Inside Scoop Summer 2006

Summer 2006

The Inside Scoop

New Hampshire

On the National front...President Bush

nominated and the Senate confirmed

Bruce I. Knight to become the new USDA Under

Secretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs.

The Marketing and Regulatory Programs works on

domestic and international marketing of U.S. agricultural products and ensures the health and care of

animals and plants. Specifically, the Undersecretary

has leadership responsibilities for: Agricultural

Marketing Service (AMS), Animal and Plant Health

Inspection Service (APHIS), Grain Inspection,

Packers, and Stockyards Administration (GIPSA).

NRCS awaits the announcement of the next Chief.

On the State front...George W. Cleek IV, Assistant

State Conservationist for Programs in Wyoming has been

selected as NH’s

10th State Conservationist. He

earned a B.S.

degree in Forestry

from the University of Montana in

1987. His NRCS

career started in

Montana as a Soil Conservationist, moving up to a

Range Conservationist, District Conservationist,

Resource Conservationist and then on to a NRCS

Partnership Liaison position with the Wyoming

Department of Agriculture. During 2005 he served as

Acting STC for Wyoming and most recently completed a detail to NHQ as a Senior Legislative

Specialist. George, his wife Robin and their two

daughters; Ashleigh (13) and Courtney (10) look

forward to their move to New Hampshire.

Early in July, State

Conservationist Tessa

Chadwick, accepted a

position at NHQ as the

Conservation Innovation

Grants and Conservation

Partnership Initiative

Manager. A reception in

her honor was held on

Thursday, June 29th at

the Durham State Office.

Jacqueline Davis-Slay became NH’s “Acting” State

Conservationist on July 9.

She comes to us from the

NRCS National Headquarters where she

serves as the Watershed

Survey and Planning

Program Manager in the

Conservation Planning

and Technical Assistance

Division. Prior to this

appointment she worked

in the Financial Assistance Program Division

as a Program Analyst and

has worked in various

divisions providing leadership and development on

policy, procedures and regulations for many programs. She earned a B.S and M.S. degree in

Agricultural Economics from Alcorn State University.

Since Jackie’s arrival she has been visiting

field offices, district conservation offices, FRPP sites,

attending meetings both statewide and nationally,

and most recently Chaired the New Hampshire Food

and Agriculture Council Meeting (FAC) in Concord.

Leadership Changes
Inside Scoop Summer 2006

What’s Inside... Page

2

NRCS has announced a deadline of

October 13, 2006 for receiving signed

applications in order for applicants to be

eligible for Farm Bill Program funding for

fiscal year 2007. Although applications are

accepted on a continuous basis for the

Environmental Quality Incentives Program

(EQIP), Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program

(WHIP) and the Wetlands Reserve Program

(WRP), application ranking cutoff deadlines

are announced periodically, and all

applications received by that date are

considered for funding. October 13, 2006 is

the next application ranking cutoff deadline.

Applications received after this date will not

be considered for funding in fiscal year

2007 unless additional funds become

available and another ranking cutoff date is

announced.

NH NRCS Field Offices Get

Ready for Friday the 13th

Keri Neal – Soil Conservationist – Conway

Carlos Bislip – Engineering Aid – Durham

Joseph LaValley – Engineering Aid – Durham

Nathan Collins – Engineering Aid – Woodsville

Anthony Weatherbee – Engineering Aid –

 Woodsville

Joan Gonzalez – Engineering Aid – Woodsville

Rachael Dube – Soil Conservation Aid – Woodsville

Ian Rodger – Soil Conservationist – Concord

Leo Smock-Randall – Soil Conservationist - Epping

Thank You Students...

So much work and so little time!

A few NRCS students enjoy a

Fisher Cats game!

Riparian Buffer Planting ...... 3

18th World Congress of

 Soil Science ................... 4

Conservation District News .... 6

RC&D News .......................... 8

Cinco de Mayo Celebration .... 8

Do you recognize anyone? .... 10

Mark Your Calendar ............... 11
Inside Scoop Summer 2006

Riparian Forest Buffer Planting Along the Saco River, ME/NH

The Oxford County Soil and Water Conservation District, located in Oxford, Maine, in collaboration with the

Natural Resources Conservation Service (Oxford, ME and Conway, NH Field Offices), US Forest Service

(USFS), the Nature Conservancy’s Saco River Project, the Saco River Corridor Commission, and the

University of New Hampshire Cooperative Extension recently completed a riparian forest buffer planting

along the banks of the Saco River. Two thousand willow and dogwood trees from the Plant Materials Center

in New York were planted at two sites along the river as part of a grant provided by the USFS to promote

forest stewardship.

