Colorado NRCS: Creating a Climate For Success · Conservation Service (NRCS) Conservation...

Winter Issue 2010The Colorado Connection Newsletter

USDA is an equal opportunity employer and provider.www.co.nrcs.usda.gov 1

Colorado Natural Resources Conservation Service Employee Newsletter

655 Parfet Street, Room E200C Lakewood, CO 80215-5505 Ph: 720-544-2863 Fax: 720-544-2965

Highlightsby

Allen GreenState Conservationist

It is hard to believe that another (calendar)year has passed and we are already approach-ing the half way point of fiscal year 2010. Ournew national leadership for NRCS is finally takingshape with the vision and priorities for ouragency being articulated.

Chief White has set forth three major prioritiesfor the agency and they are:1) Putting Conservation on the Ground;2) Getting our House in Order; and3) Creating a Climate for Success.

Each of these three major priorities will includea number of items to carry out, and I know thatall of you will be doing your part to help assurethat our agency meets these goals and contin-ues to provide the products and services that ourcustomers have come to expect and appreciate.

I continue to be impressed with how manyfarmers, ranchers, partners, and others sharewith me positive experiences they have had withNRCS and District staff in the field. I have beentold many times that our employees are dedi-cated and have a belief and passion for whatthey do. This is recognized in the way you treatpeople and work to help land users conservetheir precious resources.

No matter what the programs, legislation,budgets, rules, etc., it always comes down todealing with the individual and partners at thelocal level. For this, I want to say thanks to all ofyou for your commitment, hard work, and servicethat you are providing for our agricultural commu-nity and resources.

Honoring the History....................................................................... 2One to Grow On.............................................................................. 2Air Quality Improvement Funding Allocated.................................. 3Bent Conservation District Generating Farmstead Wind Power...... 4Sarah Hanlon Goes to Washington.................................................. 5Catching the Moisture..................................................................... 54th Natl. Conference on Grazing Lands Held..................................6Invasive Weed Workshop................................................................. 615th Annual Range Management School Held................................ 7NRCS and Organics.........................................................................7State Office News............................................................................ 8Area Office News.............................................................................10Celebrating Black History Month....................................................1418th Annual Martin Luther King Unity Training.............................14A Colorado Legend Retires............................................................. 16A Few Questions With JP Pannell................................................... 17Colorado's Million Acre Soil Mappers Honored..............................18Interview with Flavio Gonzales....................................................... 18CSCB Matching Grant.....................................................................19J&L Farms Partnership Honored..................................................... 19Techno Tips..................................................................................... 20Montrose Tour..................................................................................22Employee Spotlight - Noe Marymor................................................23Colorado Earth Team....................................................................... 24Five-County Cultural Heritage Tourism.......................................... 25"Bully" is not what an Englishman says.......................................... 26Prescribed Grazing and Herding for Rangeland Health................... 27Ft. Collins FO Promotes "Resources".............................................. 282010 Watershed Forums Set.............................................................28Women's History Month Celebrates 30 Years in March...................29The Back Page................................................................................. 30

Inside This Issue...

Colorado NRCS:Creating a Climate For Success



Pleasure in the job putsperfection in the work.

~ Aristotle

Never continue in a job youdon’t enjoy. If you’re happy inwhat you’re doing, you’ll like

yourself, you’ll have inner peace.And if you have that, along withphysical health, you will have

had more success than youcould possibly have imagined.

~ Johnny Carson

In order that people may behappy in their work, these three

things are needed: They mustbe fit for it: They must not do toomuch of it: And they must have

a sense of success in it.~ John Ruskin

Hard work spotlights thecharacter of people: some turnup their sleeves, some turn up

their noses, and some don’t turnup at all.

~ Sam Ewing

What we call creative work,ought not to be called work at all,

because it isn’t. I imagine thatThomas Edison never did a

day’s work in his last fifty years.~ Stephen B. Leacock

Winners take time to relishtheir work, knowing that scaling

the mountain is what makesthe view from the top

so exhilarating.~ Denis Waitley

The common denominator forsuccess is work.

~ John D. Rockefeller

One toGrowOn

Members from the Rio BlancoCounty Historical Society, UpperColorado Environmental PlantCenter (UCEPC) staff and KessleyLaRose (Ute ethno botanist andartist) met in Meeker, Colorado, atUCEPC on Friday, September 18,2009, to exchange information andideas about the landscaping for amemorial park, Milk Creek Battle-field. LaRose, a Native AmericanUte, discussed with the group thedifferent plants Ute Indians usedfor their daily diets and medicinalpurposes, as well as sharing alittle bit of Ute history.

The next day, the group traveled tothe Milk Creek Battlefield Park,east of Meeker on County Road15. The Milk Creek Battlefield Parkpays tribute to Ute warriors andUnited States soldiers who losttheir lives there, 130 years ago onSeptember 29, 1879. At the park,the group was joined by membersof the Southern, Northern, andWhite River Ute Indian Tribes.Chairman, council members,friends and family expressed their

feelings and thoughts about the park.The group agreed it was important tofocus on plant materials that would besustainable and culturally meaningfulto Ute tribes, and that the site shouldbe kept as natural as possible in itsappearance to help reflect the site’shistorical attributes. The memorial siteis a place where the general public canvisit and honor the history of the MilkCreek Battle.

On September 29, 2009, volunteersmet again at the battlefield site withfour native blue spruce trees, donatedby Gary Moyer, White River TreeFarm. Dr. Dave Steinman, Rio BlancoCounty Historical Society, JohnnieBarton and Terri Blanke, UCEPC, dugholes, planted, staked and watered thetrees. It was a coincidence that volun-teers found themselves honoring theplace where such a historical eventoccurred on exactly the same day, 130years ago. UCEPC has additionalmaterials to be placed in the park aslandscaping progresses. “The projecthas the potential to be very importantand successful in regional culturalaffairs”, said Dr. Dave Steinman.

By Terri Blanke, Plant Technician andHeather Plumb, Plant Scientist-Range PlantsUpper Colorado Environmental Plant Center, Meeker, CO

The Ute memorial with the Milk Creekbattlefield site in the foreground.

Johnnie Barton and Dave Steinman plantingtrees at the Milk Creek Battlefield Park.

HONORINGHONORINGHONORINGHONORINGHONORINGTHE HISTORYTHE HISTORYTHE HISTORYTHE HISTORYTHE HISTORYHONORINGHONORINGHONORINGHONORINGHONORING

THE HISTORYTHE HISTORYTHE HISTORYTHE HISTORYTHE HISTORY



By Petra Barnes, Public Affairs Officer, Lakewood, CO

Air QuAir QuAir QuAir QuAir Qualitalitalitalitality Impry Impry Impry Impry Improvement Fundovement Fundovement Fundovement Fundovement Fundinininining Allg Allg Allg Allg Allocococococaaaaatedtedtedtedted

The NRCS is working to helpfarmers and ranchers improve airquality. Under the 2008 Food,Conservation and Energy Act(2008 Farm Bill), NRCS willprovide eligible producers withfinancial and technical assistanceto implement cost effective andinnovative practices that reduceharmful fine particulate matter and8-hour surface ozone (the primarycomponent of smog) into theatmosphere.

$37,000,000 has been allocatednationally for this initiative in 2010,which includes the $1.4 million inColorado funding.

NRCS will utilize its EnvironmentalQuality Incentives Program (EQIP)to manage and administer the airquality initiative. EQIP is a volun-tary conservation program thatsupports agricultural producersand offers financial and technicalassistance to help them installstructural and managementconservation practices on agricul-tural land. “Although landownersmay apply for assistance throughthe traditional EQIP program,”states Tim Carney, NRCS Assis-tance State Conservationist forPrograms, “these funds aretargeted for specific practiceswhich will allow for increasedopportunity for enrollment for thoselandowners desiring to implementthe air quality improvementpractices.”

NRCS has identified numerous con-servation practices that farmers maychose to implement under the 2010Initiative. No-till, for example, is offeredas a conservation practice becausethe reduced fuel usage of a no-tillsystem reduces ozone and particulatematter emissions. Several conserva-tion practices pertaining to animalagriculture such as manure storagestructures, waste utilization andprescribed grazing are offered whichwill reduce dust, intercept particulate

matter, and reduce greenhouse gasemissions.

Practices under the EQIP air qualityinitiative include:

Anaerobic Digester – ControlledTemperature (366) and associatedpractices, including:

• Waste Storage Facility• Composting Facility• Waste Transfer• Vegetated Treatment Area• Critical Area Planting

Atmospheric Resource QualityManagement (370)

• Greenhouse Energy/Shade Screens

• Greenhouse Horizontal Air Flow (HAF) Systems

Irrigation Water Management (449)• Cranberry Auto-Start Systems

Renewable Energy Production (716)• Solar PV, Solar-Thermal and

“Color“Color“Color“Color“Colorado farmerado farmerado farmerado farmerado farmers face increasing pressure ts face increasing pressure ts face increasing pressure ts face increasing pressure ts face increasing pressure toooooconsider air quality issues as theconsider air quality issues as theconsider air quality issues as theconsider air quality issues as theconsider air quality issues as they plan and conducty plan and conducty plan and conducty plan and conducty plan and conducttheir farming opertheir farming opertheir farming opertheir farming opertheir farming operations,” Carneations,” Carneations,” Carneations,” Carneations,” Carney goes on ty goes on ty goes on ty goes on ty goes on to sao sao sao sao sayyyyy. “. “. “. “. “ThisThisThisThisThisone of the reasons NRone of the reasons NRone of the reasons NRone of the reasons NRone of the reasons NRCS is ofCS is ofCS is ofCS is ofCS is offffffering this assisering this assisering this assisering this assisering this assistance.”tance.”tance.”tance.”tance.”

Wind Turbines (600 KW or less)

• GenSet for Methane Digester• Energy audit and renewable

energy assessment required

“Colorado farmers face increasingpressure to consider air qualityissues as they plan and conducttheir farming operations,” Carneygoes on to say. “This one of thereasons NRCS is offering thisassistance.” NRCS will target thefollowing counties that are in non-attainment with U.S. EnvironmentalProtection Agency (EPA) NationalAmbient Air Quality Standards for8-hour surface ozone (03): Dou-glas, Jefferson, Denver, Arapahoe,Adams, Broomfield, Boulder, Weld,and Larimer.

Applications are accepted byNRCS on a continuous basisthroughout the year to evaluate,rank, prioritize, and select appli-cants. Applications received byApril 1, 2010 will be considered forthe 2010 Initiative funding.Applications received after April 1,2010 will automatically be enteredinto consideration for the nextcycle of air quality initiative fundingand/or traditional EQIP funding andranked accordingly.

Farmers interested in applying forthe Colorado EQIP Air QualityInitiative should contact the localNRCS field office located in theUSDA Service Center that servicestheir county or they may visithttp://www.co.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/index.html.



B e n t C o n s e r v a t i o n D i s t r i c t G e n e r a t i n g F a r m s t e a d W i n d P o w e rB e n t C o n s e r v a t i o n D i s t r i c t G e n e r a t i n g F a r m s t e a d W i n d P o w e rB e n t C o n s e r v a t i o n D i s t r i c t G e n e r a t i n g F a r m s t e a d W i n d P o w e rB e n t C o n s e r v a t i o n D i s t r i c t G e n e r a t i n g F a r m s t e a d W i n d P o w e rB e n t C o n s e r v a t i o n D i s t r i c t G e n e r a t i n g F a r m s t e a d W i n d P o w e r

Guy Wagner’s new turbine is ready toproduce clean wind energy.

(continued on next page)

By Mary Miller, NRCS Area Public Affairs Specialist, La Junta, CO

FFFFFor many years, the BentConservation District (CD)has promoted the conserva-

tion and wise use of traditionalnatural resources such as soil,water, air, plants, and animals.Knowing that the cost of energyand electricity would probablycontinue to increase, the districtdecided to expand into and topromote the use of small farm-stead wind turbines for energyconservation. To assist them withthis new initiative, the CD appliedfor a USDA Natural ResourcesConservation Service (NRCS)Conservation Innovation Grant(CIG), which is part of the NRCSEnvironment Quality IncentivesProgram (EQIP) in 2007.

The goal of the project is toincrease awareness of alternativeenergy for on-farm use, to promotethe utilization of wind to supple-ment commercial electricity, and toexpand the use of wind to powerfarmsteads. Originally nine producers hadfeasibility studies done on theirfarmsteads. The studies includedwind speed data from the Lamarairport and two years worth ofelectricity bills. Of these nine, fourproducers decided to go aheadand install turbines. In order toparticipate in the project, the fourproducers had to meet five criteria:the producer had to meet EQIPcriteria; the turbine had to beinstalled on a working farm orranch; the producer had to agreeto host field tours on his/herdemonstration site; the producerhad to be willing to participate ininformational meetings and serveas a spokesperson for the project;

and the producer had to be locatedwithin the Bent CD. In addition, eachproducer had to agree to maintainrecords of cost data for electrical useand maintain his/her turbine in goodworking order. Through the CIGfunding, the district was able to provide50 percent of the total cost to installthe turbines. Lorraine Schleining decided toparticipate in the program because shebelieves that in years to come, theturbine will provide a cost savings.Lance Verhoeff installed a turbinebecause he uses a lot of electricity forhis house, shop, and granaries. Headded that if it pays for itself, he will behappy. Laura Cline is participatingbecause the information from thedistrict made the turbine project study

pretty enticing. She also believes theturbine will help reduce her family’selectric bill and be more energyefficient. Guy Wagner said he isparticipating for the same reasons ashis three fellow producers. After the four producers had feasi-bility studies completed, they thenselected the size of the turbine based

on information the studies pro-vided. Schleining and Wagnerhave smaller turbines made by thesame company. Verhoeff and Clinehave larger turbines from thesame company. Both types ofturbines kick in and begin generat-ing electricity when the windspeed hits eight miles per hour(mph). Some differences in the twotypes are that the smaller ones willproduce electricity up to 30 mph,while the larger ones will produceelectricity up to 54 mph. Theturbines will shut down immedi-ately once the wind speedsexceed these numbers. Thesmaller ones have 33-inch bladesand no tail. The wind comes frombehind the blades to make it turn.The larger ones have 14-footblades and a tail. The largerturbines face into the wind to turn.The smaller turbine towers are 70feet, and the larger towers are 105feet tall. Southeast Colorado PowerAssociation (SECPA) has workedclosely with all four producers tomake sure the turbines wereinstalled and grounded correctly. Inthe future, power companies willbe required to have 20 percent oftheir electricity produced byrenewable energy sources, so aspart of the program SECPA isproviding each producer withrenewable energy credits. Sincethe power company’s linemen willhelp with turbine maintenance,each producer is required to carryextra liability insurance. The process in which theproducers see if their turbines areproducing more energy than theyare using is called net metering.On an annual basis, the powercompany will compare the electric-ity each turbine has produced tothe amount of electricity eachproducer has used. If the

The goal of the project is to increase awareness ofalternative energy for on-farm use, to promote theutilization of wind to supplement commercial electricity,and to expand the use of wind to power farmsteads.



