Inside Scoop Winter 2005

Winter 2005

The Inside Scoop

New Hampshire

What’s Inside... Page

The latest addition to the workload of the

already super busy field staff is the announcement of the Conservation Security

Program (CSP) signup which runs through

May 27. Portions of Cheshire, Grafton,

Merrimack and Sullivan counties have been

chosen to participate in this historical program. Two hundred and two watersheds

nationwide will participate.

Applicants will be enrolled in one of three

tiers in the program, depending on the

extent of the conservation treatment in place

on their farm. Payments will be based in

part on the conservation treatment as well

as their willingness to undertake additional

environmental enhancements.

NRCS offered five workshops in the selected watershed to more fully explain the

program to interested potential participants.

New Hampshire NRCS Staff Excels

with Deadlines and Sign-ups

CSP will continue to be offered each year,

on a rotational basis, in as many watersheds

as funding allows.

This year a significant increase in NH NRCS

funding occurred because of the “regional

equity provision” in the 2002 Farm Bill. With

this financial and technical assistance available, landowners will continue to address

resource concerns on agricultural working

lands, promote environmental quality, address challenges in water quality and quantity, protect prime farmland and grazing land,

and protect valuable wetland ecosystems

and wildlife habitat on private lands using

EQIP, WHIP, WRP, GRP, AMA and FRPP.

NRCS Celebrates 70th Anniversary 2

EQIP Success Story 3

AMA Success Story 4

NH Purchases GPR 5

All Employees Meeting 8

Personnel Happenings 11
Inside Scoop Winter 2005

2

Happy Birthday to the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS)! NRCS

formerly known as the Soil Conservation Service (SCS), was made an official agency on

April 27, 1935. During the days of the Dust Bowl in the 1920s and early ‘30s, soil erosion

was declared a menace to the national welfare and SCS was formed to combat this problem. At the forefront of this movement was Hugh Hammond Bennett, soil erosion expert,

who spent several years studying soil erosion and its effects. He became the first chief of

SCS/NRCS.

Bennett, known as “The Father of Soil Conservation,” came to believe that soil

erosion was taking such a toll on farmland that, if left unchecked, it would impair the

nation’s ability to produce food. This was the catalyst that encouraged Bennett to take

action through demonstrations, lectures and articles, proving that conservation management practices were necessary and beneficial. His determination and persuasion eventually led to the passing of the Soil Conservation Act of 1935.

Today, NRCS holds fast to the vision of Bennett and continues to support conservation efforts through programs and outreach. As the 70th anniversary of our organization

approaches, the national office has declared the theme of the event as “A Partner in Conservation Since 1935.” The state office will be receiving for distribution to field offices a

four-minute video, buttons with the theme and agency logo and gold-colored lapel pins with

the raindrop in color.

NRCS Celebrates 70 Years...

“A Partner in Conservation

 Since 1935”
Inside Scoop Winter 2005

3

Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP)

2004 Success Story

by Brooke Smart, Soil Conservationist

Epping Field Office

EQIP helps New Hampshire landowners who face threats to soil, water, air, and

related natural resources solve problems on their farms. These threatened areas include

barnyards, cropland, grazing land and forestland. Financial and technical assistance available through EQIP help producers install structural conservation practices and implement

conservation practices such as nutrient and pest management, and prescribed grazing.

New Hampshire producers have shown a keen interest in the EQIP program. During

fiscal year 2004, 90 contracts were funded which totaled $1,788,159.

When Arthur Jenks, a beginner farmer, contacted NRCS with manure management

concerns on his small beef cattle operation, Soil Conservationist Brooke Stubbs discussed

the EQIP program with him and how it might enhance his operation. Mr. Jenks decided to

address his largest and most serious natural resource

problems first. With EQIP funding Mr. Jenks was able

to address water quality problems in his barnyard, by

constructing a combination waste storage and

composting facility and a heavy use area around the

barn. He also installed practices to collect, control and

dispose of runoff from the barn so that clean water is

not contaminated by animal waste.

The next resource concern to be addressed on his

farm will be improvement of the quality of grazing lands

and availability of livestock water. Mr. Jenks’ contract includes prescribed grazing to provide increased forage production in his pastures while improving soil quality and reducing

soil erosion. His contract also includes a water

distribution system that facilitates prescribed grazing

and reduces soil damage due to livestock concentration.