The first site was at a farm in Fryeburg, ME and the second at

property in East Conway, NH. The goals of the project include

stabilizing the banks of the Saco River, improving the fish and

wildlife habitat, and educating the public about the functions and

importance of riparian forest buffers.

This most recent planting is part of a maintenance phase of the

project that is now in its fourth year of operation. Previous

plantings with additional partners including the Maine and New

Hampshire Farm Service Agencies, Carroll County Conservation District, and students from Fryeburg Academy in Fryeburg,

ME and Bonny Eagle High School in Standish, ME helped

establish much of the existing plant growth on both sites. As part

of the grant project, both sites have been monitored on a yearly

basis and replanting conducted where necessary. The nest of an

American Bittern, a bird whose preferred habitat is a freshwater wetland

with protective vegetative cover, was

discovered within the area of the

constructed riparian buffer during the

last site review.

Many of the project participants involved with the plantings have been

Earth Team volunteers. Complementing the efforts of the volunteers, area

businesses have provided assistance

for the project. A sign designed by

students from Pequawket Valley

Alternative School in Fryeburg, ME will

be put up along the river to inform

visitors to the area about what has

been accomplished along the River

through these types of projects and how it relates to them and the environment. These students also

participated in plantings during 2003, 2004 and 2005.

3
Inside Scoop Summer 2006

18th World Congress of Soil Science Held in Pennsylvania

By Kathy Swain, MLRA Soil Survey Project Leader

I had the great pleasure of attending a portion of the 18th World Congress of Soil Science held in

Philadelphia, PA, July 9-15. It was an excellent opportunity to meet new friends and catch up with old ones,

broaden my scope of soil science to a worldwide perspective and bring home new ideas and techniques to

apply here in my little box.

The World Congress of Soil Science (WCSS) is organized by the International Union of Soil Science

(IUSS) (http://www.iuss.org/) and the Soil Science Society of America (SSSA). The congress focused on

multi-disciplinary soil science advances under the theme, “Frontiers of Soil Science: Technology and the

Information Age.” The event was hailed by organizers as being a “unique convergence of the world’s

leading professionals in soil science.”

Of the 18 congresses, 8 have been held in Europe, five in the Americas, 3 in Asia, 1 in Australia and

1 in Africa. This 18th Congress is only the 3rd time it has been held in the United States; the first congress

was held in Washington D.C. in 1927 and the 7th was held in Madison, WI in 1960. The next congress in

2010 will be in Brisbane, Australia.

More than 2,500 soil scientists from more than 70 countries attended the 18th WCSS. The soil

scientists are employed by universities, government, or industry as researchers, educators or professional

practitioners. The purpose of the congress is to advance the soil science profession and industry. There

were over 2,700 poster presentations, dozens of symposia, working sessions, and informative field trips.

Don Keirstead, soil scientist and ground penetrating

radar (GPR) specialist in Durham, participated in one of the

field trips as a presenter. The field tour was titled “New

Frontiers in Soil Survey” and visited a MLRA Soil Survey

Project Office, viewing the methods and technologies that

are being used to update and maintain soil surveys on a

Land Resource Area basis. Demonstrations showed how

Geographic Information Systems (GIS), the National Soil

Information System (NASIS), Global Positioning Systems

(GPS), computer Stereo Analysis of landforms and digital soil

maps, Spatial Analysis and other technologies are being

used to update and maintain soil survey maps and data. The

field portions of this tour provided demonstrations of soil

survey field data collection using methods that include soil

property measurements, GPS, and non-invasive geophysical

tools (Ground Penetrating Radar and Electro-Magnetic

Induction) techniques.

(Continued on next page)

Don Keirstead and Jim Doolittle

answer questions from participants during a field trip.

4
Inside Scoop Summer 2006

5

On a more personal note, as I was viewing the

very large and impressive NRCS Soils exhibit with their

hands-on web soil survey demonstrations, beautiful soil

monoliths from different states, and large display, I

noticed that NH was well represented. Don Keirstead,

Jim Doolittle (NRCS Soil Scientist specializing in GPR

and EMI from PA) and I are shown on the display using

the GPR on a bog in Strafford County.

The Congress was, indeed, an impressive display of the

vibrancy of soil science around the world and its importance to our society. If you ever have the opportunity to

attend any of these international meetings, please do

so, your time will be well spent.

(Continued from previous page)

Kathy Swain with Kathy Swain, Jim Doolittle

and Don Keirstead (upper left corner).