By Sarah Hanlon, Range Conservationist, Springfield, CO

At the end of August I was givenan amazing opportunity to spend aweek in Washington, DC. While inour nation’s capitol I had the honorof meeting with the leadership andrange management professionalsfrom the Forest Service, Bureau ofLand Management, and NRCS.This opportunity was awarded tome last February at the Society forRange Management’s annualmeeting in Albuquerque, NM.

Part of the annual meeting con-sists of contests that allow forsome friendly competition amongthe range schools and studentsfrom the United States, Canada,and Mexico. These contestsinclude research, presentations,plant ID, and a comprehensiveknowledge based exam known asthe Undergraduate Range Man-agement Exam or URME. TheForest Service, BLM, and NRCSall sponsor one of the studentcontest awards and provide thefirst place winner in the respectivecontest with an all expenses-paidtrip to Washington, DC to meetwith the leadership of the FederalAgencies. I participated in theplant ID and URME competitions,

and came in first in the URME! TheForest Service sponsors the first placeaward for the URME.

I returned with a much greater appre-ciation for what happens in all of theFederal land management agencies atthe national level. I had the opportu-nity to see the National AgricultureResearch Service Experiment Stationin Beltsville, MD. I was able to gainmore detailed knowledge as to theaims and operations in our “sister”agencies. Of course, I was given sometime to see our country’s nationallandmarks and history, as it was myfirst adventure to Washington, DC.

I also had the immense honor ofmeeting with the Chief of the NRCS,David White; seeing documents thatwere the foundation of the NRCS; andsetting my eyes upon the view thatHugh Hammond Bennett himself hadevery day from his office. Not only this,but I was also able to discuss withnational NRCS staff the issues andsuccesses with putting conservationon the ground right here in BacaCounty. It was an honor and anopportunity that not many fresh-out-of-college employees get, and one that Igreatly appreciate a chance to share.

Chief White shows Sarah the founding documents of NRCS.

In the fiscal year of 2009 theSpringfield, CO NRCS Office hasdesigned and installed approxi-mately 52,780 ft. (10.0 miles) offlat channel terraces. The flatchannel terrace is designed tocapture run-off water from rainsand snow and collect the run-offwater in the channel to enhancethe growth of crops in the channel.The flat channel terraces alsocontrols concentrated flow(ephemeral and gully erosion).

producers have used less energythan they produced, they will get acheck for the difference from thecompany. All four producers agree thatassessing the energy savings willtake time. In fact, they all agreethat it may take a year ofrecordkeeping to get an accurateassessment. Data showing cost benefits,maintenance issues and expenses,and the producers’ overall experi-ence will be compiled.Partners in the project are the BentCD, NRCS, USDA Rural Develop-ment, SECPA, iCAST (InternationalCollaboration for AdvancingSecurity Technology), and the fourproducers. After only four months of use,Cline noted “I encourage anyone todo it [install a turbine]. It’s verygreen energy.”

WWWWW i n d P o w e ri n d P o w e ri n d P o w e ri n d P o w e ri n d P o w e r continued from page 4

By Tom Werner, Soil ConservationTechnician, Springfield, CO

CatchingCatchingCatchingCatchingCatchingThe MoistureThe MoistureThe MoistureThe MoistureThe Moisture

Sarah HanlonGoes to Washington



Several rangeland managementspecialists represented NRCS-Colorado at the 4th NationalConference on Grazing Lands inSparks, Nevada, in December.Dan Nosal (Franktown Field Officeand Colorado Grazing LandsConservation Initiative coordina-tor), Ben Berlinger (La Junta AreaOffice – retired), Matt Barnes(Kremmling Field Office), andBruce Lindahl (NRCS – retired,representing Colorado GLCI)traveled across Colorado, Utah,and Nevada, following the PonyExpress route across the GreatBasin, identifying plants andassessing rangeland health inblizzard conditions. The conference, “GrazingLands—A Winning Hand,” height-ened producers’ and conservation-ists’ awareness of the environmen-tal and economic effects of range-land, pasture, and grazeablewoodland management, focusingon prescribed grazing. Dan Nosal and Ben Berlingerpresented a poster coauthored byKimberly Diller (Cañon City FieldOffice) and Steve Oswald (OswaldRanch) on “A beef producer’sexperience thinking ‘outside thebox’: an integrated approach toimprove rangeland health whilemarketing grassfed beef.” Kim-berly, Dan, and Ben assisted theOswald Ranch to integrate mul-tiple-species rotational grazing,range monitoring, calving in syncwith nature, and better businessplanning to become a showcase ofregenerative, profitable ranching. Julie Elliot (Wray Field Office)presented “Changes in the beef

cow over the 20th century.” Cattlehave gotten larger, but less efficient atconverting forage to beef. Matt Barnes presented a paper hecoauthored with Tim Steffens(Springfield Field Office) and LarryRittenhouse (emeritus professor,Colorado State University) demonstrat-ing that, “Graze period stocking rate,not stock density, determines livestocknutrient intake”—explaining howlivestock production can be maintainedor improved, even in the short term,with prescribed multiple-pasturegrazing management. Grazing landspecialists from all over the countryrequested copies of the paper. Matt Barnes presented a papercoauthored by Mark Volt (KremmlingField Office), John Scott (GunnisonField Office), Lars Santana (MontroseField Office), and Joe Brummer(Colorado State University) on “Cloverseeding for sage-grouse habitat andforage production on mountainmeadows,” two large-scale collabora-tive conservation projects involving116 private landowners in theGunnison and Middle Park Conserva-tion Districts and multiple agencypartners to inter-seed legumes intograss meadows adjacent to sagebrushrangelands, treating most of this typeof sage-grouse habitat in both districts. State Conservationist Allen Greenwas also present, representing thestate and spreading the message ofgrazing lands management. The conference was hosted by theGrazing Lands Conservation Initiative,a partnership between the NRCS,other agencies in the USDA, nationallivestock producer associations, theSociety for Range Management,American Forage and Grassland

Council, and Soil and WaterConservation Society. The GLCIfunds grazing land technicalassistance through NRCS. The conference proceedingswill be available in March. The 5thNational Conference on GrazingLands is being planned for 2012.

Rangeland Management Specialists present onColorado grazing lands management at national conference

by Matt BarnesMulti-County Rangeland Management Specialist, Kremmling and Walden, CO

4th National Conference on Grazing Lands Held4th National Conference on Grazing Lands Held4th National Conference on Grazing Lands Held4th National Conference on Grazing Lands Held4th National Conference on Grazing Lands Held

IIIIInvnvnvnvnvasivasivasivasivasive e e e e WWWWWeed eed eed eed eed WWWWWorororororkshopkshopkshopkshopkshopby N. Tracy Miller, DC, Alamosa, CO

The Mosca Hooper ConservationDistrict hosted a public InvasiveWeed Workshop with numerousweed topics given by ColoradoState Extension Service andColorado Department of Agricul-ture personnel on re-certifyingprivate or commercial applicatorlicenses. Other subjects oninvasive weed control werecovered, giving vital informationto the farmers and ranchers alsoin attendance. A luncheon wasserved by Mosca Hooper Conser-vation District. The Districtplans on having a workshop everyyear.

The Mosca Hooper ConservationDistrict is also working with theAlamosa County Commissionersto start up a weed sprayingbusiness in the future. Thiswould involve spraying weeds oncounty roads and non-crop areas.



The U.S. Department ofAgriculture’s Natural ResourcesConservation Service (NRCS) recentlyannounced that in fiscal year 2010,$50 million has been set aside fororganic producers and thosetransitioning to organic productionnationwide. Of that $50 million, $1.2million has been allocated to NRCS inColorado, which is in its second year ofidentifying objectives and goalsspecific to the organicproduction agriculturalcommunity. Last year’sinitiative in Coloradofunded applicationstotaling over $500,000and treated more than5,700 acres. “The Obama Admin-istration set a highpriority on providing assistance toorganic agricultural production,resulting in increased support for theorganic community within the 2008Farm Bill,” says Tim Carney, NRCSAssistant State Conservationist forPrograms, Lakewood, CO. “The 2010organic initiative’s funding is madeavailable through the EnvironmentalQuality Incentives Program (EQIP),which is managed and administered byNRCS and offers financial and techni-cal assistance to producers to helpinstall or implement structural andmanagement practices on eligibleagricultural land as well as to addressidentified natural resource concerns.” Through the EQIP program, organicproducers can receive technical andfinancial assistance to plan and installconservation practices to addressmany of the resource concerns identi-fied in their organic systems plans(OSP) including water quality, non-point source pollution, plant and soil

condition, soil erosion and domes-tic animals. NRCS conservationpractices such as irrigation watermanagement, nutrient and pestmanagement, cover crops, conser-vation crop rotation, residue andtillage management, field borders,filter strips, and prescribed grazingcan be planned and applied toaddress OSP resource concerns. Organic producers interested in

applying for enrollmentinto the organic EQIPinitiative should firstvisit http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/eqip/organic/index.html foreligibility requirementsand other information.Producers may apply

at any time by contacting their localNRCS field office located within theUSDA Service Center that servicestheir county. “Organic producers should alsobe aware that they are not limitedto applying for assistance justthrough the organic EQIP initiative,”Carney goes on to say. “They mayalso apply for enrollment into ourtraditional EQIP program or anyother for which they feel they maybe qualified. No matter whichprogram they may choose, it ishighly recommended they workwith their local NRCS field staff todevelop a conservation plan.” Conservation plans are notmandatory for enrollment into anyNRCS program; however, agricul-tural operations with qualifiedconservation plans receive prioritywhen competing for conservationfinancial assistance program funds.

$50 million has been set aside for organic pro$50 million has been set aside for organic pro$50 million has been set aside for organic pro$50 million has been set aside for organic pro$50 million has been set aside for organic producers and thoseducers and thoseducers and thoseducers and thoseducers and thosetransitioning to organic protransitioning to organic protransitioning to organic protransitioning to organic protransitioning to organic production nationwide. Of that $50duction nationwide. Of that $50duction nationwide. Of that $50duction nationwide. Of that $50duction nationwide. Of that $50million, $1.2 million has been allocated to NRCS in Colorado.million, $1.2 million has been allocated to NRCS in Colorado.million, $1.2 million has been allocated to NRCS in Colorado.million, $1.2 million has been allocated to NRCS in Colorado.million, $1.2 million has been allocated to NRCS in Colorado.


15th Annual15th Annual15th Annual15th Annual15th AnnualRange ManagementRange ManagementRange ManagementRange ManagementRange Management

School HeldSchool HeldSchool HeldSchool HeldSchool Held

At the request of local ranchers,Colorado State University Coop-erative Extension (CSUCE) beganoffering Range ManagementSchool (RMS) in 1995.

This educational program wasdeveloped in cooperation with thelivestock industry, the Bureau ofLand Management (BLM), the U.S.Forest Service (USFS) and theNatural Resources ConservationService (NRCS).

RMS focuses on providing in-depthrange information to permittees,state and federal land managers,environmentalists and privaterangeland owners; and is a com-mon-sense, science-based pro-gram that helps participantsunderstand rangeland, plantgrowth, vigor and the interrelation-ship with animal nutrition, and howto implement grazing managementdecisions to meet the requirementsof the range, animals and profitabil-ity.

More than 3,300 permittees,federal land managers, environ-mentalists, and private rangelandowners have attended classroominstruction, field tours and practicalapplications available

Current partners include theColorado Grazing Lands Conser-vation Initiative Committee, USForest Service, NRCS, CusterCounty Conservation District,Colorado State University Exten-sion.

Kimberly Diller, Canon City fieldoffice, and Jim Sperry, Silver Clifffield office, assist the partners inorganizing the school. BenBerlinger and John Murray, retiredNRCSers are two of the instructors.



on the pulseon the pulseon the pulseon the pulseon the pulse

The NRCS State Office has fullyimplemented the new web-basedpayment tracking system calledColorado Payment Storage System(CPSS). The system is designed totrack the status of payments andmitigate payment rejections by Areaand field office. Area 4 was the first topilot the new system followed byAreas 3, 2 and 1. CPSS has been fullyoperational state-wide since January2010. Each Area received training bythe NRCS State office before rollingthe system into production for theirfield offices.

