|
| |
NRCS New York News
Updated:
06/19/2008 This area
of the NRCS New York Web site will provide you with the latest updates to events
and information regarding NRCS New York.
Current news stories
Striving for Excellence in the Chesapeake Bay
Watershed
The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS)
and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) have
forged an important partnership to assist forest landowners make educated
decisions in the management of their land and to ensure protection of the
Chesapeake Bay Watershed.
Benefiting from an opportunity in the
Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), New York State landowners can
receive financial and technical assistance to create and enhance conservation
practices on their wooded lands. The practices include, but are not limited to,
forest health thinning, crop tree release, and light density clearing. These
actions go a long way by ensuring that area wildlife habitats, water quality,
and erosion control are maintained at the highest level.
Doug Whittaker describes
his crop tree release method, for this apple tree,
to NY DEC Forester Matt Swayze. |
Doug Whittaker is the perfect example of a
landowner benefiting from this program. He exemplifies the purest attributes of
a lifetime conservationist and land user, although he is relatively new to this
profession. Doug is a retired firefighter, having proudly served 33 years
protecting his community and educating others on fire safety. It was not until
22 years ago that he decided to now dedicate himself to caring for the
environment and protecting the land he now calls home.
“I consider myself the luckiest man alive to be
able to wake up and work on this beautiful land,” boasted Whittaker.
He has since made use of every NRCS and New York
DEC program available to him, to ensure that he leaves this land to his son in
better shape than when he first bought it. His current goal is to help release
the numerous apple trees on his land, to ensure a nutrient-rich and abundant
food source for the wildlife that also call his property home. With a DEC Forest
Stewardship Plan in place, he is able to receive financial assistance in
completing this and other forestland conservation activities on his land.
“It isn’t just for the financial incentive. The
education that NRCS and DEC provides allowed me to do great things for this
land, which is something very important to me,” added Whittaker.
Doug has also gone above and beyond just the
financial-incentives programs that are available to him by creating natural
wetlands throughout his 325 acres to ensure a safe habitat for local wildlife.
He has worked with non-government organizations like
Ducks Unlimited to ensure
that his duck populations can thrive. And has allowed numerous educational
groups to practice conservation activities on his land, including Cornell
University students, to foster new thought on Helping People Help the Land.
(Left to Right) Matt
Swayze, NY DEC Forester, Suzette Kocher, Cortland
County District Conservationist, Doug Whittaker, and
his son, discuss his Forest Stewardship Plan. |
“At the beginning I only took from the land but
now I feel good that I am giving something back. This is a win-win situation for
everyone. Our eco-system benefits, our local habitat can thrive, and the
government and my children benefit as well,” Whittaker concluded, with smile.
Ms. Kathleen Anderson has been an excellent
conservationist in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed as well. You can view her story
and learn about our forestland conservation program, in cooperation with the New
York State Department of Environmental Conservation, by clicking on the fact
sheet.
This document requires
Adobe Acrobat.
For
Striving for Excellence in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed (PDF; 226 KB)
A cooperative NRCS and DEC Fact Sheet.
 Back to
Top
USDA Official Provides Expertise at International Conference
|
Regional Assistant Chief
Richard Coombe. Coombe brought his expertise in
watershed protection and planning to discussions at the Global
Katoomba Conference held June 9-10 in Washington, DC.
USDA image. |
Syracuse, New York,
June 10, 2008 — A U.S. Department of Agriculture official served as a
panelist at the Global Katoomba Conference, an international conference
on market-based conservation, held at the Smithsonian Institution’s
National Museum of Natural History June 9-10.
Its international
Web site describes the Global Katoomba Conference as an annual meeting
held by the Katoomba Group, an international working group composed of leading experts from forest and
energy industries, research institutions, the financial world, and
environmental Non-Government Organizations dedicated to advancing
markets for some of the ecosystem services provided by forests – such as
watershed protection, biodiversity habitat, and carbon storage.
Richard Coombe, Regional Assistant Chief for Natural Resources Conservation Service’s
East Region, shared his expertise as a member of the team that worked to
revitalize the New York City Watershed several years ago. As the
Founding Chair and CEO of the Watershed Agricultural Council, Inc. from
1993 – 2003, Coombe was instrumental in implementing a comprehensive
planning approach to watershed protection in the 1.2 million acre New
York City Watershed, a vital water source for over nine million residents.
The New York City Watershed served as the perfect example, as a prototype for effective
water quality trading, because it demonstrates effectively how local
voluntary efforts can solve environmental problems.
Much of the conference focused on the potential for market-based conservation in the
64,000-square mile Chesapeake Bay Watershed, which covers parts of
Delaware, Maryland, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia, and
the District of Columbia.
This year’s Global Katoomba Conference focused on the current scope and potential of
ecosystem markets – carbon, water and bio-diversity – to address
environmental concerns. Conference participants’ goals were to develop
strategies to solve the urgent environmental issues faced by the world
today. More than 600 individuals and groups from around the world
participated in this important event.
Back to
Top
|
Funding Opportunity to Address Wildlife Habitat Concerns
Syracuse, New
York, June 9, 2008 — The Natural Resources Conservation Service
(NRCS) is excited to announce that additional funding for the
Wildlife Habitat Incentive Program (WHIP) is available for this
calendar year starting today through July 1, 2008.
This incentive-based program, which was enacted in 1996 as part
of the Federal Agriculture Improvement Reform Act, is a
voluntary opportunity for agricultural producers and private
landowners to address natural resource concerns in their
operations. In New York, the goal of the program is to develop
and restore early successional habitat for wildlife, endangered
and threatened species, and other wildlife species of concern.