Soil Survey to Start in the

White Mountain National Forest

Over this past year, the NRCS soils staff in New Hampshire has been working with US Forest

Service staff in the White Mountain National Forest (WMNF) to develop a cooperative agreement that

initiates a soil survey of the 798,700 acres representing the National Forest in New Hampshire and Maine.

In addition to NRCS and the WMNF, this joint agreement will include the USFS Northeastern Research

Station and Plymouth State University. All four partners in this agreement are very excited about supporting

this effort that is proposed to start October 1, 2006.

The aggressive 5-year plan to complete the soils mapping in the National Forest is being supported

by the NRCS Federal Lands Initiative and the Federal Lands Advisory Group (FLAG). Their goal is to

develop cooperative solutions for completion and update of soil and potential natural vegetation inventories

of the Nation. This soil survey will be unlike any other; incorporating new technology and data collection

strategy that will enable the synchronization of the NRCS National Soils Information System (NASIS) with

the USFS Terrestrial Ecological Unit Inventory (TEUI) and Ecological Land Types as identified in the White

Mountain National Forest.

With final approvals and signatures, preliminary activities are scheduled to start this fall with a plan

to accelerate mapping over the following years according to funding and staff availability. This soil survey

represents the final leg of a long journey that started over 50 years ago, to complete the soil resource

inventory for the entire state of New Hampshire.
Inside Scoop Summer 2006

Conservation District News

On April 28 at the State House in Concord, Governor Lynch proclaimed 2006 as Natural Resources

Conservation Year. In recognition of the 60th Anniversary of the NH Conservation Districts, NH Association

of Conservation Districts and the State Conservation Committee the Governor presented a signed proclamation to the groups. Bob and Irma

Goodrich, Mary and Charlie

Currier from Rockingham County

Conservation District; Kerry

Rickrode and George Travers

from Hillsborough County Conservation District; Michele Tremblay,

Executive Director of the NHACD

and the NH State Conservation

Committee; Jeff White and Lynn

Howell from the NRCS State

Office attended.

These groups have been

working hand-in-hand with land

users of New Hampshire to

conserve our natural resources

and create a healthy and productive land base for 60 years.

ENVIROTHON News

Southern New Hampshire University hosted the NH Envirothon on Thursday, May 18th. Once again,

Herb Vadney coordinated this successful event for the fourteen high school teams who entered the contest.

Peter Whitcomb, Karen Dudley and Mike Lynch from NRCS provided guidance to the students throughout the year and at the competition. Five

students per team were tested in aquatics,

forestry, soils, wildlife and the special topic,

“Water in a Changing Climate.”

Keene High School took 1st place;

Merrimack High School, 2nd place; and

Hanover High School placed 3rd. As in

every year, the top placing team is invited to

attend the national event. Keene HS will

represent New Hampshire this summer at

the Canon Envirothon in Winnipeg,

Manitoba, Canada.

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Inside Scoop Summer 2006

7

Sullivan County Conservation District has been granted $5,000 for workshops focusing on invasive

aquatic plant control. The grant awarded by the Connecticut River Joint Commissions is given to projects

that enhance natural, cultural and human resources in the Connecticut River Valley.

Coos County Conservation District and UNH Cooperative Extension recently held a “Grow Your Own

Shiitake Mushrooms” workshop at the North Country Resource Center in Lancaster.

Shiitake mushrooms have been cultivated for centuries in Asia. Shiitake are a popular source of protein in

Japan and a diet staple in China and other Pacific Rim Countries. By 1970, Shiitakes were a one billion plus

ag-export crop for Japan. Now in the US, California, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Minnesota are leaders in

production.

Growing Shiitake mushrooms is time consuming and requires physical stamina. Logs need to be carried out

of the woods and stacked. Oak is often used but many other hardwoods, such as beech, white and yellow birch and red maple all can

be used. A good size log is three to eight inches in diameter and

three to four feet in length. About 30 – 40 holes need to be drilled in

a diamond shaped pattern on the log. Next the logs need to be

inoculated with spawn which is purchased from commercial suppliers. Each drilled hole is then filled with the spawn and then sealed

with a coat of hot wax. After the logs have been inoculated they need

to be stacked in either a criss-crossed crib position, a lean-to slope or

in an X-pattern on the ground, in a shady, moist area. This is important for the logs to absorb moisture.

This hands-on workshop with drilling demonstrations, inoculation

procedures and waxing was available to those who registered for the

workshop. At the end of the workshop pre-registrants loaded their

logs into their vehicles and headed home to await the harvest.

