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“Uniting the fighting spirit of the eagle with the compassion of the human touch”

0. “Uniting the fighting spirit of the eagle with the compassion of the human touch”. Experiment Stations and the National Cooperative Soil Survey. National Cooperative Soil Survey. Soil survey production and support Fundamental natural resource inventory to society.

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“Uniting the fighting spirit of the eagle with the compassion of the human touch”

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  1. 0 “Uniting the fighting spirit of the eagle with the compassion of the human touch”

  2. Experiment Stations and the National Cooperative Soil Survey

  3. National Cooperative Soil Survey • Soil survey production and support • Fundamental natural resource inventory to society. • Natural Resources Conservation Service is lead agency • Experiment station is a cooperator • Liaison to NCSS appointed from each university

  4. National Cooperative Soil Survey • NCSS established as a cooperative undertaking between USDA and Exp. Stations in 1899. • Soils surveys conducted cooperatively under various MOU’s.

  5. Experiment Station responsibilities to NCSS • Quality control, • Soil characterization lab data (certain states), • Field review of on-going surveys by county, • Review of soil survey manuscripts, • Education of future employees, • Technical expertise (e.g. crop yield and management, erosion control, urban suitability interpretations), • Special projects (developing techniques, methodologies etc..), • Research in Soil Morphology, Genesis and Classification, • Hosting/participation in State, Regional, and National Work Planning Conferences, • Contributions to NCSS technical and scientific standards made by Exp. Stations at work planning conferences.

  6. NRCS responsibilities – facilitating research • Some financial support, • Substantial field support of research, • Current examples of cooperative research: • Region-wide water table study (Southeast), • Evaluation of soil wetness features (Arkansas, North Carolina), • Evaluation of soil properties and water movement in Piedmont soils (Georgia), • Innovative Technologies in Soil Survey (Alabama).

  7. Other Cooperative Activities • Soil judging contests • Hiring and training students (part-time and permanent) - 65 % of work force to retire in five years • Development of field trips and tours • Technical expertise • Opens pathways for other NRCS-Exp. Station efforts (e.g. conservation research)

  8. Overall........ • Mutually beneficial relationship

  9. Issues • Some states have maintained strong cooperative efforts, • Nation-wide declining Exp. Station presence in NCSS activities, • Possible reasons: • Soil survey evolving, “once-over” nearing completion, transition period, • Decreasing faculty numbers, • Historical shift in cooperator roles from field survey to technical support, • Retirement of faculty and NRCS personnel with long-term working relationships, • However, there is increasing pressure on the soil resource and related land use issues • Survey updates, soil interpretations and new technologies are increasingly important so Exp. Station role is more critical than ever due to broadening user demands.

  10. Issues- From National Soil Survey Center • Changing NRCS focus and structure; shift to Major Land Resource Area “update and maintenance mode” • NRCS looking for ways to support cooperator laboratories on regional basis. • National Geospatial Development Center (NGDC) to target funds for particular projects. • NRCS seeking cooperator support and review for funding for interpretations needs, including cooperator input for projects with regional relevance.

  11. Summary • Soil surveys are a prominent cooperative Exp. Station achievement • Fundamental to stakeholder (urban and non-urban) functions. • Insufficient recognition and exposure. • Possible opportunities to leverage additional funds.

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