The key objectives of the program in New York State are to
provide technical, educational, and financial assistance to
eligible landowners to address grassland and shrubland wildlife
habitat resource concerns on their land.
“We are thrilled to be able to offer this opportunity to New
York State landowners,” stated Acting New York State
Conservationist Paul Webb. “This program has benefitted more
than 17,000 acres of upland wildlife habitat since 1998 by
restoring and enhancing grassland and shrubland habitat
statewide.”
Some of the conservation activities funded through this program
include: native grassland habitat development, upland wildlife
habitat management, shrubland habitat development, and
restoration of declining habitats. Applicants can qualify for
program payments to off-set the costs of installing their
conservation projects.
In order for a landowner to be eligible for this program, they
must offer land for eligible enrollment that is not already
enrolled in the Conservation Restoration Program, Wetlands
Restoration Program, Emergency Watershed Program, or that has a
conservation easement in place. Landowners must be able to prove
that they have ownership or control of the land. WHIP is a
continuous sign-up program with contract agreements of 5-10
years in length. To be considered for available funding,
applications must be submitted to a local NRCS office by
Tuesday, July 1, 2008.
For more information on applying for the Wildlife Habitat
Incentive Program or any of the other incentive-based programs
that the Natural Resources Conservation Service offers, please
visit the NRCS New York
Programs Web site or visit your local NRCS office.
Back to
Top
|
Conserving Natural Resources in the Chesapeake Bay
Practices like
conservation buffers along streams improve and
protect water quality throughout the Chesapeake Bay
watershed. The watershed covers nearly 45 million
acres in six states and the District of Columbia.
|
WASHINGTON, June 4, 2008—U.S. Department of Agriculture’s
Natural Resources Conservation Service recently released a
report highlighting its activities in the Chesapeake Bay
watershed for fiscal year 2007.
For example, NRCS
provided more than $76 million in financial and technical
assistance in the Chesapeake Bay watershed to help farmers
protect water quality, recycle nutrients, preserve open spaces
and improve wildlife habitat. The agency used existing Farm Bill
programs such as Environmental Quality Incentives Program,
Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program, Farm and Ranch Lands
Protection Program and Wetlands Reserve Program to help farmers
carry out conservation practices such as riparian buffers,
prescribed grazing systems, irrigation water management,
nutrient management systems, waste storage and manure composting
facilities and wetland creation, restoration and enhancement.
These documents require
Adobe
Acrobat.
Conserving Natural Resources in the Chesapeake Bay: NRCS 2007
Conservation Activities (PDF; 535KB)
New York Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Forest
Stewardship Information Sheet (PDF; 256 KB)
Learn about financial and technical assistance available through
the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) to enhance
conservation practices on wooded land in the Chesapeake Bay
watershed.
Technical
Service Providers (TSP brochure) (PDF; 7.6 MB) |
Back to
Top
Seneca Trails Resource Conservation and Development (RC&D)
Council Reflects on 40 Years of Success
June 3, 2008
The Seneca Trails Resource Conservation and Development (RC&D)
Council took the opportunity June 3rd to reflect on forty years
worth of their accomplishments, success stories, and to layout a
path for the future.
Established in
1968 and currently headed by Gregory McKurth, council president
and Wyoming County Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD)
official, the group of 15 members held their 40th anniversary
luncheon and conference at a banquet hall in Olean, New York.
County, State, and Federal employees in the fields of soil
conservation and civil engineering were treated to in-depth
information on the future of land and resource management.
Lectures were separated with open discussion opportunities and a
lavish four-course banquet meal.
“This event is
a perfect opportunity for our council to show off our success
stories,” boasted McKurth. “From grazing land conservation
initiatives to financing timber bridges, we would not be
successful in our jobs if it weren’t for continued public
support.”
Throughout the
conference, two lectures stood out to the audience as being most
timely in this day and age. Mark Watts of the Chemung County
SWCD provided a PowerPoint slideshow on the impacts of natural
stream processes and the mounting costs of restoration to fix
the damage caused by floodwaters. He clearly demonstrated the
before and after effects of changing a stream’s path, and how
history proves that streams will eventually regain their natural
flow path.
Dan Reynolds of
the Southern Tier West Regional Planning and Development Board
shared data on the cost benefits of transitioning to wind power.
He provided background data on initial start up and maintenance
costs of installing windmills and how it will help us break our
dependence on conventional energy sources.
“I have really
enjoyed working with this RC&D Council because it gives me the
opportunity to branch out and work on incredibly unique
projects,” stated Joann Kurtis, NRCS representative to the
Seneca Trails RC&D Council. “I truly believe it puts the fun
back into conservation.”
Kurtis shared
with the crowd some notable accomplishments over their 40-year
history including: assisting schools with land projects, working
with the livestock industry to be more efficient in their
operations, instituting conservation education programs in
schools, installing over 500 dry hydrants, and most importantly,
incorporating the Seneca Nation of Indians into the council.
The council closed the event with
a renewed drive to strive for further and expanded conservation
projects, which will benefit the community.
Back to
Top
|
If you have questions, suggestions, or find a broken link, please contact:
Public Affairs Specialist / Webmaster
Jonathan
Groveman
USDA
Natural Resources Conservation Service
441 South Salina Street, Suite 354
Syracuse, New York 13202
Telephone:
315-477-6524
| |
|
About Us