Further enhancements will be devel-oped in the future to allow moregranular tracking of payments down tothe field office level. The web-basedsystem has experienced a 900%increase in traffic since February 2009.

NNNNNew Colorew Colorew Colorew Colorew Colorado Pado Pado Pado Pado PaaaaaymentymentymentymentymentSSSSStttttorororororage Syage Syage Syage Syage Syssssstttttememememem

The Colorado State TechnicalCommittee meeting will be held onWednesday, March 3, 2010 at the SheratonDenver West in Lakewood The NRCS issponsoring a working luncheon withspeakers and will provide a boxed lunch.

The meeting will include presentations,discussions, and requests for recommenda-tions on NRCS programs and policies,including the proposed Sage GrouseInitiative, the Wetlands Reserve Enhance-ment Program Reserved Grazing RightsOption, the Conservation StewardshipProgram, organic agriculture, and publiclands policies.

ComingsComingsComingsComingsComings

Jodi Hastings

Starting Date:July 17, 2009.

Title/Responsi-bilities: ResourceConservationist for Programs. My mainresponsibilities are Colorado Environmen-tal Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) andColorado Wildlife Habitat IncentivesProgram (WHIP).Previous Job: District Conservationist inBrighton, Colorado. Prior to Brighton, Iwas the District Conservationist in BigHorn County, Montana.

Brief Background History: I workedwith NRCS in MT and WA prior tojoining Colorado NRCS. I worked as aSoil Conservationist and RangeManagement Specialist as well as aDistrict Conservationist. I worked as atechnician for the US Forest Service inthe areas of Forestry and Range inMontana.

College Experience: I attained aBachelor of Science degree in Rangefrom the University of Montana, andan Associate of Science degree inForestry from Flathead CommunityCollege.

Spouse’s/Kid’s Name: My husband’sname is Ed.

MarkHoskins

Starting Date:January 4,2010

Title/Responsibilities: BudgetOfficer. Responsible for Coloradobudget and supervising financialmanagement staff.

Previous Job: Administrative Officer.Responsible for NIST budget inBoulder and supervising administra-tive staff.

Brief Background History: Born andraised in Colorado. Went to BearCreek High School and participated innumerous sports including track,football, and wrestling. Attendedcollege in Colorado, and have numer-ous family members still living here.

State Office News

The NRCS was a proud sponsor ofthe 2010 Tamarisk Symposium thatwas held at the Two Rivers ConventionCenter in Grand Junction, Colorado,on January 12 and 13. The symposiumprovided the latest information ontamarisk biocontrol, revegetation,tamarisk and wildlife issues, restora-tion projects, russian knapweed, andtamarisk water use.

Co-hosted by the Tamarisk Coalitionand Colorado State University, thesymposium introduced many knowl-edgeable speakers who gave oralpresentations on the invasive tamarisk;featured a panel discussion on South-western Willow Flycatcher efforts;and showcased a myriad of postersfor judging.

The NRCS booth provided information forattendees about tamarisk and other invasivespecies that are prevalent throughoutColorado. Overall, the symposium was agreat networking opportunity for thoseworking on tamarisk issues.



CharisseRomero

Starting Date:01/19/2010

Title/Responsibilities:Secretary. Front desk reception, calldirectory, timekeeping, file/recordmanagement, trip and meeting planning.

Previous Job: Police CommunicationsTechnician. Emergency call-taking, calldirectory, dispatching emergencypersonnel including EMS, fire, and police.

Brief Background History: Grew up inDenver. Attended Community College ofDenver and currently working to obtain anAA in Paralegal Studies, then transfer toUCD to complete a bachelor’s degree inPolitical Science. Mother of one boy; hisname is James Paul. Disabled militaryveteran of the post-9/11 era; private firstclass in the US Army, where I served as aRussian language interpreter.

College Experience: US Army DefenseLanguage Institute 07-08, CommunityCollege of Denver Fall 08-Present

Spouse’s/Kid’s Name: Boyfriend, JerryLara (Police Officer) and son, James Paul.

Pets: None.

Hobbies: Playing with my son, painting,studying for school, writing, reading,jogging, tap-dancing.

Anything else you would like for peopleto know about you: I am very excited tobe working with NRCS and the federalgovernment and I hope to be able to learnas much as possible quickly so that I canbecome an asset to the State Office team.

JonasFeinstein

Starting Date:1/4/2010

Title/Responsi-bilities: StateForester.

College Experience: BS, Marketing,CSU; BS, Accounting, MSCD; andMS, Finance, CSU.

Spouse’s/Kid’s Name: Wife Ginny,son Trever, and daughter Natasha.

Pets: Jewel, a cat

Hobbies: Skiing, hiking, and playingpoker.

Frank Py

StartingDate:11/23/2009

Title/Responsi-bilities: Voucher Examiner. I helpprocess, audit and track payments forour conservation program participants.

Previous Job: Consultant

Brief Background History: I amoriginally from the Los Angeles area. Ihave over ten years experience withsoftware consulting and businessintelligence. I served in the Navy from1990 to 1994, and have lived inLakewood with my family since 1998.

College Experience: University ofPhoenix, associate’s degree in busi-ness.

Spouse’s/Kid’s Name: Wife Lynne,Daughter Katrina (age 5), and sonAlexander (age 2).

Pets: Dogs Dizzy and Duncan.

Hobbies: Recording and audioengineering.

Anything else you would like forpeople to know about you: I enjoyworking with all the great folks atNRCS! I’m a very ethical person;however, I have been known toexchange special favors for food.

I provide technical guidance andassistance to NRCS service centersand field office personnel in conserva-tion planning of non-industrial privateforest resources and agroforestry inColorado.

Previous Job: District ConservationForester for Jefferson ConservationDistrict, in Lakewood, Colorado.

Brief Background History: I workedfor five years as a U.S. Forest Serviceon the Grand Canyon. I spent the nextfive years leading forest ecology andmanagement research projects inRocky Mountain National Park,Central Montana’s Big Belt moun-tains, the upper South Platte water-shed, and in north-central Colorado.In the past two years, I worked forColorado State Forest Service and forthe Jefferson Conservation District.

College Experience: B.S. in Forestrywith an emphasis in Forest Biology;and an M.S. in Forest Sciences, withan emphasis on Forest Ecology andManagement, both from ColoradoState University. Also, a very briefPh.D. assistantship at the Universityof Wyoming studying climate-fire-lodgepole pine interactions

Spouse’s/Kid’s Name: Wife Christy.

Pets: The “worlds best/worst dog,”Hayduke.

Hobbies: Fishing the Cache LaPoudre, rafting wild and scenic riversof the west, and backcountry skiingthe steep powder-filled slopes ofColorado’s high country with my wifeand dog.

Anything else you would like forpeople to know about you: I gain atremendous amount of inspirationfrom the following quotes, “Live inthe positive” and, “We can’t solveproblems by using the same kind ofthinking we used when we createdthem.”



on the pulseon the pulseon the pulseon the pulseon the pulse

Area TwoArea TwoArea TwoArea TwoArea Two

Area OneArea OneArea OneArea OneArea One

Bookcliff, Mount Sopris, andSouth Side Conservation Districtshonored one of our partners formany years of exemplary serviceto our landowners. Mike Kishimotohas worked in the GlenwoodSprings Field Office for over 20years, offering his engineeringexpertise to our area landowners.His number one priority is theresource concern for which thelandowner has requested hisassistance. His engineering skillsare respected throughout thestate, and he has been asked toserve on several committees andassisted in reviewing and helpingwith design work.

Mike sometimes works nights andweekends, and even answersphone calls at home during Broncogames.

Mike never hesitates to step up tothe plate to help out the districtsin their meetings or workshops.

Mike excels not only at work butwas chosen as “Assistant Coach ofthe Year” by his coaching peers forthe state of Colorado. Mike

The CSU Career Fair was agood place to spread the word aboutour agency. Sarah Belt, HumanResources Specialist, Lakewood StateOffice, organized and led the NRCSinvolvement at the Colorado StateUniversity Career Fair on October 13,2009. Supporting staff were ChrisFabian, Soils Scientist, Fort CollinsMLRA Office; Michael Daskam, DistrictConservationist, Holly Field Office;and Andy Piszkin, Soil ConservationTechnician, Fort Collins Field Office.

A handful of the students did knowabout NRCS either through theirprofessors, friends, or family. Thestudents did seem very interested inwhat NRCS had to offer. The studentsgenerally seemed to have a slightlyhigher interest in the government jobopportunities than those in privateindustry, likely due to the currenteconomic outlook. Both underclassand graduating (not eligible) studentsshowed interest in the NRCS StudentCareer Experience Program (SCEP).The fair, as one young man put it, wasmore about the “corn and cows”industry, rather than the larger andmore diverse mix of companiesobserved at the annual Spring fair.

The NRCS team engaged in an esti-mated 60 face-to-face interactionsfrom a fairly even mix of studentsranging from freshmento seniors, and networked withtwo CSU professors. The majority ofjunior- and senior-level students wereAg Econ & Business majors, while the

largest group of underclassstudents were Crop& Science majors; we met noengineering students at this fair.The female/male ratio was roughly60/40. Less than six studentscould be classified as being a “nonwhite-female” minority.

Chris, Sarah, and Andy inter-viewed a total of 5 students, andeach of them are great candidatesfor either the SCEP or CareerIntern Program. A total of 17resumes were received at the fair,and one student also includedtranscripts. Sarah informedstudents, if they were truly inter-ested, to e-mail her their resumeand transcripts before the end ofOctober.

Charles Ryden, President of BookcliffConservation District, awards MikeKishimoto.

On November 7, Greeley FieldOffice Staff, Ray Mowery, districtconservation and Stu McFarland,soil conservationist, participated ina workshop sponsored by WestGreeley Conservation District. Raygave instructions on planning,planting, and pampering trees andshrubs, starting with understand-ing your soil properties, i.e.:water- holding capacity, root zoneprofile, and potential utility haz-ards. Other planning suggestionsincluded: site selection, speciesselection, sketching a design,fabric mulch use and, irrigation.Planting instructions followed, withdesign layout, site prep, treeplanting by hand and with the treeplanter, laying fabric mulch, andinstalling the irrigation system.Pampering covered weed control,pest control, pruning and trim-ming, and meeting water needs.

Stu’s presentation covered treeand shrub planting for wildlife.First priority is to decide whichwildlife species you wish to benefit

Area Office Newscoaches track and field for theGlenwood Springs High School andhas been a driving force for theSpringers program, a youth track clubin the summer.



Area ThreeArea ThreeArea ThreeArea ThreeArea Three

Continued from page 10

and if they can be expected toinhabit your established habitat.Fruit bearing shrubs are generallymore suitable to desirable wildlifespecies than tall trees; however,evergreens may provide criticalwinter protection. Stu suggestedconsidering all of the requirementsfor your chosen wildlife, whichincluded: food, cover, water, andlandscape context. Planning,design and layout of the habitatwas covered, with special consid-eration for spacing, food bearinggrasses and shrubs, noxious weedcontrol, irrigation for survival andgrowth, and livestock exclusion.

The half day event was wellreceived by 41 district coopera-tors. One-on-one discussionsfollowed the presentations toanswer site-specific questions.Surveys returned indicated audi-ence satisfaction.

Stu McFarland, SC, presents at theSmall Acreage Workshop.

Area 2 started off the newFiscal Year with a DC Meeting inGreeley over the course of 4 days.Ron Schierer hosted an after workhour social at his home and thatwas probably the best part of theannual meeting. Area 2 also heldtheir annual awards banquet withguest speaker, Gilbert Mares,retired State Trooper, who sharedsafe driving tips and a few “war”stories.

years. This was attributed either tothe late harvest season due to con-tinual wet weather and the overallcondition of the nation’s economy.

However, one of the more populatedset of events were several local YouthHunts sponsored by Pheasants For-ever Chapters that some of the fieldoffice staff worked locally with as theorganization promotes habitat as akey component. Three of these werethe Phillips County Youth Hunt, CacheLa Poudre Youth Hunt, the DenverMetro Youth Hunt.

At the Cache La Poudre Youth Huntwhich was held in Wiggins, 19 kidsranging from teenagers through 8years old spent their morning learningabout gun safety, gun handling,hunter safety and the importance ofhabitat and respecting landowners.Stu McFarland and Levi Sievers fromthe Greeley Field Office assisted withthe hunt.

Charlie Goodsell, age 8, hit a pheas-ant hen as the last bird of the day,making it the “best day of mywhole life.”

Noe Marymor, Area 2 Biologist,assisted with The Denver MetroChapter, which met outside of Kiowawith 22 participants.

Several Districts and FieldOffices have held landownerworkshops noticing a decline inattendance in comparison to other

An Animal Behavior Workshopwas held in Wray, sponsored by theYuma County Conservation District, onThursday, December 10, 2009.

“There’s more to it than just movinglivestock from one grazing ground toanother, and having the best of bothworlds (i.e., weight gain, healthy, withgood offspring).”

This is just one of the many take-home messages attendees sharedafter listening to Dr. Fred Provenzatalk about animal behavior.

Despite the bitter cold, 59 people(60% ranchers) drove anywhere from11 to 614 miles came to hear Fred atan all day workshop in Wray. Addi-tional support was received from the

Republican River Habitat Partner-ship Program, Colorado GrazingLands Conservation Initiative, NEColorado RC&D, Cope CD, andCheyenne County Kansas CD,along organization support fromJulie Elliott with the Wray NRCSField Office

Dr. Fred Provenza holds the attendees’attention in Wray.

Tony Arnhold, Walsenburg, andLorenz Sutherland, La Junta, gavepresentations on the coalbedmethane (CBM) pumping nearWalsenburg to students atWalsenburg High School. They alsotook the students out in the fieldto visit a discharge point and awell head of an actual CBM well.

