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Outreaching to Inform 

the Public about 

Natural Resource 

Conservation Needs

By Ann Bowens, Outreach Coordinator

Over the past 

few months 

I have been 

fortunate to be involved in educating 

children about the 

need for conservation. In addition 

to being a part of 

the presentation 

to about 125 K-6 students, a trip to the 

Tavares office provided an opportunity 

to network with field staff on outreach 

initiatives. I was also excited about the 

great work that is being done by Darryl Williams, District Conservationist, 

Crestview, with the Walker Elementary 

School and the Backyard Conservation 

project. Teaching children to properly 

care for the environment now will reap 

rewards for future generations. Children are our future generation. If we 

teach them to care about the environment and animals now, they are going 

to care about them when they are adults. 

With regard to agricultural innovations, being a part of the 4th Annual TriState Farmer’s Forum (Alabama, Florida, 

and Georgia) titled “Success Is to Be 

Achieved”, provided me an opportunity 

to present an exhibit and discuss USDA, 

NRCS Farm Bill programs. I also got a 

chance to be a part of the topic discussion on USDA programs and availability 

of production agriculture, alternative 

agriculture, and livestock production. 

These types of forums provide encouragement as well as educate small and 

limited resource producers to the opportunities available through NRCS and 

the needed assistance to small farmers.

Basketball and Tennis 

Rebound at Annie Mattox

By Doug Ulmer, RC&D Coordinator

For the past six years, the only thing youngsters interested in playing tennis at Annie 

Mattox Park could do was gaze at the cracked, 

net-less courts. Recently, Clemis Davis noticed the courts had been resurfaced and lines 

painted, but there were still no nets. “I went 

by there the other day and I saw some kids 

gazing over the courts,” Davis said. Joseph 

George, president of the board of directors of 

Annie Mattox Recreation, Inc. said that the 

park board had used a grant from the United 

States Department of Agriculture, through 

the Suwannee River Resource Conservation 

and Development Council, to resurface and 

paint lines on the tennis and basketball courts.

“It’s (tennis) different from baseball or 

football that African-Americans are so familiar 

with. Hopefully, somewhere down the line we’ll 

have more African Americans involved with 

the tennis league to go along with Serena and 

Venus (Williams),” Davis said. “It’s not a game 

or sport where you’re making physical contact. 

continued on page 4 - Basketball

Ann Bowens, (left) NRCS Outreach Coordinator, shows off trophies with Cynthia Robinson 

(right). Ms. Robinson is the youth basketball coach 

at the Annie Mattox center. Several of her teams 

placed first in a recent competition in Gainesville.
Florida NRCS Outreach Update FY 2006 #1 September - March 

Personality Type May be a Factor in Diversity

Some people work in teams, some are loners. Some people want facts and figures before they make a decsion, some go with their feelings. Some people are cheerful all the time and some seem to have the weight of 

the world on their shoulders. 

In 1923, Dr. Carl Jung created a model based on four categories of personality types. Since then, many 

researchers have built on Jung’s model. Today, dozens of models for personality exist, all based on grouping 

behavior into four categories. We all have parts of each personality but tend to stay in one or two styles most 

of the time 

Read through the types below and see if you can identify yourself, your coworkers and maybe some of 

your clients. Then review the recommendations below, right, as to how you might deal with these different 

personality types.

The key to dealing with the different personality types is to develop all four sides of our own personality 

so we can adjust ourselves to the people we meet. 

T h e m i s s i o n o f t h e N R C S O u t r e a c h D i v i s i o n i s t o p r o v i d e 

l e a d e r s h i p t o e n s u r e t h a t a l l p r o g r a m s a n d s e r v i c e s 

a r e m a d e a c c e s s i b l e t o a l l N R C S c u s t o m e r s , f a i r l y a n d 

e q u i t a b l y, w i t h e m p h a s i s o n r e a c h i n g t h e u n d e r s e r v e d 

a n d s o c i a l l y d i s a d v a n t a g e d f a r m e r s a n d r a n c h e r s .
Florida NRCS Outreach Update FY 2006 #1 September - March 

2006 Arbor Day Celebration in 

Crestview

by Darryl Williams, DC

The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, 

Yellow River Soil and Water Conservation District, Okaloosa County Extension Service (Master Gardeners) and the 

Florida Division of Forestry hosted an Arbor Day celebration 

outside the WalMart in Crestview on January 27, 2006.

Arbor Day is a nationally celebrated observance 

that encourages tree planting and tree care. Founded by J. Sterling Morton in Nebraska in 1872, it is a 

day that is celebrated each year around the country.

O O O O O O O O O

Chuck DeVault, Earth 

Team Volunteer, giving out 

trees to be planted, such 

as the Eastern Redbud.

NRCS Works with Poarch Band of 

Creek Indians on EWP

By Bob Stobaugh, PAS

Hurricane Ivan hit the Florida panhandle in the summer of 

2004. It did extensive damage to 

the creeks and rivers in Northwest 

Florida. One of these waterways was 

the Escambia River which flows from 

Alabama into Florida. Along this river in Santa Rosa 

County there is a spot referred to as Mims Island.