Because of Mr. Jenks’ involvement with

NRCS and the Environmental Quality Incentives

Program (EQIP) he is closer to realizing his dream of

becoming a full time farmer with an efficient sustainable operation.
Inside Scoop Winter 2005

4

The Agricultural Management Assistance (AMA) program provides cost-share

payments to agricultural producers who

voluntarily address issues such as water

quality, water management, and erosion

control by incorporating conservation into

their farming operations.

Chuck and Diane Souther have

owned and operated a 165 acre orchard and

small fruit farm in Concord, NH since 1978.

Harvest begins in the summer at Apple Hill

Farm

when

strawberries,

blueberries,

raspberries,

peaches

and

other

small fruits are sold, either to visitors who

“pick your own” or in a modern, consumer

friendly farmstand complete with an in-store

bakery. During the fall when crisp autumn air

brings about the ripening of 40 varieties of

apples, fresh pressed apple cider and

mountain views entice customers to the

farm.

In addition to their orchard and small

fruit production, they also produce high

value vegetables such as pumpkins and

sweet corn. When time permits, approximately 80 acres of woodland is managed for

cordwood and sawlogs.

Agricultural Management Assistance (AMA)

Success Story

by Bill Hoey, Soil Conservationist

Concord Field Office

Good land stewardship has always

been important to the Southers as demonstrated by their willingness to work with

NRCS and the Merrimack County Conservation District (MCCD) to implement conservation measures on their farm. Some examples of conservation practices utilized on

the farm include contour farming, crop

rotations, and integrated pest management.

The Southers recently completed a

project in a newly planted two acre blueberry and raspberry patch, where a micro

irrigation system was put in place using cost

share under the Agricultural Management

Assistance (AMA) program. By reducing the

amount of water necessary to irrigate the

small fruit planting, the limited water available from the farm pond is available for

other purposes, such as orchard spraying.

The micro irrigation system was also designed to deliver nutrients to the plants in

precision form, usually referred to as

fertigation. By placing the proper amounts

of water and nutrients directly in the plants

root zone there is essentially no waste or

nutrient runoff. This helps maintain water

quality within the Merrimack River Watershed.

The AMA program also helped with

the construction of a heavy use area adjacent to the recently constructed apple storage building. The heavy use area prevents

soil erosion and sediment movement associated with tractor loading and unloading

operations.
Inside Scoop Winter 2005

by Don Keirstead

 Soil Scientist

Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) is an

innovative tool which can collect large

amounts of information on various landscapes. It is particularly conducive to New

England’s soils due to their coarse textures. The three major disciplines the radar

will serve for NH NRCS are soils, engineering, and archeological investigations. The

NH soil survey staff has recently completed

an investigation of several bogs in

Strafford, Merrimack and Belknap Counties. The NH soils staff also had the privilege of hosting Jim Doolittle for one week

in February to help us improve our GPR

methods and equipment settings. Jim is the

NRCS national expert on GPR

 and works in association with the

National Soil Survey Lab in

Lincoln, Nebraska.

Background

Bogs are deep accumulations of organic matter and have been of particular interest regarding wetland issues and carbon sequestration. Many of the original soil surveys in NH contain the map units “muck and peat” (Mp) and “fresh water marsh” (Fa) which are not descriptive enough for our current taxonomic system. These units were originally mapped

based on the interpretation that they are too wet for agricultural and urban uses and contain large amounts of soil organic matter (SOM). Since these maps were produced soil

taxonomy has created several new soil series for these organic soils (Histosols) with information regarding the level of decomposition and pH.

Currently the NH state legend recognizes several soil series regarding Histosols in fresh

water and two examples are the Chocorua and Greenwood soil series. Chocorua soils are

more often found in forested areas or in open areas in association with streams. These

soils have a sandy soil contact between 16 and 51 inches. Conversely, the Greenwood soil

series does not have a mineral contact within 51 inches and is characterized as occurring

on bogs with grasses and shrubs. As we measured SOM with the GPR across these bogs

it produced a continuous look at the soils to a depth of 4 meters (about 13 feet).

New Hampshire NRCS Purchases Ground Penetrating Radar

5

Kathy Swain, Jim Doolittle and

 Don Keirstead testing the GPR.
Inside Scoop Winter 2005

Figure 1 shows the benefit of taking

multiple readings across a bog landscape

and does a good job at expressing the

landscape variability versus using an

auger.

At various points across the landscape we

took waypoints with a GPS unit in order to

locate the radar record geographically.