The Walsenburg field officestaff helped the La Veta FFAChapter host the 2009 San IsabelFFA District Range and DairyContests.



The Hugo USDA Serviceagencies celebrated HispanicHeritage Month recently.Friends of Al White, who sellsMexican food, stopped by duringthe celebration.

Kurt Ashmore is a senior atHugo High School. He is also anEarth Team volunteer at the Hugofield office for an hour each dayduring the week. Kurt is part of aprogram called “Class On SiteProgram,” which gives students anidea of different professions inwhich they are interested.

“Livestock Grazing BehaviorBasics” was the theme for a rangeworkshop held in Kiowa recently.Topics included social behavior’sinfluence on food selection,preference and palatability, andvariety and nutritional needs.Partners included East CentralRC&D, Agate, Double El, Kiowa,and Douglas County ConservationDistricts, NRCS, Colorado Divisionof Wildlife, CSU Extension-ElbertCounty, and Elbert/DouglasLivestock Association.

Rich Rhoades (Pueblo)recently gave a backyard conser-vation and “how to make yourbackyard more wildlife-friendly”presentation at the Pueblo Natureand Raptor Center. He gave anoverview of NRCS’s land planningconsiderations and how they canapply to both large acreages andsmall lots.

Tony Arnhold (Walsenburg),Lee Neve (Pueblo), Brady McElroy(Lamar), Lorenz Sutherland, and

Mary Miller spent most of a week inthe field with Dennis Neffendorf, NRCSFort Worth Technical Service Center.Neffendorf has been helping theWalsenburg field office and Area 3staff measure salinity levels in cornand alfalfa fields irrigated with waterfrom the Cucharas River.

Waste water from coalbed methanepumping was discharged into the riverin years past. Salinity levels haveaffected the crops. The group used adual EM, carrying it or hauling it via atrailer through various fields. Nevehas also helped take soil samples inall the fields.

Neffendorf was the State ResourceConservationist in Colorado. He alsoserved on a detail to Irag, teachingIraqi landowners and officials how torehabilitate their natural resources.He was embedded with troops. Lookfor a more in-depth article in a futureColorado Connections.


Tony Arnhold, Lee Neve, Brady McElroy,and Dennis Neffendorf

Prowers CD Hosts Pizza Partiesfor Local 6th Graders

Wiley, Lamar and Alta Vista studentsand their teachers were treated to a

pizza party as a thank you fromthe Prowers Conservation Districtfor their participation in theProwers Conservation DistrictPoster Contest. Lamar NRCS DCSusan Hansen and board memberDon McBee presented the awards.

The teachers for each classreceived a poinsettia plant torecognize their hard work

Lamar’s pizza party was held onDecember 11, 2009 at the schoolcafeteria. Poster winner MorganDewitt was honored for herwinning poster entitled “SoilConservation.” Her poster com-peted at the state level contest.

Alta Vista’s party was on Decem-ber 15, 2009. Poster winnerLogan Clevenger was honoredfor his poster entitled, “TheSecrets of Soil.” His poster com-peted at the state level.

Wiley’s party was on December17, 2009 and Moranda SueMorgan was honored with herposter entitled, “Conserve OurSoil.”

First place was Logan Clevenger ofAlta Vista. Second place wasMoranda Sue Morgan of Wiley.Third place went to Lamar’sMorgan Dewitt. Each student willreceive tickets to Prowers’ Conser-vation District’s annual meetingwhere their posters will be fea-tured and they will be recognizedfor their hard work. Congratula-tions to all students who partici-pated in the contest!

Little Caesar’s gave the board atwo dollar discount for the pizza,and water was donated by ThriftWay and Deloach’s. Thank youfor your assistance to ourefforts to further conservationeducation!!!!

The first contract in theTrinidad Lake North Watershed(TLNW) Project using AmericanRecovery and Reinvestment Act(ARRA) of 2009 dollars wasrecently signed by John Knapp,USDA Natural Resources Conser-vation Service (NRCS) Area



Area FourArea FourArea FourArea FourArea Four

Conservationist, La Junta, Colo.The project area is in Las AnimasCounty.

Earlier this year Secretary ofAgriculture Vilsack announcedover $3.6 million in assistance toimprove water quality, increasewater supply, decrease soil ero-sion, and improve fish and wildlifehabitat in rural communities ofColorado as a result of PresidentObama’s ARRA of 2009.

A total of five Colorado watershedprojects were approved for fund-ing, including the TLNW Project inthe Trinidad area, which willreceive approximately $60,000.

The project area encompassesapproximately 111,100 acres.Conservation practices installedwill result in the reduction ofsediment transported to TrinidadLake, thus improving waterquality. There will also be im-proved grazing values and signifi-cant habitat improvement for theTrinidad Lake fishery.

“We are very pleased that theTrinidad Lake North WatershedProject was one of the five water-sheds in Colorado to receivefunding,” states Knapp.

The funds for these projects godirectly to the producers. Moneywill be spent locally for materials

and contractors which will help localSoutheastern Colorado communityeconomies.

NRCS partners in the TLNW Projectinclude the Spanish Peaks PurgatoireRiver Conservation District, PurgatoireRiver Conservancy District, LasAnimas County, City of Trinidad, andColorado State Conservation Board.

John Knapp happily signs contracts.

The Dove Creek ConservationDistrict (DCCD) with assistance fromthe Dove Creek NRCS Field Office helda public meeting on September 1st,2009 for landowners and producers inDolores and surrounding countieswhose acreage will be coming out ofthe Conservation Reserve Program inOctober. After lunch the group took afield tour of the DCCD No-Till Sun-flower Conservation Innovation Grant(CIG) project.

Over 50 people were in attendance asthe DCCD brought in speakers for themorning session to discuss possibleproduction options for acreage comingout of the CRP. Information on thefuture of the CRP was presented byBilly Merritt of the Farm ServicesAgency State Office. Conservationconsiderations, including grazingmanagement and the EnvironmentalQuality Incentives Program werethoroughly covered by Gene Backhausof the Natural Resources ConservationService State Office.

Economics of CRP lands was discussedby John Deering, CSU Agriculture andBusiness Management Specialist. GregVlaming of the San Juan BioEnergyplant covered the excellent opportuni-ties available for organic productionon expiring CRP lands and the variousoil seed crops that are contracted forby the plant.

The morning session was wrapped upwith a presentation on the newConservation Stewardship Program byJohn Lestina of the Dove Creek NRCSField Office.

After lunch was provided by theDCCD, the group headed out for atour of the No-Till Sunflower CIG.

While many areas have beenproducing no-till crops for years,the practice is untried in our areaof the state. Since the originalclearing of this land in the 1930-1950 period, producers havebased their tillage systems on themoldboard plow. That practice isstill used on the majority of drycropland in the area today.

The CIG project consists of over400 acres of sunflowers plantedinto standing wheat stubble. Thefield toured by the group wasdirectly adjacent to a convention-ally tilled field of sunflowers, sothe contrasts of each practicewere readily visible. Alan Helm ofthe Golden Plains Area ExtensionService was brought in by theDCCD to provide his expertise onweed control in no-till crop pro-duction.

Animas Watershed Partnership

Stretching from the alpine tundraof the San Juan Mountains to itsconfluence with the San JuanRiver at Farmington, New Mexico,the Animas River is under stressfrom various issues. The AnimasWatershed Partnership, a locally-lead group of concerned stake-holders have been working onidentifying issues affecting thelower Animas watershed since2002, when a serious algae bloomoccurred during the drought.

Working with the San Juan RC&DCouncil, the Animas WatershedPartnership was able to obtainfunding to develop a stakeholdersgroup and begin the process ofdeveloping a Watershed Plan that




would identify the causes ofimpaired water quality and workto address ways to protect andimprove the water quality of theAnimas River.

Doug Ramsey, RC&D Coordinatorin Durango reports that since theirstart, the San Juan RC&D hasreceived over $209,000 in fundsfor this project from New Mexico’s($90,912) and Colorado's($25,000) Environment Depart-ments, Southern Ute GamingFunds, cities of Durango andFarmington and most recentlyColorado Watershed ProtectionFunds and Southwestern WaterConservation District.

A major part of this project is theconstruction of a land treatmentusing Best Management Practicesto demonstrate methods that canimprove water quality for awatershed. Currently undergoingevaluation and planning is a siteon Kiffen Creek, where 1,300 feetof bank is mass wasting into thesteam major parts of a farm field.

The AWP is partnering with awilling land owner, the San JuanWatershed Group, Williams FieldService and Conoco-Phillips to getthis project installed to redevelopa vegetated flood plan and reducethe sediment and nutrients thatare being eroded into the AnimasRiver. Other work includes waterquality sampling and mapping.

In the fall of 2009, members ofthe Animas River Partnershipfloated the Colorado portion ofthe river collecting samples forlaboratory analysis and collectingdata on pH, dissolved oxygen,conductivity and other param-eters at all inflows and otherimportant locations in order toprovide baseline informationfor future comparisons andcontaminate sources.


NRCS and the Republican RiverWater Conservation District signed anAgricultural Water EnhancementProgram (AWEP) contract inBurlington, CO.

The purpose of the agreement con-tract is to establish a partner-based,dedicated funding pool for the RRWCDand NRCS to provide financial andtechnical assistance for water conser-vation measures in the Coloradoportion of the Republican RiverWatershed.

The two-year agreement will providecost-share assistance to eligibleparticipants who voluntarily entertheir land into AWEP to permanentlyconvert irrigated land to sustainabledry land cropping, and grazing landsmanagement systems. NRCS seeks toenroll approximately 2,500 acres intothe program through September 30,2010.

The 2009 AWEP agreement with theRepublican River Water ConservationDistrict continues a long partnershipdedicated to progressive waterconservation in this Basin.

“The NRCS in Colorado is committedto using AWEP to leverage localresources and provide assistance tofarmers and ranchers to addresswater resource issues on their land,”said Tim Carney, Assistant StateConservationist for Programs, NRCS.

The AWEP program was establishedby Congress in the 2008 Farm Bill.The program promotes ground andsurface water conservation partner-ships to assist farmers and ranchersimplement and maintain practices ontheir land. Through AWEP partner-ships, local conservation priorities areaddressed and the NRCS is able toleverage investment in natural re-sources conservation.

Carney and Dennis Coryell, President,RRWCD, signed the contract August26th in Burlington at the RepublicanRiver Watershed Association meeting.

The NRCS and the RepublicanRiver Water Conservation Districthave pledged $1 million each forthe two-year project. The fundsare dedicated to facilitate waterconservation through voluntarytransition of certain targeted landsfrom irrigated to non-irrigatedfarming and ranching in theRepublican River Watershed.

This agreement is part of a largerlocal and State effort to supportthe sustainability of water re-sources and interstate compactcompliance in the RepublicanBasin in Colorado.

Eligible producers are encouragedto apply through the continuoussignup process at any time.Information is available throughthe Republican River Water Con-servation District office in Wray,and through any of the NRCS fieldoffices in the Basin. Producers whooffer land for enrollment into theprogram will be compete forfunding using a ranking systemdeveloped in partnership with theRRWCD. The District website ishttp://www.republicanriver.com/.

AWEP was established by the 2008Farm Bill and funding comes fromthe Environmental Quality Incen-tives Program (EQIP). The NaturalResources Conservation Service(NRCS) administers the programfor USDA. NRCS implements AWEPthrough partnership agreementsdedicating resources to national,state, and local water resourceconcerns. The NRCS funding isdelivered through EQIP contractsdirectly with eligible agriculturalproducers. All AWEP recipientsmust meet EQIP requirements.

For more information aboutspecific AWEP projects, visitwww.nrcs.usda.gov or visit theUSDA Service Centers in theRepublican River Watershed.



By Karen Mandujano,Colorado BEPM, Brighton, CO

February marks the beginning ofBlack History Month, a federallyrecognized, nation-wide celebra-tion that provides the opportunityfor all Americans to reflect on thesignificant roles that AfricanAmericans have played in theshaping of U.S. history.

Black History Month is also re-ferred to as African-AmericanHistory Month. It is celebratedannually in the United States andCanada in February and theUnited Kingdom in the month ofOctober. But how did this celebra-tion come to be -- and why does ittake place in February?

Dr. Carter G. Woodson, consideredto be a pioneer in the study ofAfrican American history, is givenmuch of the credit for Black HistoryMonth. The son of former slaves,Woodson spent his childhoodworking in coalmines and quarries.He received his education duringthe four-month term that wascustomary for black schools at thetime. At 19, having taught himselfEnglish fundamentals and arith-metic, Woodson entered highschool, where he completed a four-year curriculum in two years. Hewent on to receive his Mastersdegree in history from the Univer-sity of Chicago, and he eventuallyearned a PhD from Harvard.

Disturbed that history textbookslargely ignored America's blackpopulation, Woodson took onthe challenge of writing blackAmericans into the nation's history.To do this, Woodson established

the Association for the Study of NegroLife and History, now known as theAssociation for the Study of AfricanAmerican Life and History. He alsofounded the group's widely respectedpublication, the Journal of NegroHistory.

In 1926, he developed Negro HistoryWeek. Woodson believed that "theachievements of the Negro properlyset forth will crown him as a factor inearly human progress and a maker ofmodern civilization."

In 1976, Negro History Weekexpanded into Black History Month.When the tradition of Black HistoryMonth had started in the US, many inmainstream academia had barelybegun to explore black history. At thatpoint, most representation of blacks inhistory books was only in reference tothe low social position they held asslaves and their descendants, withinfrequent exceptions such is that ofGeorge Washington Carver. W.E.B.DuBois' 1935 work Black Reconstruc-tion was an early work in history thatpointed to black contributions.

