to FOCS, we can load your download and send you a
complete set of manuscript tables which can be either
printed at our office and mailed to you, or we can send you
the file for viewing on your screen.

From: Henry Ferguson, MLRA Region 11

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Last month, the following x3780 files were sent to offices having SSSD:

     x3780.409frig     on Jan 04     (22 updated OSDs) @
     x3780.410mes      on Jan 06     ( 5 updated OSDs) *

@ Sent to offices using soils in the frigid soil temperature regime.
* Sent to offices using soils in the mesic soil temperature regime.
# Sent to all offices.	

The above x3780s contain the following OSDs:
Frigid:
...beseman...bowstring...brophy...bullwinkle...carlos...cathro...dawson...
greenwood...haslie...kratka...lupton...markey...merwin...millervill...
mooselake...nidaros...rifle...rondeau...seelyevill...tacoosh...tawas...
uskabwanka

Mesic:
...boots...caron...dunkerton...klossner...medo

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        ACTIVITY SCHEDULE (through March 15--subject to change)

MLRA DATE      ACTIVITY                       LOCATION        MO 10 STAFF
---- --------- ------------------------------ --------------- -----------
 90  Feb 01-05 Steering Committee Meeting     Hinckley        Jahnke
                                                              Giencke
 90  Feb 18-19 NASSIS-Simeth                  St. Paul        Jahnke
 90  Feb 22-26 Project Office Visit           Rhinelander     Jahnke
 92  Mar 03-04 Steering Committee Meeting     Ashland         Jahnke
                                                              Handler
 93  Feb 08-12 NASIS-Schwenner, Carey, Calus  Marquette       Jahnke
 93  Feb 16-17 Ottawa National Forest         Ontonagon       Jahnke
 94B Feb 08-12 NASIS Editing                  St. Paul        DesLauriers
105  Mar 15-19 Final Correlation (La Crosse)  St. Paul        Jahnke
107  Mar 09-11 Steering Committee Meeting     Omaha           Hempel
                                                              Handler
 ALL Feb 17    MO 10 Staff Meeting            St. Paul        All
 ALL Mar 15-19 NASIS Interpretation Training  St. Paul        All

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     CONTRIBUTIONS, IDEAS, SUGGESTIONS, AND QUESTIONS ARE WELCOME

Thanks to those individuals who participated this month. It is your efforts
that are making this newsletter a success.

                        *     *     *     *     *

Please submit your articles at least five days before the end of the month
for inclusion in the following month's newsletter. Otherwise it will
appear the following month. Occasionally, due to other workload demands,
it may be an additional month before the article appears. Generally,
articles are inserted in the order they are received.

Articles in an electronic format can be submitted to: jfh@mn.nrcs.usda.gov
It is best if electronic articles are prepared in a "text only" format.

Articles in a paper format can be sent or faxed to:
   John Handler
   MLRA Region 10 Office
   USDA - NRCS
   375 Jackson Street - Suite 600
   St. Paul, Minnesota  55101-1854
   FAX: 1-651-602-7914

                        *     *     *     *     *

This newsletter is intended to be a forum to distribute information of
a general nature that will benefit soil scientists in soil survey project
offices. It is hoped that it will foster communications and sharing of
knowledge among those soil scientists in MLRA Region 10.

                        *     *     *     *     *

The format of this newsletter is intentionally simple so that it can be
received, read, and printed by the project office having the least 
sophisticated computer setup.   

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