Once we had measured the depth of soil

organic matter across the bog

we are able to extrapolate this information

to display spatial extents of SOM depths.

This creates an efficient way for soil scientists to

look at the map unit variability of Greenwood and

Chocorua soils.

In Figure 2, you can see that most of the bog is the

Chocorua soil series (green and brown) and that only

areas in purple are deep enough to qualify as Greenwood. Environmental modelers working on the greenhouse effect are particularly interested in these volumes

as soils have become a focus as a carbon sink. Also,

this method is giving us our first look into the landscape

organization of bogs and may become useful in determining various habitats for plant communities.

Currently we are testing various geomorphic, vegetative

and landscape hypotheses which may be useful tools

for aerial interpretation of bogs for soil survey update

purposes.

For more information regarding GPR and its uses and

abilities contact Don Keirstead at

Donald.keirstead@nh.usda.gov

cont’d from page 5

6

 Figure 2.

Figure 1.
Inside Scoop Winter 2005

Interim soil survey maps and associated

information is now available for Merrimack and

Belknap Counties. The Merrimack-Belknap Soil

Survey Update, a project headed by NRCS and

partnering with the Merrimack and Belknap

County Conservation Districts and the University

of New Hampshire Agricultural Experiment

Station started in 1985.

Soil Surveys contain information in the

form of detailed soil maps, data tables, and text

narratives that can be used in land-planning

activities. Soil Surveys also contain predictions

of soil behavior for selected land uses and

highlight limitations and hazards inherent in the

soil, improvements needed to overcome the

limitations, and the impact of selected land uses

on the environment.

This updated soil information is replacing

the Soil Survey for Belknap County published in

1968 and the Merrimack County Soils Survey

published in 1961. The soils in these counties

have not changed appreciably in the last 50

years, but the intensity to which we use our soil

resources certainly has. The main objective of

the old surveys was to provide interpretations for

agricultural uses. Therefore, soil scientists only

investigated the soils to about 30 to 40 inches

deep. Current classification standards require

soil scientists to observe the soil to a depth of

five feet or more. Merrimack and Belknap

Counties continue to be an area of increasing

growth and development and need updated soil

information for a growing number of interpretations. Current soil resource information will

greatly assist the appropriateness and

sustainability of that development.

The Merrimack County Conservation

District office in Concord and the Belknap

County Conservation District office in Laconia

have been distributing advance copy soil information as the updated project has progressed,

but now is able to distribute advance copy

information for the entire two county area. Soil

maps are distributed as paper copies of the soil

lines and map unit symbols overlaid onto the

USGS topographical quad. Each topographical

quad is divided into three individual sheets.

Additional soil data and interpretations

are available at the following web address:

http://www.nh.nrcs.usda.gov/Soil_Data/

attribute_data/mbss.html

NRCS is in the process of digitizing the

soil information and plans are to release an

interim soil survey report via a computer disk at

some time in the future.

For more information contact the

Belknap or Merrimack County Conservation

Districts or Katherine Swain, NRCS MLRA Soil

Survey Leader at (603)223-6025 or email

katherine.swain@nh.usda.gov

Soil data for all of New Hampshire

(except for the White Mountain National Forest)

is now available through the Soil Data Mart. The

data in the warehouse is derived directly from

NASIS and will be updated periodically and I

hope to add additional tables (such as SPI

values) in the future.

The Datamart link is:

http://soildatamart.nrcs.usda.gov/

Click on ‘Select State’

Highlight ‘NH’

Click on ‘Select Survey Area’ (or county)

Highlight a survey area

Click on ‘Generate Reports’

Click ‘Select All’ or highlight map units

Click the down arrow key for report descriptions

Highlight a table

Click ‘Generate Report’

This link is accessible by everyone and is intended to be a resource for the general public as

well as for in-house use.

If you have any questions, please feel free to

contact me or Steve Hundley.

Soils Update

Soils Data Mart

Peter Whitcomb. Soil Scientist

7

Kathy Swain, MLRA Soil Survey Leader
Inside Scoop Winter 2005

All Employees Meeting

North Conway Grand Hotel

November 3 - 4, 2004

8

Group Award:

NRCS sweatshirts were presented to all employees for the exceptional effort made by all

NH employees in managing work by program and successfully implementing NRCS’ Direct

Charge policy. This resulted in performance accountability and full utilization of program

funds.