Woodson chose the second week ofFebruary for the celebration because itmarks the birthdays of two men whogreatly influenced the black Americanpopulation: Frederick Douglass(February 14), an escaped slave whobecame one of the foremost blackabolitionists and civil rights leaders inthe nation, and President AbrahamLincoln (February 12), who signedthe Emancipation Proclamation,which abolished slavery in America'sconfederate states.

Because of his work, Dr. Woodson hasbeen called the "Father of BlackHistory."

The 18th Annual Martin Luther KingUnity Training was held on January 21,2010, and celebrated the principles of thelife, love, and leadership as taught by Dr.Martin Luther King, Jr., by extending hisdream of unity, peace, and equality fromthe African American culture to embrace allpeople. As Dr. King said, “An individualhas not started living until he can riseabove the narrow confines of his individual-istic concerns to the broader concerns of allhumanity.” The training swelled with more peopleand energy than last year. The speakerseach powerfully conveyed their messages tohelp us explore, through the lens of culturalheritage. One highlight was Dexter Brooks,currently the Director of Federal SectorPrograms in EEOC’s Office of FederalOperations. He discussed a survey thatdetermines the comfort level of people; andshowed that most people are not prejudicedtowards other races. They are just morecomfortable with people with like interests,goals, issues, etc. And most of the time,those people are of the same race orethnicity. A delightful lunchtime speaker, CynthiaJames, wears many hats. She is a teacher,worldwide lecturer, performing artist, andauthor. Mrs. James spoke eloquently abouthealthy and vibrant living. During the luncheon, I had the opportu-nity to meet and talk with several people,some looking for job opportunities, andsome retiring and moving to pursue otherinterests. Later after the luncheon, the DenverFederal Executive Board (DFEB) presentedUnited We Serve Awards to recognizeexemplary volunteer and communityservice by government employees ofColorado. Colorado is the first state in thenation to present these awards. Theseawards are based on the President’s and theFirst Lady’s United We Serve initiative thatencourages all employees to volunteer inthe communities in which they serve. This is a very informative training and Isuggest that more NRCS employees requestthrough their DCs and ACs to attend the19th Annual MLK Unity Training.

18th Annual Martin Luther18th Annual Martin Luther18th Annual Martin Luther18th Annual Martin Luther18th Annual Martin LutherKing Unity TrainingKing Unity TrainingKing Unity TrainingKing Unity TrainingKing Unity Training

By Karen Mandujano, Colorado BEPM



James "JP" Pannell retiredDecember 3, 2009, in a typicallylow-key manner. "Thanks for allcoming," he said. After more than60 years of Federal service,during which it is thought he nevertook a single day of sick leave,JP decided to scale back his workto a mere 30 or so hours per weekas an ACES employee in his "old"office.

His retirement party on December2 was attended by hiscoworkers in Durango, ofcourse, and by active andretired soil scientists andother NRCS employeesfrom around our state, andby Allen Green, StateConservationist. Friends and twoof his nephews also attended. Animpressive man was retiring fromFederal service, and everyonewho knew him wanted to paytribute to the quiet legend.

Alan Price (Soil Scientist/BusinessAnalyst) said of the party, “JP wasroasted by several attendees whorecalled (and embellished) someof their remembrances workingand interacting with him. JPreceived several gifts and animpressive plaque complete withtile spade to honor this amazingaccomplishment.”

“His career, both in longevity andaccomplishments, sets a standardthat few, if any, will ever equal,”Alan stated. “We all wish him thebest in whatever is next for thisamazing person.”

Steve Park, State Soil Scientistand JP's last "boss," wrote thistribute for JP's retirement plaque:

"Rarely in public service is anemployee found that has servedhis country with such dedication,loyalty, professionalism, andlength of service as “JP” Pannell.

His contributions to this county in theservice of the U.S. Army, and as a soilscientist with the Soil ConservationService, later the Natural ResourcesConservation Service, are immeasur-able and invaluable.

On behalf of the American taxpayers,your peers, coworkers, and customers,the National Cooperative Soil SurveyProgram, and the State of Colorado,we thank you 'JP' for your long anddedicated public service."

I thought Steve had said it all. Then Iread the letter he wrote a couple ofyears ago, successfully nominating JPfor the 2008 Soil Scientist AchievementAward, and was impressed even more.An excerpt of that nomination reads asfollows:"Think about how many state soilscientists he has broken in or howmany younger soil scientists he hastrained and passed his wisdom to. Heknows more about the soils in Colo-rado than anyone alive today, or in thefuture. His knowledge and wisdom isoften sought out by me and many ofthe other soil scientists and conserva-tionists in the state. He is a livinglegend to soil scientists in this part ofthe world.

“He is a steady, dedicated, and consis-tent employee producing high qualityproducts with little direction or over-sight. He goes about his work quietly,passionately, and efficiently, avoidingthe limelight, and never complaining.He is fulfilled anytime soil surveyinformation is used in conservationplanning, thereby benefiting the land.

“His body has forced him to slow downa little, but his mind and desire are stillstrong. He disproved the old saying,

“You can’t teach old dogs newtricks”, by readily adapting to thecomputer age and all the newtechnology. Not only has hereadily adapted to the changingtechnology, but he has excelledwith the new technology, includingNASIS and ArcGIS geospatialapplications. He is very proficientin NASIS, enjoys editing digital soillayers, and collecting and analyz-ing soil temperature data using thelatest datalogger technology.

“I can’t point to any one out-standing achievement duringhis career. However, it is thesummation of all his careerefforts and contributionstowards this country’s soil

survey program that is theachievement of a lifetime that mostlikely will never be matched orexceeded. Very few public ser-vants in any agency can comeclose to the service he has pro-vided to this country. Like the soil,he is also a very valuable re-source."

Indeed, JP Pannell is a specialguy. How much conservation workcould we achieve if we all tried tobe more like him?

Congratulations, JP, upon youramazing career, your professionalachievements, and the manyfriends and admirers you have inColorado and beyond!

JPJPJPJPJP’’’’’s Cars Cars Cars Cars Career Peer Peer Peer Peer Paaaaath in the SCS/NRth in the SCS/NRth in the SCS/NRth in the SCS/NRth in the SCS/NRCSCSCSCSCS

1950—Student trainee at Monte Vista1951—Soil Scientist on Mobile SoilSurvey Crew at Steamboat Springs1952—Soil Survey Party Leader onMobile Soil Survey Crew at SteamboatSprings1955—Soil Survey Party Leader atLamar1962—Soil Survey Party Leader atCortez1963—Soil Survey Party Leader atAlamosa1971 to present—Soil Survey ProjectLeader at Durango

“Like the soil, he is also“Like the soil, he is also“Like the soil, he is also“Like the soil, he is also“Like the soil, he is alsoa va va va va vererererery vy vy vy vy valuable raluable raluable raluable raluable resouresouresouresouresourcecececece."."."."."

by Carla Green Adams,Multimedia Publications Specialist, Lakewood, COA ColorA ColorA ColorA ColorA Colorado Legend Retirado Legend Retirado Legend Retirado Legend Retirado Legend Retireseseseses



Q. I hear you served in the militaryas a young man, and was wonder-ing -- how long did you serve? Andin which branch? And where wereyou stationed?A. I was in the Army. I received mybasic training in Texas. Then I wasshipped overseas to the PhilippineIslands where I spent the rest ofmy army time. I was on Luzonnear Manila for a while then wassent to Palawan which is about 500miles south west of Manila. I wasin the army for nearly two years.

Q. What are the five things youcan’t live without?A. Food, Air, water, a car or pickup,plenty of gas.

Q. What would I find in yourrefrigerator right now?A. Left over fried chicken (3 wingsand 1 drumstick - funny chicken),left over potato salad, part of a halfgallon of milk, orange juice,condiments of all kinds, unpoppedpopcorn that has been in there foryears, lettuce, left over boiledcabbage, shelled pecans that havealso been in there for years,potatoes, butter, etc.

Q. Are you a cat person or a dogperson?A. I like both cats and dogs but Idon't have either one.

Q. If you won $20 million in thelottery, what would you do with themoney?A. Now that would be a wholedifferent problem. What to dowith that much money would bechallenging. I think I would givemost of it to charity and some toneedy kin.

Q. How would you describe yourself injust a few words?A. Reserved, quiet, don't like to be inthe spotlight, stay in the background.

Q. What is the quality you most admirein a person?A. Sincere, honest, dependable, don'tcause any trouble.

Q. What were you like as a child?quiet? outgoing?A. I think I was quiet. (most of the time)My parents might not agree.

Q. What is your favorite childhoodmemory?A. We always had a dog and the dogjust followed me and my brothereverywhere. Those were fun times.

Q. When you were a little kid, what didyou want to be when you grew up?A. At that age I don't think that waseven a thought. But I know it wasn'tto be a soil scientist because I neverheard of them guys until about thetime I got this job.

Q. What is the best present you’ve everreceived?A. I think that would have to be thebicycle I got when I was in about thefifth grade. The only one I ever had.

Q. What do you consider to be themost beautiful thing in the world?A. I don't know how I could selectone thing out of the millions ofbeautiful things. But, the fall colorsin the mountains rate pretty highon my list. (See “The Back Page.”)

Q. And, most importantly for all ofus, what’s your motto or theadvice you live by?A. No Smoking. Drink alcohol onlyin moderation. Get some exercisemost days. I do a lot of reading ofthings I like. I do other things I liketo do as much as I can - huntingand fishing, sports, movies, TV(mostly now), and do a littletraveling (but not too much). And ifyou like to climb the fourteeners oran ice cliff - go for it. Same forparasailing or sky diving. Not forme though.

A Few Questions WithA Few Questions WithA Few Questions WithA Few Questions WithA Few Questions WithJP PannellJP PannellJP PannellJP PannellJP Pannell

2008: National Cooperative Soil Survey: Soil Scientist Achievement Award

1999: Numerous awards for completing 50 years of service including:A Commendation letter from the White House; Congratulatory Letters from Gover-nor Bill Owens, Senator Ben Campbell, The Chief of the NRCS, and the Director ofthe Soil Survey Division of the National Cooperative Soil Survey; a commendationfrom the State Conservationist; and a US flag that had been flown over the U. S.Capitol.

Over the years, a variety of cash awards and Certificates of Merit were awarded toJP. He received a Special Achievement Award in 1983, and an Outstanding QualityAward in 1996.

JP Pannell’s Recent Awards and HonorsJP Pannell’s Recent Awards and HonorsJP Pannell’s Recent Awards and HonorsJP Pannell’s Recent Awards and HonorsJP Pannell’s Recent Awards and Honors

By Carla Green Adams, Multimedia Publications Specialist, Lakewood, CO



Immediately following JP’s retirement party, several soilscientists were honored for each mapping 1,000,000 ormore acres over their careers.

Many years of driving, hiking, digging, describing,mapping, avoiding insects and snakes, blistering feetand hands, sun burns, frost bite, sore muscles, andaching joints are necessary to achieve this lofty acreagefigure.

Allen Green, State Conservationist, presented letters,plaques, and lapel pins to honor these weathered“soldiers of soil survey.”

By Alan B. Price, Soil Scientist/Bus. Analyst, Ft. Collins, CO

Herman Garcia and I had the pleasure of interviewingFlavio Gonzalez, Colorado’s former State Conserva-tion Engineer. Flavio retired from the NRCS inJanuary of 1995 with over 42 years of service withthe SCS/NRCS.

He began his career with SCS in his home town ofRio Grande City, Texas in 1953. After graduating fromTexas A&M with a degree in civil engineering and atwo-year service in the Army, Flavio obtained aposition with SCS as a field engineer. He workedunder Elias Guerrero, the District Conservationist atthe time. He worked in Rio Grande City for approxi-mately 12 years before accepting a position as theArea Engineer in Durango, Colorado. He also workedin Alamosa, Colorado for two years during thisperiod.

In 1976, Flavio accepted the position of AssistantState Engineer in Reno, Nevada where he workeduntil 1981. In June of 1981, he accepted the positionof State Conservation Engineer of Colorado, whichhe held until his retirement in 1995.

Flavio was the third State Conservation Engineer in Colorado following Charlie Mitchell and JimFischer, and was the first Hispanic Engineer in thehistory of NRCS. Some of Flavio’s most enjoyablememories include his time spent in Colorado,especially in Durango.

Interview with Flavio Gonzalez,NRCS’s First Hispanic State

Conservation Engineer

Congratulations to Colorado’sMillion Acre Mappers!

Some of the Million Acre Mappers pose with their certificates.From left: Dave Alstatt, Lee Neve, Steve Park, JP Pannell,Doug Ramsey, and Alan Price.

Allen Green presents to Dave Dearstyne.

Colorado’s Million AcreSoil Mappers Honored

By Debra M. Molinaro, Management Analyst/HEPM,Lakewood, CO

Flavio Gonzales, Colorado’s first Hispanic StateConservation Engineer.



