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Earth Day 2006
2006 NRCS Earth Day Photo Features
For Earth Day photos, click on a state below.
(above) Assistant
Manager of the Tucson, Arizona NRCS Plant Materials Center Mary Hershdorfer
assists a child with a desert marigold plug at the Tucson Children's Earth
Day and Parade. Mary prepared the plugs so the children could plant a native
plant at home.
Mary poses with NRCS Arizona mascot "Boomer"
 |
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(above) NRCS geographic
information system specialist
Rhonda Rawlings explains the tasty parts of the "edible
aquifer" to Mabelvale Magnet students
retired NRCS volunteer
Alice Weeks demonstrates the non-point source model to
Mabelvale Magnet students
 |
NRCS Hosts Backyard Conservation WaterFest
Along with other Earth Day activities throughout the State, NRCS and several
partners hosted a Backyard Conservation WaterFest at Mabelvale Magnet Middle
School. Mabelvale Magnet Middle students learned about aquifers, watersheds,
wetlands, why protecting soil and water resources are important, and what they
can do to keep the Natural State’s water clean and clear. Various hands-on
activities demonstrated to students how to conserve and protect natural
resources. “If students learn only one thing from WaterFest it’s that
they can make a difference in the future of our environment,” said Arkansas NRCS
State Conservationist Kalven L. Trice.
WaterFest could not have happened without the generosity of NRCS partners
including the Arkansas Natural Resources Commission, Pulaski Conservation
District, NRCS National Water Management Center, Central Arkansas Water, Tyson
Foods, and over 20 other organizations and companies.
TV weatherman Tom
Brannon gives
Mabelvale Magnet students a presentation on
"weather in the watershed" |
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Youngsters visit the
NRCS
booth at the
Environmental Expo on the campus of California
State University in San Bernardino
 |
NRCS participates in Environmental Expo
NRCS in Southern California celebrated Earth Day at the Environmental Expo on
the campus of California State University in San Bernardino. The event featured
over 100 exhibitor booths and drew more than 10,000 visitors.
NRCS promoted conservation by showcasing the Backyard Conservation in California
display and associated booklet. Visitors were engaged with questions to help
understand basic conservation concepts and rewarded with conservation tattoos.
“It was a well organized event,” said Paul Laustsen, NRCS public affairs
specialist, “the diversity of conservation and environmental organizations
present is a testament to how far we have come, soon, everyday will be Earth
Day.”
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Environmental Expo on the campus of California
State University in San Bernardino |
Acting Colorado State
Conservationist Ed Biggers presents Secretary Johanns with a token of
appreciation during his visit to Colorado for an Earth Day signing ceremony
(from left) Greeley Area Conservationist Roy Hall, Secretary Johanns, Ed
Biggers, and district conservationist C.W. Scott |
Johanns Observes Earth Day in Colorado with Conservation Agreements
Secretary Johanns celebrated Earth Day by signing two Colorado Conservation
Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) partnerships totaling $91.6 million that will
conserve water and improve wildlife habitat.
"Through these CREP agreements covering 65,000 acres in eastern Colorado,
farmers and ranchers will conserve water use while enhancing habitat for
declining fish species and other wildlife," said Johanns. "I'm proud to
celebrate Earth Day by expanding our partnerships with farmers and ranchers who
are among America's very best stewards of the land."
Johanns signed the agreements during an Earth Day celebration near Wiggins with
Colorado Department of Natural Resources Executive Director Russell George,
Colorado Agriculture Commissioner Don Ament and Congresswoman Marilyn Musgrave.
Following the signing ceremony, Johanns was also joined by FFA volunteers in
planting hackberry and juniper trees.
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(above)
NRCS Deputy Chief for Science and Technology Larry Clark shows students from
Walker Elementary School the technique for planting sea oats at the Fort
Walton Beach, Florida, Earth Day celebration
Larry also shows
teachers
from Walker Elementary
the technique for planting sea oats
 |
Sea Oat Planting in Fort Walton Beach
Fourth and fifth-graders from Walker Elementary School participated in a coastal
dune educational planting during a two-day Earth Day celebration at Beasley Park
in Fort Walton Beach, Florida. Florida NRCS district conservationist Darryl Williams
explained about coastal ecology and promoting planting coastal dunes to the 280
students and teachers from Walker Elementary. NRCS Deputy Chief for Science and
Technology Larry Clark gave a presentation on the importance of plants to the
ecology of coastal dunes. Larry along with students and teachers planted
1,500 sea oats over the two-day event. NRCS Earth Team Volunteers
also helped with the planting.