2004 Awards

2004 Outstanding Performance:

Sandy Sears for outstanding performance in providing high quality technical assistance

to a six county area while carrying an enormous workload.

Jack Highland for development and standardization of design package components,

outstanding design drawing and documentation and outstanding assistance to field

offices in Northern and Western New Hampshire.

Sue Hoey for single-handedly insuring the obligation of $500,000 in WRP financial

assistance, in FY 04, providing valuable assistance to restore 972 acres of degraded

wetland in New Hampshire, as well as securing $35,000 in technical assistance dollars

to NRCS.

Joe Homer for demonstrating initiative, excellent communication and negotiation skills

leading to reimbursable agreements with the U.S. Forest Service, and U.S. Fish and

Wildlife Service and producing high quality results within promised time-frames.
Inside Scoop Winter 2005

Priscilla Johnston for demonstrating remarkable professional and organizational skills and

ability in program assistance under WHIP and WRP during FY 04.

Jim Spielman for demonstrating excellent leadership and management skills in handling

EQIP for FY 04.

2004 Quality Step Increases:

Scott Heckman for outstanding leadership in delivering a high quality conservation program in Cheshire and Sullivan counties.

Brooke Smart for outstanding administration and field application of the ’04 EQIP and

WHIP programs.

Deb Weymouth for an outstanding job exceeding conservation planning acre goals on

cropland, grazing land and woodland. She has also provided outstanding leadership to the

Hillsborough County Conservation District board and district manager in the efforts to increase district board diversity. Her efforts have contributed to NH achieving its goals.

2004 Spot Awards:

Sue Hoey for exemplary efforts in completing EQIP migration, and for excellent management of EQIP, GRP and AMA during the period from August 16 through October 21.

Sue Hoey for outstanding work serving as Acting District Conservationist for the Epping

Field Office. She displayed strong leadership, partnering and managing skills in running all

aspects of the office.

Rebecca Wessling for taking charge and successfully accomplishing several time-critical

tasks in the absence of her supervisor.

Janet Boduch for her efforts in extensively reorganizing the supply room.

Dianne Vogt for performing an outstanding job all year of keeping payments, travel vouchers, contract obligations, time reports, and bills in proper order and processed in a timely

manner and made a significant contribution to the successful accomplishment of year-end

closing.

Bill Hoey while operating in a narrow window of opportunity was able to utilize the AMA

program to plan, fund and implement an irrigation system for a small farm operation.

Rick Ellsmore for an outstanding job as acting Assistant State Conservationist for four

months.

2004 Awards (Cont’d)

9
Inside Scoop Winter 2005

Nels Liljedahl for his exceptional efforts in revitalizing the Earth Team program in the

Conway Field Office. He is also commended for his excellent use of group volunteers.

Lindsay Carter for his exceptional efforts in revitalizing the Earth Team program for

Southern NH RC&D resulting in the largest increase in the number of volunteers.

2004 Time-Off Awards:

Heidi Konesko for outstanding efforts in compiling the necessary requirements to complete

an unusually high volume of EQIP contracts in a compressed time frame.

Wendy Ward for outstanding efforts in compiling the necessary requirements to complete

an unusually high volume of EQIP contracts in a compressed time frame.

2004 Awards (Cont’d)

Priscilla Johnston Awarded

 Extra Mile Award for 2004

This award honors the employee

who most exemplifies the work ethic,

motivation, and commitment of the NRCS

in New Hampshire by going that “extra

mile.” Some of the reasons why Priscilla

has been recognized include:

 Demonstration and eagerness to

perform activities that extend

beyond normal duty

functions.

 Projects a positive and professional

image of NRCS.

 Consistently demonstrates fairness, cooperation and respect toward

co-workers, office visitors and all others.

 Demonstrates a willingness to pursue job-related self-development

activities.

 Enhances the morale and work environment of co-workers.

 Participates in community activities that improves the quality of life

for others.

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Inside Scoop Winter 2005

11

Time-Off Award:

Kim Saufley for editing, formatting and finalizing a CSP Pilot Watershed Report which

was presented to the Associate Chief for Farm Bill programs and for preparing and

finalizing the 2006 class schedule for the Natural Resource Volunteer course.