The Branson-Trinchera Conserva-tion District has applied for and beenawarded a Colorado State Conserva-tion Board (CSCB) Matching Grant toassist private landowners with theimplementation of conservationpractices on their ranches. The projectis a proactive approach for gettingconservation enhancement practiceson the ground; to better managegrazing, existing conservation prac-tices, and avoid overgrazing on nativerangeland and expiring CRP lands. Italso provides opportunity to agricul-tural producers to implement one ormore conservation practices that maynot rank high enough to be fundedthrough Farm Bill programs such asthe Environmental Quality IncentiveProgram (EQIP) or the WildlifeHabitat Incentive Program (WHIP).Through the CSCB Matching Grant,the Branson-Trinchera ConservationDistrict is addressing water qualityissues, range management, andwildlife habitat concerns as identifiedin the District’s Long Range Plan ofWork and Annual Plan. The Branson-Trinchera CD, inpartnership with the USDA-NRCSTrinidad Field Office and the RockyMountain Bird Observatory (RMBO),is providing additional financial andtechnical assistance. The NRCS FieldOffice staff provided technicalassistance to all the applicants, andwill continue to provide technicalassistance through the final implemen-tation and field checks of the conser-vation practices. The RMBO hasidentified this project as beneficial toshort grass prairie birds such at theLong-bill Curlew. Because of thesewildlife benefits to habitat, RMBOparticipated in the ranking process andagreed to provide additional financialassistance. A total of 27 applicants signed upfor the program, for a total of 45

different conservation practices benefitingapproximately 32,594 acres of nativerangeland and expired CRP. The commonconservation practices include refurbishingold livestock tanks with concrete rims onexisting concrete floors; solar pumps forunderground livestock pipelines; andfencing, including cross fencing andperimeter fencing. Once the ranking process was com-pleted, the CSCB Matching Grant alongwith RMBO financial assistance funded 19of the 27 applications, or 70% of the totalapplications. Approximately 26 of the 45conservation practices planned are sched-uled to be applied, or 58% of the totalamount practices planned. This willprovide land benefit to proper grazing andwildlife habitat on approximately 20,254acres of the total 32,594 acres originallyapplied for, or approximately 62%. The total CSCB Matching grant wasawarded in the dollar amount of$25,000.00. Approximately $22,500.00 ofthe grant will be implemented on theground through conservation practices, theremaining $2,500.00 will be used foradministrative cost. The RMBO has agreedto assist in the funding of 16 applications,in the total additional amount of$17,261.00. The total number of conserva-tion practice RMBO will assist financiallyon is 23 practices, benefiting approxi-mately 19,894 acres. The CSCB MatchingGrant will cover approximately 36% of thecost, the ranchers will cover another 36%of the cost, and the RMBO will cover theremaining 28%. Bringing the total projectcost to approximately $61,651.00 Through grant programs such as thisprovides private landowners, conservationdistricts, and partners the opportunity toparticipate in the addressing naturalresources concerns, provide opportunitiesto manage for domestic and wildlife use,and assist in sustaining agriculture produc-tion at the local level.

J&L Farms PartnershipHonored for Excellence inRangeland Conservation

By Mary M. Miller, USDA-NRCS Area PublicAffairs Specialist, La Junta, CO

Excellence in rangeland conservationdefines the work done by J&L FarmsPartnership, owned by John and LauraNegley, on its rangeland in Kiowa and Bentcounties. For the Negleys stewardship, theColorado Section of the Society for RangeManagement honored them with itsExcellence in Rangeland ConservationAward. In addition to rangeland, whichLaura manages, they also farm non-irrigated cropland, which is John’sresponsibility. On their rangeland, the Negleys run acommercial herd of Black Angus andAngus cross cows. Historically the ranchhad been managed as a cow-calf operationwith traditional stocking rates and continu-ous season-long grazing. Today, Lauramanages the rangeland using the philoso-phy of moderate stocking combined withshort-duration rotational grazing. Therangeland is divided into 21 pastures. Thecattle are in each pasture from 7-21 daysduring the growing season. During thegrowing and dormant seasons, each pastureis grazed just once. Of the seven Conservation ReserveProgram (CRP) tracts on the Negleyoperation, Laura has incorporated four ofthem into her grazing program using theCRP managed grazing provisions. Last year, Laura began using temporaryelectric fencing to further divide a pastureinto three sub-units. Her objective is toincrease stocking densities so that the cattleeat the galleta grass, a relatively lesspalatable but significant component in thepasture. Over the past five to seven years, Laurahas installed wildlife-friendly two-strandpermanent perimeter fending. She also usedpower fencing to divide the existingpastures. Some of these improvements wereinstalled using USDA Natural ResourcesConservation Service (NRCS) Environmen-tal Quality Incentives Program (EQIP)contracts. The ranch also has a 2008Conservation Security Program (CSP)contract due to the Negleys stewardship. To help monitor livestock nutrition,Laura has used the NRCS NutritionalBalance Analyzer (NUTBAL) program. Besides farming and ranching, theNegleys are involved in many county andcommunity activities and organizations.

By Levi Montoya, District Conservationist, Trinidad, CO

CSCB Matching Grant AppliesCSCB Matching Grant AppliesCSCB Matching Grant AppliesCSCB Matching Grant AppliesCSCB Matching Grant Applies“On The Ground” Conservation“On The Ground” Conservation“On The Ground” Conservation“On The Ground” Conservation“On The Ground” Conservation



TECHNO TIPS

GPS technology has been around forabout the last ten years within NRCSfor tasks such as practice inventoryand checkout. It’s probably safe to saythat most NRCS conservation plannersare pretty comfortable taking ahandheld GPS unit out in the field,collecting data, and then downloadingthat data into Toolkit and ArcMap. AsGPS technology has improved, ouragency has strived to keep up with thelatest advancements to make GPS datacollection easier and more accurate forour field users.

With the state-wide acquisition of newGPS units, we now have an opportu-nity to move into the next generationof GPS and really improve the task ofdata collection. These new units offersubmeter accuracy without the needfor backpacks and external antennas.Furthermore, these GPS receivers arefully operation PDAs that run underthe latest version of the WindowsMobile operating system. Because ofthis open-feature, the new GPS unitsare able to run just about any WindowsMobile application that is available.

For the purpose of GPS data collec-tion, the new units will come loadedwith two GIS applications: One is aprogram that offers simple capturing ofGPS points, lines and polygons. Thisprogram also is used for setting up,controlling, and monitoring the unit’sinternal GPS receiver. ESRI ArcPad isthe other GIS program that will beloaded on the new GPS units, and one

NEXT GENERATION GPSby Robert FontaineCivil Engineering Technician, Canon City, CO

that may be at least a little more familiar,since we already use its big brotherArcMap for our conservation planningmaps. Because of its integration withArcMap and Toolkit, it is ArcPad that weare focusing on and encouraging ourplanners to take advantage of when goingout in the field and collecting GIS data.

A mobile technology/Arcpad workshopwas held in Salida, November 3-4 of 2009.The training session was attended by userswho had already acquired the new GPSunits, as well as users who were usingArcPad on their tablets, in conjunctionwith an internal GPS card. NRCS fieldusers from around the state learned how toconfigure their Trimble GPS receiver andcollect data in the field using ArcPad. Inthe simulated field exercise, the GPSinventory data that was collected was then

downloaded into an actual landownersplan map. It all went very well, andshould be a pretty simple, straight-forward and hopefully fun processonce these new GPS systems becomeintegrated into everyday conservationplanning.

As the new GPS units are rolled out inthe next year, look to your fellow fieldoffice colleagues who are alreadyfamiliar with these new devices andArcPad for assistance. Trainingsessions will be scheduled, and yourArea Resource Conservationist forTechnology will also be available tohelp field users. As with learning anynew task, the most important thing toremember is to be patient and keepworking at it, and soon it will becomesecond-nature!

An initial mobile technology/ArcPad workshop was held in Salida, Colorado, November 3-4,2009. The group shown here was out in the field, putting the equipment to the test.



SPEED AND EFFICIENCY ENHANCEMENTS FOR CUSTOMER SERVICE TOOLKIT & ARCMAP

TECHNO TIPS

Are you bogged down by Toolkit/ArcMap?Do you wish you didn’t have to wait solong for your ArcMap document to open?Or do you sometimes need to view orthosfrom adjacent counties but your field officeserver doesn’t have enough storage space oryou don’t know how to acquire them? Trysome of the tips below and see if theyincrease your efficiency & improve yourwork flow.> UNCHECK THE ORTHO Beforeexiting your ArcMap document (.mxd),uncheck the ortho imagery layer so that itdoesn’t need to draw when you open the.mxd. The ortho can take an interminablylong time to draw, and there are times whenthe ortho isn’t necessary. Save the .mxdafter you uncheck the box or your changewon’t take effect.> COPY ORTHO TO C: DRIVE Create ageodata/ortho_imagery data folder structureon your C: drive, and copy your county’sortho imagery layer to that location fromthe f:\geodata\ortho_imagery folder. Copyall files with the same prefix, not just the.sid portion of the ortho. Next, in the .mxdthat references the ortho, right-click on theortho in the table of contents (TOC),Properties, Source tab. You should see thatthe current location ArcMap is pointing tofor the ortho is the F:\geodata folder. Clickon the Set Data Source…. Button; thenclick on the drop-down button in the Lookin box, and browse to your new folderstructure, C:\geodata\ortho_imagery. Clickon the applicable *.sid file, and then clickAdd, then OK. Save the .mxd after youuncheck the box or your change won’t takeeffect.> USE BLACK & WHITE (GRAY-SCALE) ORTHO Prior to 2005 (when wereceived the color ortho imagery), fieldoffices used gray-scale orthos that hadcoarser resolution and were thus smaller infile size and drew more quickly. These olderorthos are still available to users, thoughyou may need to request them from your

Area Resource Conservationist for Technology(ARC-T). These orthos can be used in ArcMapfor general pre-printing digitizing and planningwork. Make sure to switch to the color orthowhen printing. Due to limited server space insome offices, it’s probably best to store them inyour C:\geodata\ortho_imagery folder. (FYI –updated color orthos are being transferred tofield offices this autumn; some offices alreadyhave them.)> USE GIS SERVERS FOR ADJACENTORTHOS A non-NRCS site I have found veryuseful for viewing multiple counties’ orthos ishttp://services.arcgisonline.com/v92. This is ahandy site for people who work in multiplecounties, because it reduces the need to havenumerous orthos & other layers stored on the C:drive. Internet access is necessary, however.How does one easily access this site and usedata from it? See below:Brief instructions: In ArcMap, Add Data. Clickon Look in drop-down button, scroll toward thebottom & select GIS Servers. In the next box,double-click Add ArcGIS Server, then selectUse GIS Services and click Next. In the Internet(top) box, type, after the http://,services.arcgisonline.com/v92, then clickFinish. In the next box, double-click on thenewly added service; in the next pop-upwindow, double-click onI3_Imagery_Prime_World_2D. In your .mxd,you will see a new layer added to your TOC,and, depending on how far in you are zoomed,you will see another layer of ortho imagery inyour map. Be patient with this layer initially; asyou pan & zoom more, the drawing speed willincrease noticeably.If the above instructions are too sketchy for youto follow, go to the Colorado SharepointTechnology Team site, and read the documententitled “Accessing APFO web mapping data inArcGIS9-2”.Following are a few Windows-specific tasks thatcan be done to generally improve the perfor-mance of your computer:Reduce desktop shortcut icons, whether toprograms or documents

Disable sounds: go to Start, Control Panel,Sounds and Audio Devices, Sounds Tab.Under Program events, a little symbol willbe displayed next to each action that has asound associated with it. Disable all soundsyou don’t want; to speed up booting,disable the Windows Startup and Shutdownsounds.Right-click on the desktop, click onProperties. On the Themes tab, selectWindows Classic. On the Screen Saver tab,select (None) as your Screen saver.Many temporary and “scratch” files end upIn the C:\temp folder, and remain there untilthey’re manually removed. Along with allof the *.tmp files that can be deletedperiodically, delete a folder namedrasterproxies if it appears. This is anArcMap-created folder that’s used to storeraster-related files, and it can become quitelarge after a time.Toolkit- and ArcMap-related items:Do not use spaces when naming shapefilesor the Planned Land Unit layer.When saving your ArcMap session, be sureto save the .mxd when exiting ArcMap,even if you just clicked the Save button.When adding in your own county ArcMaptemplate to use as your map, do notoverwrite the ToolkitGIS_Template.mxd.Avoid being creative when working inArcMap inside Toolkit – it can causeproblems. In other words, stick withToolkit-specific toolbars & tasks. However,when you’re using ArcMap outside ofToolkit, use all the creativity you want.This is by no means a comprehensive list ofCustomer Service Toolkit/ArcMap/Windows improvements. Your ARC-T is agood resource for additional tips and tricks,both for ArcMap/Toolkit and yourcomputer’s performance.If anyone out there has additional ones thathave worked for them, I’d be interested inhearing about them.

By Marianna Young, Resource Conservationist-Technology, Alamosa, CO



On November 4th theMontrose Service Centerhad a field tour looking at

the use and application of calciumchloride. The tour visited a reno-vated irrigated pasture that waspreviously limited use acreage dueto high salt and high clay contentof the soils. Soils with highamounts of clay and elevated saltlevels, derived primarily fromMancos Shale parent materials,continue to challenge both farmersand ranchers aroundthe Montrose area. Inthe past, a lot of timeand effort was put intorestoring this pasture,with plowing and tillagealong with fertilizer anddifferent irrigation techniques, butthese practices had limited effect.The use of calcium chloride,applied through the irrigationwater, has helped with deepsaturation of the soil profile. Previously the irrigation waterwould just run off. The improvedinfiltration of irrigation water alsohelps move the salt down from thesurface, which allows for betterproduction of forage.

A life long rancher and formerShavano Conservation District WildlifeConservationist of the Year hosted thetour. His soils contain some of thehighest clay contents in the valley.Seepage from the large canal intothese Mancos Shale soils helps tokeep his water tables elevated and soilsalt levels high. Coupled with thesehigh water tables and heavy clay soils,pasture grazing can cause seasonalsoil compaction, which has been verydifficult to break up.