Carroll County Conservation District, NRCS and Rural Development by the end of August will be in new

office space at the Grindle Center in Conway. They will move into the location that Granite State College

(formerly The College of Lifelong Learning) vacated. There’s lots of excitement in the air and many decisions to be made on arranging the furniture in this new improved spacious area.

2006 NACD Northeast Region Meeting in State College, Pennsylvania was well represented by New

Hampshire. Kerry Rickrode (HCCD), Joan Richardson (CCCD), Mary and Charlie Currier (RCCD) and

Lynn Howell made the 8 1/2 hour road trip without too many incidents! The meeting began with an afternoon

bus tour of the Pennsylvania countryside with a stop at Penns Caves where the group enjoyed relief from the

heat in a 52 degree cave for an hour guided boat tour, then it was on to stops along rivers and streams to

historic mill sites. Leaders of the tour were professors from Franklin and Marshall College who have been

doing research on the causes of, and solutions to, system-wide stream impairments that are applicable to all

historic mill dam sites throughout the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states.

Topics during the three day meeting included: Conservation Districts Policy Position for Future Conservation Programs; Building for Tomorrow: An Overview of Leadership and Professional Development with

sessions on Director Development, Staff Development and Districts Helping Districts. Kerry Rickrode,

President of the NH Conservation District Employee Association (CDEA) provided NH’s report on Conservation Districts and partnership activities within the state.
Inside Scoop Summer 2006

North Country RC&D News

This year the North Country RC&D

Area Council will launch a new project called

Fuels for Schools. Modeled after similar

projects initiated in several other states, Fuels

for Schools helps public schools retrofit their

current heating system or build new systems

using a biomass fuel heating system.

The project blends three goals. First is

to help maintain a market for biomass wood

chips. Harvesting wood chips in NH has been

a proven method of improving NH’s forest

resource base for over 20 years. Markets for

wood chips have fluctuated greatly in recent

years due to the closure of some independent

wood fired power plants and the lessening

demand for chips by the pulp and paper

industry. A steady market for biomass wood

chips can benefit NH landowners by helping

make forest improvement efforts more cost

effective.

The second goal is to satisfy the

universal desire of local schools to find the

most economical ways to heat their schools.

The third goal is to promote the utilization of

renewable forms of energy.

8

Cinco de Mayo Celebrated

New Hampshire NRCS celebrated its 15th annual Cultural Awareness Day on May 5th with the Latino

community in Manchester. This year’s

event focused on the local and national

challenges facing Latino communities.

State Representative Hector Velez and

members of the Latin American Center of

Manchester coordinated the entire event

which included speakers and an authentic Latino lunch. Over 50 NRCS employees and invited guests participated in an

interactive celebration of Latino culture,

music and food. The event was a tremendous success thanks to the passion

of the organizers and presenters.

Bill Hoey

prepares for

the traditional pinata

festivity

which is held

in certain

Latin American countries.

Southern NH RC&D News

Southern NH RC&D is placing wheel chair

accessible garden planters at nursing homes and

assisted living facilities throughout southern NH.

The planters were designed according to ADA

standards by Sandy Sears, NRCS Civil Engineer

Technician.

The planters have been built by the Alvirne

Building Trades Department at the Wilbur Palmer

Technical High School in Hudson, with lumber from

the Tom Estey Lumber Company in Londonderry.

Potting soil, peat moss, and flowers were donated

by Osborne’s Agway in Concord and Hooksett. The

picture

shows a

planter

being

accepted

by staff

from

Presidential

Oaks in

Concord.
Inside Scoop Summer 2006

New Hampshire NRCS through EQIP

awarded grants to public and private entities and to

individuals to stimulate the development and

adoption of innovative conservation approaches

through pilot projects and field trials. Proposals

addressed concerns in the areas of water, soil, and

atmospheric resources; grazing land and forest

health; and wildlife habitat.

One of the awardees was Dorn Cox from

Lee. Dorn received $24,000 to construct and test a

co-generation and

fueling

facility that

overcomes

common

cold

weather

storage

issues of

biofuel and

produces

the heat

and power needs for a working organic farm.

Some of his project objectives included:

• Eliminating the cost and environmental hazards of petroleum fuel

storage,

• Linking co-generation storage to an

existing farm-based production

facility that produces a safe, clean

renewable and economically viable

off-road and heating fuel, which will

supply fuel for the local agricultural

community; and

• Creating a hands-on demonstration

platform and educational materials

CIG is a grant competition for farmers, State

or local governments or non-governmental organizations and others who have innovative ideas for

addressing some of New Hampshire’s most pressing

natural resource conservation needs. Projects may

be from one to three years in length.