2005 Awards

New Hampshire NRCS welcomes Jeff White, Leon Wendte, Kathy Judd, Chad

Cochrane and Tom Ebert! Here’s what they have to say:

Jeff White, State Resource Conservationist -- I am thrilled to be serving as your State

Resource Conservationist! I am married to Jodie and we have a beautiful 18-month old

daughter named Lauren. She is especially fond of the final member of the family, our dog

Chief. It was a crazy holiday season but it was nice spending several days with family and

friends in Illinois before heading northeast shortly after Christmas. We arrived in beautiful

New Hampshire on December 28th and I began my duties in the state office on January 3rd.

Illinois’ nickname is the Prairie State but the prairie soils did an excellent job of avoiding the

family farm in west-central Illinois. My twin brothers and I (our poor Mom) were afforded

ample “opportunity” to become involved in all aspects of the operation that included hogs,

cattle, corn, soybeans, wheat, hay, pasture and in all cases, conservation. My parents

worked with SCS and the county Soil and Water Conservation District to improve the natural resource aspects of the farm while increasing production and profitability. That experience made a lasting impression on me.

I took my interest in agriculture and conservation to the University of Illinois in 1989. Upon

completion of my sophomore year, I entered SCS as a student trainee and returned in the

same capacity the following summer. I graduated in 1993 and entered the agency on a

permanent basis as a soil conservationist in south-central Illinois. I held another soil conservationist/acting district conservationist position before being selected as an agronomist/

water quality specialist for a quarter of Illinois during reorganization and the subsequent

name change to NRCS. I then served four years as the NRCS Liaison to Illinois EPA before my most recent position as a district conservationist position took me to northeastern

Illinois for over two years.

I relish the challenges of the SRC position and look forward to meeting and working with all

of you in the near future!

Personnel Happenings
Inside Scoop Winter 2005

Tom Ebert, Soil Conservationist in Woodsville, grew up in Northeastern Pennsylvania in

the small town of Lakewood near the New York boarder. He attended the State University

of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry at Syracuse where he double

majored in Forestry and Environmental and Forest Biology. He graduated in 2001 and

spent the past three years working as a service forester for West Virginia Division of Forestry.

Kathy Judd, District Conservationist for Coos and Grafton Counties, was born and raised

in Madison, Wisconsin. She graduated from the University of Wisconsin at River Falls.

During the summer she worked for the Dane County Land Conservation Department

(similar to the conservation districts here). After college Kathy worked with NRCS as a

WAE in Wisconsin and then was hired as a full time employee by NRCS in Illinois where

she served as a Soil Conservationist in DeKalb, Illinois. From there she became the DC

for Piatt County, Illinois where she worked for 4 years prior to coming to New Hampshire.

Chad Cochrane grew up in northwest Pennsylvania, near his families’ farm in southwest

New York state. He attended Allegheny College in Meadville, Pennsylvania were he obtained an Environmental Science degree in 2003. While attending college, Chad interned

with the NRCS and utilized that partnership to complete his senior comprehensive project

on the effectiveness of cattle exclusionary fencing on natural stream recovery. Before

moving to New Hampshire with his wife, Leah, and daughter, Rorie, he worked in environmental health and safety in Philadelphia.

Leon Wendte, State Conservation Engineer -- I come from the Prairie State of Illinois. My

wife, Jane, and I already love the views in the Granite State and everyone we’ve met has

been so friendly and helpful. We really feel welcomed!

I am an agricultural engineer by training with BS and MS from the University of Illinois. So

far I have worked 31 years with NRCS in the State of Illinois. I’ve worked on the engineering staff at the State Office, as area engineer in two locations, and project engineer for a

PL-566 Watershed. My most recent years were spent getting back to my agricultural roots

as a District Conservationist in a county with a heavy engineering workload of agricultural

and urban conservation practices. The really fun part was that I could practice engineering

but also dabble in agronomy, soils, biology, forestry, wildlife habitat, wetland restoration,

grazing, livestock waste systems, nutrient management, watershed planning, and a host of

new USDA programs. Now I look forward to learning about new conservation systems in a

beautiful part of the country and getting even more conservation on the land.

12
Inside Scoop Winter 2005

More Personnel Happenings

Our thoughts and prayers go to Pam Failing, Janet Boduch, Kim Saufley, and

Tessa Chadwick who have all lost a loved

one this winter.