In the past many attempts to growgrass involved broken pieces of tillageequipment and many boulder size,rock hard, clods of soil. Ongoing effortsand study of these problematic soils,has brought him into contact with soilscientists who have utilized calciumchloride as a soil amendment toalleviate similar problems. Calcium chloride, also known asliquid gypsum, lowers the pH in thesoil, improves infiltration of water, and

facilitates better soil structure.Basically it replaces the salts,which inhibit water movement, withcalcium. This also allows the saltsto move readily into solution whichcan then be flushed out of the topsoil. This improves the tilth ormellowness of the soil. So far, the landowner is im-pressed with the results of his two-year trial using calcium chloride.He has a good stand of palatablegrass where it was sparse before.

The soil is loosernow and willactually soak inirrigation waterinto the soil profile.Soil compactionfrom his cattle is

not as much of an issue now. Thissoil amendment appears to beworking for his operation incombination with his other conser-vation efforts. If you have further questionsor would like more informationabout these field day observations,please contact the MontroseNRCS office and ask forLars Santana.

MonMonMonMonMontttttrrrrrose Tose Tose Tose Tose Tour Examinesour Examinesour Examinesour Examinesour ExaminesTTTTThe Uhe Uhe Uhe Uhe Use of Cse of Cse of Cse of Cse of Calcalcalcalcalcium Cium Cium Cium Cium Chlorhlorhlorhlorhlorideideideideide

By Lars Santana, Rangeland Management Specialist, Montrose, CO

So far, the landowner is impressed withthe results of his two-year trial using

calcium chloride.



Noe MarNoe MarNoe MarNoe MarNoe Marymorymorymorymorymor, P, P, P, P, Private Lands Wildlife Biologistrivate Lands Wildlife Biologistrivate Lands Wildlife Biologistrivate Lands Wildlife Biologistrivate Lands Wildlife Biologist

When did you begin your career with NRCS in Colorado?October 2006

Were you previously employed with NRCS?In Nebraska, for 1 1/2 years, I was a Farm Bill Biologist.

How did you hear about the Agency?One of my professors at CSU was Wendell Gilgert, the NRCSWest Regional Wildlife Biologist out of the Portland Office.Wendell was instrumental in introducing me to habitat manage-ment and the NRCS.

What do you enjoy the most about your job?I enjoy helping landowners to be good wildlife stewards andmanagers.

What is the most challenging part of your job?The most challenging thing is sitting inside doing paperworkwhen I want to be outside!

How does wildlife biology benefit conservation?Wildlife is a resource, just like soil or water. The conservation,or wise use, of wildlife allows the resource to be used in thefuture whether that is for hunting, wildlife watching, or for theecosystem services that wildlife provide.

Tell us about one of your most interesting projects oractivities that you have been involved with for NRCS:I have really enjoyed being involved in the new CRP SAFEprogram. The program represents a flexible new tool under theCRP program dedicated to conserving declining and economi-cally important wildlife species. It has huge potential nationwideto protect several declining species, including the lesser prairiechicken and sharp-tailed grouse species in Colorado.

What other agencies do you work with in your job?Colorado Division of Wildlife, US Fish and Wildlife Service,Rocky Mountain Bird Observatory, and Pheasants Forever.

List some of your major professional accomplishments:- I drafted and led the stakeholder group that provided input intothe Western Slope Grouse Conservation CRP SAFE program.- With a group of colleagues in 2003, I helped create a uniquesystem of beaver damage control called the “beaver deceiver,”which has since been adopted for use in other states.- As a technician for the Forest Service in 2001, I recorded thefirst capture of a Spotted Bat (a fairly uncommon and elusivespecies) in the state of Washington.

What is your college experience?Colorado State University, B.S. Wildlife Biology/Statistics, 2005

Do you have any pets?One cat named Cedar.

What are your interests or hobbies?I am a hunting and fishing fool. I especially love to turkey huntand wish I could do it year round. I am also President-elect ofthe Colorado Wildlife Society and am Treasurer of a groupcalled Special Youth Challenge of Colorado which takesdisabled youth hunting.

Anything else you would like for people to know about youand/or what you do?I appreciate the support of the NRCS for these partnershipbiologist positions!

Area 2 AArea 2 AArea 2 AArea 2 AArea 2 Administrative Office, Greeley COdministrative Office, Greeley COdministrative Office, Greeley COdministrative Office, Greeley COdministrative Office, Greeley CO

What is a wildlife biologist and what are your jobresponsibilities with the Agency?:

A wildlife biologist is a practitioner of the artand science of managing the wildlife that areheld in public trust. The NRCS biologist istasked with conserving, restoring and enhanc-ing wildlife habitat on private lands. Our jobresponsibilities within the agency includeoutreach to landowners to develop habitatprojects, providing wildlife-related technicalassistance to NRCS field offices and workingwith other state, Federal, and non-governmen-tal partners to develop coordinated habitatconservation programs.



The ColoradoEarth TeamVolunteer

AwardWinners

of 2009 are:

INDIVIDUAL VOLUNTEEREARTH TEAM AWARD:Jim Valliant, Area 3

GROUP EARTH TEAMVOLUNTEER AWARD:Y.C.C. Group ConservationCorp, Area 4

CHIEF'S FIELD AWARD:Longmont Field Office,Area 2

NACD/NRCS EARTH TEAMAWARD:Center ConservationDistrict, Area 4

NRCS EMPLOYEE EARTH TEAMAWARD:Chanda Pettie, Area 4

Congratulations andthanks

to each of you!

By Colleen McCleary, Earth Team Coordinator, La Junta, CO

Joel Aaron King was born in 1983in La Junta, Colorado. He grew upin the town of Swink, where heattended and graduated K-12 atthe Swink Elementary and SwinkHigh School.

On June 23, 2003, he swore intothe United States Marine Corps.He completed boot camp at MCRDSan Diego, California in Septem-ber of 2004, and went on to theSchool of Infantry (SOI) as aPrivate. After completing infantrytraining, he was chosen to be aMachine Gunner.

After graduation and more training,Joel deployed to Iraq with Weap-ons Company 81mm from Febru-ary through October of 2004. Hewas also working on advancing inthe Marine Corps Martial ArtsProgram, and the same day Joelearned his Green Belt, he alsoreceived the rank of LanceCorporal.

Upon his return from Iraq, Joelcontinued his training with the

Marines, until an injury to his feetcaused him to fall behind in exercises.That injury did not stop him fromdeploying again to Iraq on July 4,2005. Joel was still in a “Roller Cam”walker when he deployed, but madehimself useful as a Radio Operator in aforward base in the heart of Fallujah.

When it became known that the onlyway to correct Joel’s feet was to havethe operation in the U.S., he returnedin October of that year. Serving in the“Remain Behind Element,” he got thenecessary treatments and served therest of his military time as BarracksDuty NCO, maintaining the order,discipline, and integrity of the Marinesthat lived and worked around thebarracks at which he was tasked.

In March of 2007 in La Junta, Joelmarried Lalena Maria Dunham from 29Palms, California. By June of 2007,Joel was honorably discharged fromthe U.S. Marine Corps. Joel andLalena moved to Pueblo, and thenback to La Junta to be near familybecause of the happy news that theywere expecting their first child.

Joel began volunteer work with theNRCS in June of 2009, doing secre-tarial work and light building mainte-nance. His coworkers feel they areprivileged to have Joel as a volunteer,and say he is a true American hero!

On July 8, 2009, Annabel Leah Kingwas born in La Junta, like her Daddy.Her parents are very happy to havethis addition to their family!

Coordinator’sCoordinator’sCoordinator’sCoordinator’sCoordinator’sCornerCornerCornerCornerCorner

Volunteer HeroVolunteer HeroVolunteer HeroVolunteer HeroVolunteer Hero



Representatives from chambers ofcommerce, tourism boards, andother organizations from fivecounties in south-central Coloradoare working together to developheritage tourism as an expandedeconomic sector.

Located between two state heri-tage tourism regions and at theintersection of major highways, thefive-county group is working todevelop a regional identity whilerecognizing the distinctiveness ofeach community.

Five Counties Cooperate to Increase Heritage Tourism in Southern ColoradoFive Counties Cooperate to Increase Heritage Tourism in Southern ColoradoFive Counties Cooperate to Increase Heritage Tourism in Southern ColoradoFive Counties Cooperate to Increase Heritage Tourism in Southern ColoradoFive Counties Cooperate to Increase Heritage Tourism in Southern Colorado

The group engaged Judy Walden ofthe Walden Mills Group to conduct aninitial assessment of the area’s heri-tage resources, challenges, andopportunities. The assessment identi-fied “an extraordinary inventory ofhistoric, cultural, and scenic assets;centers of excellence in the performingand visual arts; and ethnic historiessecond to none in the state”. Theassessment was funded by localtourism groups, Colorado StateUniversity, and the Colorado Depart-ment of Local Affairs.

Based on the results of theassessment, the RC&D Councilapplied for and was awarded agrant from the Colorado Councilon the Arts to develop a regionalmarketing map highlightingheritage tourism and the arts.

The Council sponsored the granton behalf of the five-countyheritage tourism group. Fundingfrom local tourism groups, Colo-rado State University, and theColorado Department of LocalAffairs round out funding for theproject.

This unique approach to unitingtourism and the arts garnered thegroup an invitation to speak on theproject at the Governor’s TourismConference held in Pueblo,Colorado, in October 2009.

The group spent the summertouring each of the five counties tobecome more familiar with theheritage tourism assets in theregion. The group’s next focus is toraise funds to develop a strategicplan.



By Tony Panek, CET, Cortez, COArea 4 Representative CCRAC,CCRAC Vice-Chair

Not long ago, I visited a business herein Cortez. The person who waited onme asked a question I hadn’t heard inmany decades; a question that,recollecting my younger years, mademe cringe.

When I told the worker my last name, Iheard, “What nationality is that –Czech?”

I’m an American. But I knew what thereal question was.

“Sure!” I was inclined to respond, justto put an end to a particular conversa-tion in which I did not want to partici-pate. At first, I hesitated in my reply.

“Polish,” I heard myself say eventually,but without the fear or embarrassmentassociated with the past. This ill-reputeof the Poles stemmed from, I believe,their crushing defeat at the hands ofNazi Germany in World War II, whenthey fought Hitler’s Luftwaffe & Panzerdivisions from horseback. Having a lastname that is pronounced “panic” didn’thelp my situation. Afterwards, thePoles were branded with a “backward-ness” often unfairly associated withthose in Appalachia. My wife, fromWest Virginia, amazingly still confrontsthese mindless perceptions aboutAppalachia on occasion despite thefact she holds a Master’s degree inclinical informatics.

Being Polish in northern Illinois when Iwas young was not just a matter ofdeveloping thick skin and riding out theridicule because I was attacked withmore than just words. I fought my waythrough the days and proved to them Iwas not afraid to bleed. Survival meantkeeping my distance from others andkeeping the awareness of my exist-ence limited to their minds. Above allelse, do not be noticed!

And I hear the mantra in my mind;“What doesn’t kill you only makes youstronger!” Tell that to a ten year old.Words cannot correct the injusticecaused by the insecurity of others.

I’m not writing this to talk about myself.

I’m writing this to talk to you.

As the Area 4 representative to theColorado Civil Rights Advisory Committee, Ithought my greatest involvement with thecommittee would be attending meetings,working on committee assignments,preparing an outreach report, and lookingaround.

Yet, I find myself attentive to the lives ofothers in this role and some have contactedme with issues. I speak little and hope tonotice much. The subject most oftenbrought to my attention is how you treatthose with whom you work. The subject fortoday is bullying in the workplace. It’s notwhat the Englishman said it was.

According to the Workplace BullyingInstitute, “37% of the U.S. workforce reportssome kind of bullying at work. Bullying is asystematic campaign of interpersonaldestruction that jeopardizes your health,your career, the job you once loved.Bullying is a non-physical, non-homicidalform of violence and because it is violenceand abusive, emotional harm frequentlyresults”.

What constitutes bullying in the work-What constitutes bullying in the work-What constitutes bullying in the work-What constitutes bullying in the work-What constitutes bullying in the work-place?place?place?place?place?“Bullying is usually seen as acts or verbalcomments that could ‘mentally’ hurt orisolate a person in the workplace. Some-times, bullying can involve negativephysical contact as well. Bullying usuallyinvolves repeated incidents or a pattern ofbehavior that is intended to intimidate,offend, degrade or humiliate a particularperson or group of people. It has also beendescribed as the assertion of powerthrough aggression.”

Bullying, when employed against aBullying, when employed against aBullying, when employed against aBullying, when employed against aBullying, when employed against aprotected class (e.g. age, race, gender),protected class (e.g. age, race, gender),protected class (e.g. age, race, gender),protected class (e.g. age, race, gender),protected class (e.g. age, race, gender),becomes harassment, which is illegalbecomes harassment, which is illegalbecomes harassment, which is illegalbecomes harassment, which is illegalbecomes harassment, which is illegaldiscrimination.discrimination.discrimination.discrimination.discrimination.

The first step in dealing with bullies is torecognize you are being bullied. To regaincontrol, you must realize you are not thesource of the problem. Bullying is aboutcontrol and has nothing to do with yourperformance.

What are some examples of bullying?What are some examples of bullying?What are some examples of bullying?What are some examples of bullying?What are some examples of bullying?* Spreading malicious gossip or innuendothat is not true* Excluding or isolating someone socially

* Intimidating a person* Undermining or deliberately impedinga person’s work* Withholding necessary information orpurposefully giving wrong information* Making jokes that are ‘obviouslyoffensive’ by spoken word or e-mail* Intruding on a person’s privacy bypestering, eavesdropping, or stalking* Yelling or using profanity* Criticizing a person persistently orconstantly* Belittling a person’s opinions* Tampering with a person’s personalbelongings or work equipment.

