How Can I Participate? 

Do you have an interest in soil, water, air, plants, 

wetlands, wildlife, and agriculture? Do you want to 

support voluntary natural resource management by 

landowners and managers on private lands? Are you 

willing to work with natural resource experts from 

around the State? Then consider serving on a U.S. 

Department of Agriculture (USDA) Natural Resources 

Conservation Service (NRCS) State Technical Committee to help guide national conservation programs 

that address local needs. 

Individuals and groups can receive more information 

on serving as a State Technical Committee member 

by writing to the NRCS State Conservationist for 

that State and describing their qualifications for 

membership. NRCS State Conservationists determine 

who will serve on the Committee. 

Individuals and groups can participate by providing 

input to the conservation district through their local 

conservation needs assessment process. Conservation 

districts gather this feedback not only to direct their 

own programs, but also to share with their Local 

Work Group. 

What Are State Technical Committees 

and Local Work Groups? 

The 1985 Farm Bill (Food Security Act) established 

State Technical Committees to advise NRCS in making technical decisions related to the implementation 

of the Act's conservation provisions. The role of the 

committees was expanded by the 1996 Farm Bill 

(Federal Agriculture Improvement and Reform Act). 

These Committees offer an opportunity for interested 

individuals and groups to advise NRCS on how best 

to locally implement conservation programs. 

"Their [State technical committee] involvement 

can help NRCS assure that limitedjnancial and 

technical assistance is targeted to priority natural 

resource concerns and the conservation needs 

of people at all levels are considered." 

NRCS State Conservationist and 

State Technical Committee Chair 

Local Work Groups make recommendations to 

the State Technical Committee on local technical 

and conservation issues. These recommendations 

are based on resource needs assessments that are 

developed by conservation districts through community and stakeholder input. Local Work Groups 

support districts' locally led efforts by coordinating USDA programs to help provide an integrated 

solution to addressing natural resource concerns. 

In keeping with the Federal Advisory Committee 

Act, Local Work Group membership is limited 

to Government representatives. Community 

and stakeholder input, however, is open to all 

interested citizens. 

What Are the Roles of State 

Technical Committees and 

Local Work Groups? 

State Technical Committees serve as an advisory 

body to the NRCS State Conservationist. They 

provide recommendations on technical aspects 

of Farm Bill conservation programs, including: 

Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) 

Farm and Ranch Lands Protection Program 

(FRPP) 

Environmental Quality Incentives Program 

(EQIP) 

Wetlands Reserve Program (WRP) 

Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program 

(WHIP) 

Conservation Security Program (CSP) 

Grassland Reserve Program (GRP) 

They also may provide guidance on other 

technical matters, such as practices not already 

described in NRCS field office technical guides, 

criteria for evaluating and ranking projects, cost 

share and incentive payment levels, and measures related to achieving a program balance 

regardless of agricultural sector or farm or 

ranch size. Committee input also is sought 

on information and outreach strategies. NRCS 

State Conservationists determine specific items 

andor issues for Committee reviews and 

recommendations. 

Local Work Groups ensure that a conservation 

needs assessment is developed, submit priorities 

and funding requests to the State Technical 

Committee, and conduct Civil Rights impact 

analyses for all funding requests and program 

implementation. 

Some State Technical Committee 

Activities 

Produced a briefing on new appraisal process 

for NRCS conservation easement programs to 

be used with the Wetlands Reserve Program, 

the Grassland Reserve Program, and the Farm 

and Ranch Lands Protection Program. 

Provided guidance in keeping geographic rates 

by county, but updating dollar value to reflect 

current year values, and agreed to re-evaluate 

prior to next year's use. 

Reviewed CSP accomplishments to date, 

reviewed selection criteria for watersheds, and 

prioritized remaining watersheds for future 

CSP sign-ups. 

Reviewed standards for the Wildlife Habitat 

Appraisal Guide and recommended types of 

enhancements to offer in Conservation Security 

Program contract modifications and sign-ups. 

Ensured the State WHIP Plan was updated 

to address national and State priorities by the 

deadline. 

Shared information and issues from each organization to provide better participant recognition 

and build understanding and collaboration. 
Can You Be a Member of the State 

Technical Committee? 

State Technical Committee meetings are open to 

the public and members of the public are welcome 

to attend and offer their input. Usual membership, 

however, includes one representative from the 

following Federal agencies: 

USDA: 

NRCS 

Farm Service Agency 

FSA State Committee 

Cooperative State Research, Education, and 

Extension Service 

Rural Development 

Forest Service 

Department of the Interior: 

Bureau of Indian Affairs 

Bureau of Reclamation 

U.S. Fish &Wildlife Service 

U.S. Geological Survey 

Bureau of Land Management 

Department of Defense: 

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers 

Committees also include members from State 

agencies such as a State's Department of Natural 

Resources (as identified by the NRCS State Conservationist) and each federally recognized tribal 

government that encompasses 100,000 acres or 

more in a State. 

Membership also may include private interests such 

as individuals with conservation expertise, agricultural producers, nonprofit organizations, persons 

knowledgeable about conservation techniques and 

programs, and representatives from agribusiness. 

NRCS also seeks members with natural resource 

conservation experience specific to historically 

underserved groups and individuals, e.g., minorities, 

women, persons with disabilities, and socially and 

economically disadvantaged groups. NRCS State 

Conservationists determine the formal composition 

of the Committee. 

What Is Expected of a StateTechnical 

Committee Member? 

Committee members are expected to attend all meetings, which typically range from quarterly to annually. Many are scheduled based on need as determined by the NRCS State Conservationist. Members 

also may be asked to participate in subcommittees 

for a more in-depth study of programs, processes, 

and resource issues. Committees range in size from 

14 to more than 200 individuals. The most successful Committees follow a meeting agenda, listen as 

well as voice their opinions, and recognize that the 

Committee serves to provide advice to the NRCS 

State Conservationist who makes his or her decisions 

as the designated Federal authority. Although the 

Committee has no implementation or enforcement 

authority, NRCS gives serious consideration to Committee advice. Committee members are volunteers 

and receive no reimbursement for their participation. 

1 

"Conservation in your community 

needs local input, direction, 

and leadership." 

Tribal Conservation District 

official and State Technical 

Committee member 

Where Can I Find Information About 

My State Technical Committee? 

Many State Web sites provide information about 

their State Technical Committee. Contact information is available on State Web sites at http://www. 

nrcs.usda.gov/about/organization/regions.h or 

by calling the local NRCS office listed in the 

Federal Government pages in the phone book. 

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, 

color, national origin, age, disability, and where applicable, sex, 

marital status, familial status, parental status, religion, sexual 

orientation, genetic information, political beliefs, reprisal, or 

because all or a part of an individual's income is derived from 

any public assistance program. (Not all prohibited bases apply 

to all programs.) Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for communication of program information (Braille, 

large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact USDA's TARGET 

Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TDD). To file a complaint 

of discrimination write to USDA, Director, Office of Civil 

Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C. 

20250-9410 or call (800) 795-3272 (voice) or (202) 720-6382 

(TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer. 

December 2006 

PA 1908 

""" mu 0 NRCS 

United States Department of Agriculture 

Natural Resources Conservation Service 

A Seat at the 

Table for 

Conservation 

Policy 

~ited States 

uepartment of 

I MEETING 1 TODAY 

PUBLIC I 

State Techn~cal Committees 

and Local Work Groups 

Helping People Help the Land