May

Celebrate Wetlands Month

American Asian Pacific Islander

Special Emphasis Program Month

New Hampshire Envirothon

May 17, 2005

Memorial Day

May 30, 2005

Upcoming Events

April

National Volunteer Week

April 17 - April 23, 2005

Earth Day

April 22, 2005

70th Anniversary of NRCS

“A Partner in Conservation Since 1935”

April 27, 2005

13

NH Farm & Forest Exposition

“New Hampshire Farms & Forests...your

own backyard” brought many residents to

Manchester for yet another good year for

the NH Farm & Forest Expo. The Center of

NH-Radisson once again held the “greatest

winter fair” on Friday, February 4 and Saturday, February 5, 2005. Throughout the two

days lectures, forums, seminars, and a trade

show provided public outreach and the

promotion of agricultural products.

This year’s NHACD and NRCS exhibit

showed the core conservation partnership of

NHACD, NRCS, North Country RC&D,

Southern NH RC&D, the State Committee,

and the Conservation District Employees

Association through pictures and text.

As part of the workshop series, Wendy

Ward, Soil Conservation Technician, in

Walpole offered a powerpoint presentation

to interested folks regarding the Wildlife

Habitat Incentives Program (WHIP) and

Environmental Quality Incentives Program

(EQIP) at the Invasive Plants: Moving

Forward session.

Tessa Chadwick, State Conservationist and

UNH Cooperative Extension Specialist, Bob

Edmonds at the event.
Inside Scoop Winter 2005

14

RC&D News

The National Association of Resource

Conservation and Development Councils

recently recognized the Beginner Farmers

of NH (BFNH), a grassroots farmer to

farmer network, as their 2004 national

winner in the Outstanding Sponsor

Achievement category. BFNH was nominated for this award by the North Country RC&D as part of the New England

Association of RC&D awards program.

After taking the New England honors, the

Beginning Farmers of NH’s nomination

competed with five other regional award

winners across the United States.

Southern NH RC&D is proud to announce the presentation of completed

Water Supply Plans to the towns of

Bedford and Raymond along with a grant

check for dry hydrants in Francestown

and Washington. The total amount of this

assistance exceeds $10,000.

Because of

the

interest

of local

groups,

support

from the

Southern NH

RC&D

Council, and both technical and financial

assistance from the NH Department of

Environmental Services, it is hoped that

this summer we’ll see the beginning of a

comprehensive study of the Beaver Lake

Watershed in Rockingham County. This

lakes provides many year-round and

seasonal residents with a variety of recreational opportunities, and it is facing pressures from development and increased use.

Lisa Rixen is

our Earth Team

Volunteer of the

Year for 2004. Lisa

has been volunteering for the Belknap

County Conservation District for

about four years.

She has helped

them repair their

computers, has

made recommendations for computer needs in the office and

has taught the district staff how to get more

done with these computers. Lisa has also

volunteered her time to the Beginner Farmers of NH which has meant countless hours

of work organizing the group, making sure

newsletters get out and lots of networking

with the AG community.

Lisa is warm, cheerful, knowledgeable and always looking for a new challenge

or adventure.

Lynn Howell, Earth Team Volunteer

Coordinator recognized Lisa at the Belknap

County Conservation District’s Annual

Meeting.

Happenings

National Volunteer Week

April 17 - 23, 2005

“Together We’re Making History”

Celebrating 20 Years

1985 - 2005
Inside Scoop Winter 2005

15

USDA is an Equal Opportunity Provider and Employer.

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

USDA Natural Resources

Conservation Service (NRCS)

2 Madbury Road

Durham, NH 03824

NH Civil Rights Committee Attends Training

Recently Lynn Howell, Chair of the Civil Rights Committee along with Don

Keirstead, Vice-Chair; Sue Hoey, Federal Women’s Program Manager; Rick Ellsmore,

Black Special Emphasis Program Manager; and Nels Liljedahl, American Indian/American

Native Special Emphasis Program Manager attended the 2nd annual “All Special Emphasis

Program Manager Training.” Reno, Nevada will never be the same since this group attended the conference, “Together...Embracing the Future through Diversity.”

As new Special Emphasis Program Managers (SEPM) this training session proved

to be a valuable experience for the New Hampshire group. The training consisted of workshops where the group was introduced to the new MD-715 which is the reporting system for

the Affirmative Employment Program (AEP) report and a workshop where the discussion of

“reasonable accomodations” took place. Along with the workshops and listening to motivational speakers, much networking took place.

The national leadership team led by Chief Bruce Knight met at the same time giving the

SEPMs an opportunity to meet the NRCS leadership and to listen to current agency

issues.