How should you deal with bullies?How should you deal with bullies?How should you deal with bullies?How should you deal with bullies?How should you deal with bullies?* Seek the advice of a trusted mentorwho may have dealt with this situationbefore.* Make sure your superiors are awareof your work. Workplace bullies oftentry to spread the word that you are notdoing your job well and will even go asfar as to report the smallest infractionsto your boss. Your actions will carrymore weight than his or her words.* Don't allow the bully to isolate youfrom your colleagues. Keep up yourworkplace friendships.* Don't try to win over other people toyour side. The way in which you handlethe situation will allow them to maketheir own judgments.* If you can, confront the bully in aprofessional manner, but only if yourphysical safety isn't threatened. Don'tsink to his or her level. Stay as calm aspossible. Don't yell or threaten. Oftenbullies are looking for this type ofconfrontation and it will encouragethem to come back for more.

What should you do if you’re beingWhat should you do if you’re beingWhat should you do if you’re beingWhat should you do if you’re beingWhat should you do if you’re beingbullied?bullied?bullied?bullied?bullied?This article is not intended to proscribecourses of action but to protectyourself, you need evidence. Docu-ment, document, document. Talk toyour supervisor and talk with a friend.solve the situation.

Bullying exists because someone didBullying exists because someone didBullying exists because someone didBullying exists because someone didBullying exists because someone didnothing to stop it.nothing to stop it.nothing to stop it.nothing to stop it.nothing to stop it.

“In the end, we will remember not thewords of our enemies, but the silenceof our friends.” - Martin Luther King, Jr.

Please contact me for resources [email protected].

“BULLY”“BULLY”“BULLY”“BULLY”“BULLY” IS NOT WHAT AN ENGLISHMAN SAYS IT IS! IS NOT WHAT AN ENGLISHMAN SAYS IT IS! IS NOT WHAT AN ENGLISHMAN SAYS IT IS! IS NOT WHAT AN ENGLISHMAN SAYS IT IS! IS NOT WHAT AN ENGLISHMAN SAYS IT IS!



Participants in a recent workshoplearned the basic concepts of plannedgrazing and herding at the award-winningBlue Valley Ranch, on the bank of the BlueRiver and below the steep crags of theEagle’s Nest. After locally roasted coffeeand a welcome by Bonnie Koblitz of theMiddle Park Conservation District, themorning began with my presentation“Prescribed Grazing for RangelandHealth.” This culminated in a caffeinateddiscussion of adaptive grazing manage-ment. Planned grazing that meets the needs ofsoil and plants as well as those of animalsand their owners is the single mostimportant practice to improve the healthand productivity of our rangeland andpasture resources. Even with “proper” or conservativestocking, poorly managed grazing leads todistribution problems, where heavilygrazed and unused patches are found side-by-side within a pasture. Animals areattracted to re-growth when plants are leasttolerant of grazing, creating expandingpatches of deterioration: loss of palatableplant species, soil stability, and hydrologicfunction. Prescribed grazing can break thiscycle with short grazing periods and highstock density, encouraging livestock toconsume a higher proportion of plants in apasture, and then removing the livestockuntil the grazed plants have recovered. Commonly cited barriers to adoption ofprescribed grazing are that, as usuallyimplemented, it requires more fencing(permanent fence is often cost-prohibitive);and it requires a lot more management,including handling and moving livestock,which, with conventional handlingtechniques, can stress both animals andpeople.Herding makes prescribed grazingtechnically practical and economicallyviable by allowing a few individuals tomove a large herd over long distances andrough terrain, and place them—withoutfencing. This means that stock can bemoved off of sensitive areas, breaking thecycle of repeated grazing and improvingdistribution, as well as facilitatingvegetation treatments. To that end, weinvited Guy Glosson, manager of theaward-winning Mesquite Grove Ranch nearSnyder, Texas, and a Certified Educator inHolistic Management, to teach the low-

stress livestock handling techniques that helearned directly from stockmanship guru BudWilliams. After allowing that there might be nothingcrazier than teaching a bunch of cowboys tohandle livestock, Guy spent the next two daysbravely doing just that. By applying pressureand then releasing it at the right time, Guytaught us to inspire the animals to want to gowhere we want them to go, and then let them goor stay there. Guy began by demonstrating thelow-stress initial approach to the herd, and thenwalked the herd up and down a fence line.Participants found that low-stress livestockhandling is not a kinder, gentler version ofconventional handling, but a new method thatrequires the herder to be in a different positionrelative to the herd. To learn to work the leadanimals from the side, participants had to let goof their previous experience of pushing the herdfrom behind. Tim Robertson, livestock foreman at BlueValley Ranch, could hardly contain hisenthusiasm. “This is fascinating!” he whisperedafter quietly walking the herd through a patterndelineated by a set of barrels. Mark Volt(District Conservationist) and other participantswalked the cattle across a pasture and through agate, pressuring them when they slowed andreleasing the pressure as they moved in thedesired direction. Dan Nosal (Franktown Field Office) and BenBerlinger (La Junta Area Office), rangeland

Prescribed Grazing and Herding for Rangeland HealthKremmling Field Office, Middle Park Conservation District host “out-of-the-box” workshop

By Matt Barnes, Multi-County Rangeland Management Specialist, Kremmling/Walden, CO

A black bear interrupted the proceedings. Mark and Matt were ready to takeheroic action to fend off the intruder, but the bear ran away!

management specialists representing theColorado Grazing Lands ConservationInitiative, worked with me and Guy toemphasize grazing planning and adaptivemanagement concepts throughout theworkshop. Dan acclaimed the workshop as“the most out-of-the-box” of any funded bythe Colorado GLCI. John Kossler, Blue Valley Ranch’snatural resources manager, and a conserva-tion district board member, emphasized thatimmediate adoption of low-stress livestockhandling on the ranch is a crucial aspect ofthe project, and the employees who do thebulk of the livestock handling all attendedthe workshop. The workshop is just thefirst phase in a longer-term projectdemonstrating prescribed grazing bestmanagement practices for rangeland health.We agreed to host a tour in a year or two todemonstrate how Blue Valley Ranch usesherding to apply prescribed grazing andchange patterns of use on this stunninglybeautiful landscape.

Bonnie Koblitz (Middle Park CD)and Jenny Stricker (Walden FO)practice new stockmanship skills.



Besides the 3 R's—"Rigor,Relationships, and Relevance,"the High School Programs atFront Range CommunityCollege (FRCC) have added“Resources” to their promo-tional motto via a cooperativeeducational internship with theNatural Resources Conserva-tion Service (NRCS) FortCollins Field Office. The Wild-life, Forestry and NaturalResources program, offered atthe Larimer Campus, providesadvanced career and technicaltraining experiences for jun-iors and seniors from thepublic high schools in Larimerand Weld counties.

One exceptional student, JohnDenton, was selected to internwith the Fort Collins FieldOffice earlier this year.

Andy Piszkin took John out ona Conservation TechnicalAssistance (CTA) assignmentfor a farmer who was prepar-ing his field for a micro-irrigation (subsurface drip)system but first needed anaccurate survey of the field.Using one of the two GPSsurvey units used in Area 2,Andy explained the basicconcepts of GPS, land survey-ing, and GPS surveying. Heshowed John how to set up,collect data, and close out asurvey. After the fieldwork,Andy and John were able totransfer the node coordinatesinto an autoCAD file anddevelop a 0.5-foot contourmap of the field. A .pdf file ofthat map was then emailed tothe client. The client wasthankful for the GPS data.

A significant opportunity John hadduring his internship was expo-sure to the Big Thompson RiverHabitat Project, a 1.5 mile reachunder private landownership.John worked directly with AndyPiszkin (NRCS) and Glenn Newlon(GN Engineering) on streambankerosion and stabilization analysis,surveying, and data collection.Since John happens to be 6’-6”,he was duly nominated to mea-sure some of the deeper thalwegcross sections of the river usingthe GPS survey equipment, whileAndy provided guidance andtechnical direction (and also madesure the expensive GPS surveycontroller stayed out of the wa-ter.) John also kept detailed notesas Glenn performed pebble countsacross several key locations alongthe river.

John discovered that river resto-ration truly is the successful blendof engineering, science, andecology, and can only be trulysuccessful through plenty ofcoordination and support from adiverse group of organizations.

Since successfully completing theWildlife, Forestry and NaturalResources High School Program atFront Range Community College,John has enrolled at ColoradoState University (CSU) as aWatershed Science major. He is

carrying 13 credits whileworking two jobs: one with theCSU Warner College of NaturalResources Restoration EcologyLaboratory. Maybe John’sexposure to the Big ThompsonRiver Habitat project hadsomething to do with hisinterest in Watershed Scienceas a major.

Regardless of which major(s)John Denton studies, thecooperative educational intern-ship with the NRCS Fort CollinsField Office provided him withvaluable insight and awarenessof the real-world application ofnatural resources. Being anexceptional young man, Johnhas a great head start into thefield of natural resources andconservation.

Todd has already begun coordi-nating with area schools for2010 internship opportunitiesand Earth Team volunteers.

The 4 R's, "Rigor, Relation-ships, Relevance, andResources" also apply to thesuccess of the NRCS FortCollins Field Office: a trueservice to the Front RangeCommunity.

By Andy Piszkin, Soil Conservation Technician, Fort Collins, CO

John and Andy Piszkin survey theBig Thompson River for a habitatrestoration project.

John recorded pebble count dataon the bank of the Big Thompson.

FtFtFtFtFt. Co. Co. Co. Co. Collins Field Ollins Field Ollins Field Ollins Field Ollins Field Offfffffffficicicicice Pre Pre Pre Pre Promotomotomotomotomoteseseseses“Resour“Resour“Resour“Resour“Resourccccces” Tes” Tes” Tes” Tes” Thrhrhrhrhrougougougougough Inth Inth Inth Inth Intererererernship Prnship Prnship Prnship Prnship Prooooogggggrrrrramamamamam



Women’s History was first celebratednationally during the week of March8, 1980 when former PresidentJimmy Carter issued a PresidentialProclamation declaring that week asNational Women’s History Week. Itbecame National Women’s HistoryMonth in 1987 when Congressexpanded the week long celebrationinto a month- long celebration. March2010 marks the 30th Anniversary ofWomen’s History Month, with thetheme for the celebration “WritingWomen Back into History.”

Up until the 80s, the topic ofwomen’s history was limited tocollege curricula and even there itwas fairly scarce. At that time,women were usually written in asfootnotes and women of color andwomen in fields such as math, scienceand art were completely omitted fromthe history books. For the past 30years the National Women’s HistoryProject has worked to change the waywomen are perceived in history. Youcan learn more about the NationalWomen’s History Project by visitingtheir website at www.nwhp.org.

As your Colorado Federal Women’sProgram Manager, I encourage eachNRCS office in Colorado to celebrateWomen’s History Month by doingan activity that increases yourknowledge of women’s history.Activities in the past have includedpot lucks, trivia questions, quizzesand crossword puzzles. I will be onceagain be sending out informationon Women’s History Month as wellas an activity for you to participatein during Women’s History Monthand of course there will be a prizefor the winner. Be sure to send meand write up and pictures of howyour office chooses to celebrateWomen’s History Month.

WOMEN’SWOMEN’SWOMEN’SWOMEN’SWOMEN’SHISTORY MONTHHISTORY MONTHHISTORY MONTHHISTORY MONTHHISTORY MONTHCELEBRATES 30CELEBRATES 30CELEBRATES 30CELEBRATES 30CELEBRATES 30YEARS IN MARCHYEARS IN MARCHYEARS IN MARCHYEARS IN MARCHYEARS IN MARCHBy Sherri Brandt, CO FWPM, Akron, CO

The NRCS, in coordination withthe Colorado Association ofConservation Districts (CACD)Watershed Associations, will beholding a series of WatershedConservation Input Forumsbetween February 2010 and May2010. The meetings will be held

within the ten Colorado geo-political watershed boundaries,and are designed to provide NRCScustomers, natural resourcepartners, and other organizationswith the opportunity to help guideand make recommendationsregarding NRCS financial andtechnical assistance programs.

“NRCS in Colorado is tasked withmanaging and administeringmillions of dollars annually to helpNRCS customers and partnersenhance the quality of the state’snatural resources,” says PetraBarnes Walker, NRCS PublicAffairs Officer, Lakewood. “Theseforums are a great opportunity forthose at the grassroots level, andwho will most likely be directlyimpacted by programmatic deci-sions, to ensure their input andinterests are represented.”

Discussions during these sessions willrevolve around various conservationpractices like irrigation water manage-ment systems, range management,and many others. Participants will alsohave the opportunity to discuss theirissues regarding high priority naturalresource concerns including water

quantity, water quality, invasive spe-cies, rangeland health, small acreagemanagement, forest health, and manyothers. Then they will be asked toshare input about how NRCS can helpmitigate some of their concernsthrough agency programs like theEnvironmental Quality IncentivesProgram (EQIP); the Wildlife HabitatIncentives Program (WHIP); theWetlands Reserve Program (WRP);and many more.

Don’t miss this important opportunity tocontribute to the conversation, as thewise use and conservation of ournatural resources is everyone’sresponsibility and is critical to sustain-ing and enhancing the quality of life weenjoy within our community. Foradditional information about the forumwithin your watershed, please visitwww.co.nrcs.usda.gov.

Don’t miss this important opportunityto contribute to the conversation,

as the wise use and conservation ofour natural resources iseveryone’s responsibility.


CACD WatershedAssociations Set to Host 2010Conservation Input Forums



All photos by Mary Miller,Public Affairs Specialist, La Junta

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