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NRCS New York American Indian/Alaskan Native Special Emphasis Program

Web image: The 2011 American Indian/Alaskan Native Heritage Month poster. Click image for full screen view

- Conservation -
"Preserving Our Land for Future Generations"

Full screen view

The purpose of this program is to provide focus on issues such as equal program delivery and the employment, promotion, training and career enhancement affecting American Indian employees and applicants in NRCS.

Mission

The objectives of the American Indian/Alaskan Native Special Emphasis Program is to:

  • encourage the participation of American Indians in all NRCS Programs and activities

  • support the unique roll of American Indians and Alaskan Natives within the Federal Government

  • increase the number of American Indians in all categories, series and grade levels

  • recruit American Indian/Alaskan Natives as potential NRCS employees

  • provide a network of professional support for Native Americans in NRCS

  • establish and maintain effective relationships with Indian Nations in New York State, American Indian groups and organizations

  • contribute to the development of the overall Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO)/Civil Rights Program in NRCS

NRCS Announces 2011 American Indian Heritage Month Poster Contest Winner

This year’s winner of the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) American Indian Heritage Month Poster contest is Carrie Silverhorn of Miami, Oklahoma. Silverhorn is a member of the Eastern Shawnee Tribe of Oklahoma and is of Eastern Shawnee/Wyandotte decent. The 32 year old has been an artist since childhood and claims, “Art is the passion that drives me to create beauty from my surroundings and allows me to produce what my imagination whispers to me.”

Every year, American Indians residing in the selected American Indian Alaska Native Employee Association (AIANEA) region, is eligible to enter their artwork in a contest sponsored by the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). This year, the South Central Region [Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Texas] was selected. Oklahoma was charged with conducting the contest. The winning artwork is then produced into a poster used during American Indian Heritage Month, which is in November.

On June 17, 2011, seventeen entries were judged at the NRCS state office, in Stillwater, Oklahoma.

“Judging wasn’t easy,” said Oklahoma NRCS State Conservationist Ron Hilliard. “We received many outstanding pieces of art and each artist brought something different into the painting. According to Dr. Carol Crouch, NRCS National AIAN Special Emphasis Program Manager and District Conservationist in Norman and Purcell, Oklahoma, “the title for the poster is, “Conservation: Preserving Our Land for Future Generations” and the theme is, “A true conservationist is a man who knows that the world is not given by his fathers, but borrowed from his children.” Crouch stated, “It was important that the judges for the artwork represented our diverse workforce as well as Tribal Members.” Judges this year included the NRCS Oklahoma Civil Rights Advisory Council (CRAC), two Tribal members and NRCS leadership. The poster will be delivery to all NRCS offices in 50 states; plus the Caribbean Pacific Basin in October. The poster will be used to celebrate American Indian Heritage in November. Copies are available for tribal and public distribution while supplies last.

Information Resources

American Indian/Alaska Native Employee’s Association for NRCS (AIANEA)
Center for Native Peoples and the Environment (SUNY-ESF)
Community Development Resources
Cornell University American Indian Program
Haudenosaunee Environmental Task Force
Intertribal Agriculture Council (IAC)
Office of Native American Programs
Tribal Consultation, A Guide for Natural Resources Conservation Service Employees (USDA NRCS)
Tribal Energy and Environmental Information Clearinghouse (TEEIC)
Tribal Government Relationships (USDA NRCS)

Thank you (“Nya:weh” – in Seneca Iroquois), for visiting our Web page.

John Whitney, American Indian/Alaskan Native Special Emphasis Program Manager
USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service
East Aurora, New York
Telephone: 716-652-8480, Extension 110
Fax: 716-652-8506
E-mail: John Whitney

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