Conservation Innovation Grants

A Project Update

Farm and Ranch Land

Protection Program (FRPP)

Acting State STC Jackie Davis-Slay and

Noreen McDonald walking across a field

at the Daniel Webster Farm.

9

FRPP continues to be very successful in

NH. This year $3.2 million was awarded to 12

conservation entities assisting in the acquisition

of 15 easements protecting 709 acres of important farmland in New Hampshire. Since 1997,

the NH NRCS has awarded over $15 million to

acquire 6,366 acres of farmland. The program

has leveraged $22.4 million in local matching

funds and landowners have donated $3.6 million

in bargain sales. The total easement value of

the 6,366 acres amounts to over $41 million.

This year the NRCS will be closing on

the Daniel Webster farm in Franklin. The Daniel

Webster farm is a true success story that

required a consortium of many funding partners

and much collaboration to save this historic farm

(the birthplace of Statesman Daniel Webster)

from imminent subdivision and development.

Most importantly, this easement will permanently

protect 162 acres of the finest agricultural soils

in New England. Jackie Davis-Slay, Acting State

Conservationist, had the opportunity to visit the

Daniel Webster farm, kick her feet through the

dark fertile soil, and meet with all of funding

partners which include the New Hampshire Land

and Community Heritage Program, the NH

Department of Fish and Game, the Society for

the Protection of New Hampshire Forests, and

the Trust for Public Land. The FRPP Program is

contributing $500,000.00 toward the purchase of

this easement.
Inside Scoop Summer 2006

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Do You Recognize Anyone?
Inside Scoop Summer 2006

11

Mark your Calendar...

USDA Privacy Basics Training On-Line

Deadline ... September 15, 2006

Ag Fairs

Belknap (Belmont) ... August 12 – 13, 2006

Cornish ...August 18 – 20, 2006

Lancaster ...August 30 – September 4, 2006

Hopkinton (Contoocook) ...

August 31 – September 4, 2006

Hillsboro (New Boston) ...September 8 – 10, 2006

Rochester...September 15 – 24, 2006

Deerfield...September 28 – October 1, 2006

Sandwich (Center Sandwich) October 7 – 9, 2006

NH Ag Day ... August 20, 2006

www.nhagday@aol.com

Conservation Easement Monitoring Workshop

August 24, 2006

Gilford High School Library

88 Alvah Wilson Road

Gilford, NH

Contact: Roger Hogan or Jan Hooper (BCCD)

ABC’s of Horse Management ...

August 28, 2006

Joppa Hill Road – Bedford

6:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.

Contact: Kerry Rickrode (673-2409 ext. 4)

Pond Maintenance & Management Shop ...

August 24, 2006

Carter Hill Orchard

73 Carter Hill Road - Concord

Contact: Lisa Morin (223-6023)

State Technical Committee Meeting ...

August 29, 2006

NH Hospital Association - Concord

2006 Small and Beginning Farmers

Conference ...

November 17 - 18, 2006

Meredith Community Center - Meredith

Alan Ammann Receives

National Recognition

Alan Ammann, retired New Hampshire

NRCS biologist, was recently awarded the

prestigious 2006 National Wetlands Award

for Conservation and Restoration. The

awards ceremony honored six national

wetland educators, scientists and conservationists of

which Ammann

was one. The

event held on

Capitol Hill at

the Cannon

Caucus Room

of the Cannon

House Office

Building in

Washington,

DC, recognized

Alan for his extraordinary dedication,

innovation and excellence in wetlands

conservation. The National Wetlands

Awards Program is co-sponsored by the

Environmental Law Institute, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Fish and

Wildlife Service, US Forest Service, USDA

Natural Resources Conservation Service,

NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service,

and the Federal Highway Administration.

Among Alan’s many publications, one in

particular stands out. He initiated a multidisciplinary survey of tidal restrictions on

the New Hampshire coast during the

1990s. This survey resulted in an NRCS

publication, “Evaluation of Restorable Salt

Marshes in New Hampshire” where more

than 400 acres of degraded salt marshes

were identified. This publication is still

very much in demand in the Seacoast

area.

Upon his retirement from NRCS in January 2004 he immediately enrolled as an

NRCS Earth Team volunteer. His work

continues to cover projects at the state

and local level. Alan is readily available to

educate local communities about the

value of wetlands.
Inside Scoop Summer 2006

USDA Natural Resources

Conservation Service (NRCS)

2 Madbury Road

Durham, NH 03824

USDA/NRCS is an Equal Opportunity Provider and Employer.

Visit us at www.nh.nrcs.usda.gov

Helping People Help the Land