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Variable rate irrigation
allows each nozzle to adjust the flow of water according to soil moisture
levels. In this photo, some nozzles are completely off while others are
spraying at various levels. The addition of broadband wireless monitoring
technology allows an irrigator to check the equipment while sitting in the
comfort of an office. |
Earth Day 2006: A Celebration of Water
USDA Deputy Under Secretary Merlyn Carlson attended a demonstration of the
innovative variable rate irrigation pilot project as part of "Earth Day 2006: A
Celebration of Water" event held in Arlington, Georgia. The site is one of
several funded with Environmental Quality Incentives Program Ground and Surface
Water funds.
"Earth Day 2006: A Celebration of Water" event was heavily covered by
media. News Channel 10, NBC affiliate, out of Albany, Georgia interviewed
several officials and an Associated Press story ran from Nebraska to
North Carolina and throughout Georgia |
This item requires
Windows Media
Player
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to a radio news story on Georgia's "Earth Day 2006: A Celebration of Water"
featuring Deputy Under Secretary Merlyn Carlson and Congressman Sanford Bishop.
From the Southeast Agnet go to the link titled, 04-18 GA NRCS Hosting
Earth Day Event
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(above)
a local volunteer demonstrates the Rainfall Simulator machine which shows
children how different land use covers protect--or fail to protect--our
precious soil resources
NRCS Regional Assistant Chief – Central Merlin Bartz, welcomes 200
fifth-grade students from Greenville, Pocahontas, Mulberry Grove, Smithboro,
and Pleasant Mound to Bond County Soil and Water Conservation Day
 |
Earth Day Celebrated Early in Illinois
While officially Earth Day was April 22nd, 200 fifth-grade students
from Greenville, Pocahontas, Mulberry Grove, Smithboro, and Pleasant Mound
celebrated the event a few days early with a field trip to the Bond County Soil
and Water Conservation Day in Greenville, Illinois. A variety of partners
gathered together to play their part in the Earth Day educational event,
including NRCS Regional Assistant Chief – Central Merlin Bartz, who welcomed the
students, quizzed them with facts about Federal and private lands, and explained the
mission of the agency. “You’re all going to grow up and become our future
leaders in cities just like Greenville. You’ll be making decisions that affect
natural resources and the land. The ideas you’ll learn today will help you
help the land and insure that the clean water and resources we enjoy today
will still be here for future generations to use and enjoy,” said Bartz.
Students rotated through eight different educational stations where they learned
about soil and water concepts, watershed issues and runoff, ethanol, home and
farm safety. They also took a conservation quiz, observed a rainfall and erosion simulator, and
discussed forestry
issues.
The annual Earth Day event is sponsored by NRCS, the Bond County Soil and Water
Conservation District, University of Illinois Extension, and Greenville FFA.
Presentations for the students were provided by the hosts, NRCS, Illinois
Department of Natural Resources and the Southwestern Electric
Cooperative Inc.
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Sandra Plunkett (left), Central Louisiana NRCS Earth Team Coordinator, hands
out soils information to an Earth Day at the Zoo participant while a
cameraman from KALB NBC affiliate documents the day’s activities for the
evening news |
Earth Day at the Zoo
Over 270 young adults and kids enjoyed Earth Day at the Zoo at the Alexandria,
Louisiana, Zoo. Over 20 NRCS and conservation district personnel helped create
“edible soil profiles” for event-goers that used M&M’s as parent material,
chocolate pudding as subsoil, confectionary sprinkles as bacteria, gummy worms
as organisms, crushed chocolate graham crackers as topsoil and colored coconut
as surface residue. “S.K Worm” exhibits and information educated all
participants on soils and conservation work.
Find out more about Louisiana Earth Day Events below.
This document requires
Adobe Acrobat.
 Louisiana
Earth Day Events (212 KB)
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Wetlands Reserve Program easement boundary sign |
Earth
Day Dedication Celebrates Protection of Plymouth Cranberry Land and Restoration
of Eel River
A partnership of Local and Federal Agencies and non-profit organizations marked
Earth Day 2006 by announcing the protection of 95 acres of open space in
Plymouth, Massachusetts, that will be open to the public and known as the Eel
River Preserve. A dedication ceremony was held at a new trailhead parking area
that will provide public access to the protected area, which includes former
cranberry bogs through which the Eel River flows. The wetland and river will be
protected and restored through the federal Wetlands Reserve Program.