The Mims Island Emergency Watershed Protection Program (EWP) Project was completed in 2004. The total reimbursement for the project was $252,262.05. The Poarch Band 

of the Creek Indians, which is the only federally recognized 

Indian Tribe in the state of Alabama, has worked closely with 

both Alabama and Florida NRCS on this and other projects. 

Native hardwood trees, supplied by the 

Yellow River Soil and Water Conservation District and the Florida Division of Forestry, were 

given out to those who 

wanted to plant a tree 

at home. All trees were 

FREE and on a first 

come, first served basis. 

Trees handed out were: 

Shumard Oak, Eastern 

Redbud, Live Oak, Dogwood, Cherry Bark Oak, 

Eastern Red Cedar, 

Southern Crabapple 

and American Plum. 

Chuck DeVault, Marianna Area Office’s 

newest volunteer, assisted with handing out 

tees and answering questions at this year’s 

annual event. His time and efforts were greatly appreciated and we hope he will continue to volunteer with us for years to come.

Lake SWCD Educates Local 

Students

By Cindy Strickland, Lake SWCD 

I started giving soil and water presentations 

Feb. 1, 2005. Since then I have presented to over 

7,500 students in grades K - 6. I show a variety 

of soil and water videos and I present several 

“talking” segments on both soil and water. During the talking segments I ask the children a lot 

of questions, which helps keep their attention. I 

tailor the presentation to the age of the children 

and the amount of time the teacher allows for the 

presentation.

Our office has custom made crossword 

puzzles and word searches to go along with the 

presentations. I give the teacher an activity book, 

tattoos, and several other handouts for each child. 

I also take a small gift to the teacher such as soil 

or water posters or a rain gauge, as my thank you 

for being invited to speak. 

The program has been very well received and 

I am booked every day through April 2006.I have 

received many “thank you’s” from teachers and 

from the children.

O O O O O O O O O
Florida NRCS Outreach Update FY 2006 #1 September - March 

For more information on Outreach, contact :

Ann Bowens, Outreach Coordinator

P.O. Box 141510

Gainesville, FL 32614

352-338-9516

ann.bowens@fl.usda.gov

Outreach Editor:

Gail Hendricks

Public Affairs Staff

352-338-9560

gail.hendricks@fl.usda.gov

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.

O O O O O O O O O

Annual First Coast Regional 

Envirothon 

By Allen L. Moore, District Conservationist

Over 200 local high school students from Duval, Nassau and Clay Counties competed in the 

Annual First Coast Regional Envirothon, Feb. 

16, 2006, held at Lake Fretwell Park in the Cecil Commerce Center. The event was hosted by 

the Duval Soil and Water Conservation District.

The First Coast Regional Envirothon is held 

annually and is a problem-solving, natural resource education program for high school students. Five-member teams competed for more 

than two hours in the fields of Aquatics, Forestry, 

Soils, Wildlife, and Current Environmental Issues. 

The overall winning Teams and the schools that 

they represented were:

Duval County — Bishop 

K e n n y H i g h S c h o o l 

“The Silent” - 1st place

N a s s a u C o u n t y — 

Fernandina Beach High 

S c h o o l “ M a g n i f i c e n t 

S e v e n ” – 1 s t p l a c e .

Each member of the above teams received a trophy, tickets to Disney World and an opportunity to 

represent their schools and respective local Soil and 

Water Conservation Districts in the State competition at the Florida Envirothon, scheduled for March 

31- April 1, 2006 at Silver River State Park, near 

Ocala. The statewide winner will represent the State 

of Florida at the National Envirothon later this year.

The Envirothon is a great way to get students 

interested in conserving our natural resources.





It’s an eye-to-eye sport where you’re trying to gain 

mobility, be mobile on the court,” Davis said. “It’s a 

sport where you have to think and use your mind. It’s 

a thinking game more than a physical game,” he said.

An avid tennis player himself, Davis had a group 

of youths who wanted to play, and the courts at Annie 

Mattox are within walking distance. Davis was so eager 

to have the youths start playing tennis that when Sen. 

Bill Nelson conducted a town hall meeting in Lake 

City in January, Davis asked Nelson for help securing 

tennis nets for the park. Nelson put him in touch with 

city officials. It turned out the city was willing to help.

Cynthia Robinson recently started coaching 

youth basketball teams on the new courts. She said 

her goal was to give the kids a positive alternative in 

the community. The youth have responded to her 

instruction and recently traveled to Gainesville to 

compete in a regional competition. The Annie Mattox teams placed first in several events and came 

away with trophies and t-shirts. Another competition 

will be hosted at the Annie Mattox center in April.

continued from page 1 - Basketball

Perdido Tribe Chief Bear Heart is loaning this model of an 

Indian village to the Three Rivers RC&D Office for display.