Full Story
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(above from left) Dana
York, William Hunt, and President of the Minnesota Association of Soil and
Water Conservation Districts Carol Berg
Chair of House Ag Committee, Congressman Collin Peterson (left) shares his
opening remarks on earth day with William Hunt, Dana York, and other
participants at Glacial Ridge
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The Earth Day celebration at Glacial Ridge
The Earth Day celebration at the Glacial Ridge Project kicked-off with NRCS
Associate Chief Dana York, Minnesota NRCS State Conservationist William Hunt,
and several other NRCS employees observing a male Prairie Chicken “dancing” to
attract a female of the species. Almost 200 sixth-graders from Crookston and Red
Lake Falls Schools listened to the Chairman of House Ag Committee, Congressman
Collin Peterson; Dana York; and William Hunt who expressed his appreciation for
the community’s participation and reminded the youngsters “Every day is Earth
Day in rural America.” Dana encouraged the youngsters consider a career in
natural resources conservation. She explained to them that it was Earth
Day in 1970 that steered her career path toward becoming the first
female NRCS Associate Chief.
The students then rotated through six environmental learning stations dealing
with prairie prescribe burns, waterfowl identification, wetlands, web of life,
water experiment, and prairie wildlife.
At the actual Earth Day ceremony Dana reminded the audience of the importance of
conservation outcomes. “Projects such as Glacial Ridge are important because of
the partnerships and leveraging of dollars that occur.” Nearly 12,000 acres
within the Glacial Ridge Project have been enrolled in the NRCS Wetlands Reserve
Program making it the nation’s largest tall grass prairie/wetland restoration
projects. Glacial Ridge was also highlighted at the recent White House
Conference on Cooperative Conservation Partnerships. “The best conservation
projects start from the bottom up,” said York.
Read Agri
News feature, York Remembers First Earth Day in 1970
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(above) Coordinator for
North Jersey
RC&D Christine Hall (left) talks with Tom Christensen at the Pequest Earth
Day event
(from left) New
Jersey NRCS Resource Conservationist Tim Dunne, New Jersey NRCS State
Conservationist Tony Kramer, NRCS Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program
Manager Albert Cerna, Private Lands Biologist with Conserve Wildlife
Mackenzie Hall, NRCS district conservationist Ron Phelp, NRCS Deputy Chief
for Programs Tom Christensen, and North Jersey RC&D Coordinator Christine
Hall |
Earth Day Celebration at Pequest Riparian Restoration Site
NRCS and other Federal, State, and local conservation partners gathered for an
Earth Day observance to recognize the good work done at the Pequest riparian
restoration site. The North Jersey Resource Conservation and Development (RC&D)
Council has provided funding and guidance for buffer planting and organized
volunteers to plant native grasses and shrubs along about 500 feet of Pequest River
bank in Warren County, New Jersey. Stream-side buffers help
maintain fish-friendly water temperatures in the river, provide habitat and food
for aquatic life, and protect the watershed, keeping it healthy for wildlife and
people.
The officials helped FFA volunteers from Belvidere High plant trees, shrubs, and
grass for the buffers. “Cooperative conservation is what NRCS is all about
– working with landowners and partners – helping people help the land,”
said NRCS Deputy Chief for Programs Tom Christensen acknowledging the Pequest
partnership project.
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(above)
an Ohio Division of
Forestry forester points out a blue ash tree at an NRCS ash tree
identification and seed collection workshop held on Earth Day in Findlay,
Ohio
event participant Jesse Gonzalez stirs the worm bin
 |
Ash Tree ID
Approximately 400 people attended an Earth Day event in Findlay, Ohio, that
featured exhibits, a tree planting ceremony, and an NRCS ash tree identification
and seed collection workshop.
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Learn about Earth Day events in Texas by clicking on the links below.
children visit the NRCS table to pick out a conservation peel-off tattoo
while the parents had questions answered about Backyard Conservation at the
Fort Hood/NRCS Earth Day Celebration |
Fort Hood and NRCS Team Up for Earth Day Celebration
Earth Day with the Boy Scouts
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(from left) U.S. Representative Ron Kind, Wisconsin NRCS State
Conservationist Pat Leavenworth, USDA Undersecretary for Natural Resources
and Environment Mark Rey, and Wisconsin Lieutenant Governor Barbara Lawton |
Driftless Area Restoration Effort Earth Day Event
There was lots of news media on hand for the USDA and Trout Unlimited
announcement of the Driftless Area Restoration Effort (DARE). The project will
focus on conservation efforts in the driftless (unglaciated) region of
Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, and Illinois. Tour participants enjoyed a beautiful
day to view the Wisconsin DARE project site.
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