Conservation: Seven Decades to Seven Generations

Remarks by Sara Braasch, Regional Assistant Chief, Natural Resources Conservation Service, at American Indian Agriculture Symposium Indian Nations Conservation Alliance and Intertribal Agriculture Council

Las Vegas, NM
December 7, 2005

Thank you, Terry (Tatsey). Thanks also to Ross (Racine) and Dick (Gooby). It’s a pleasure and a privilege to join IAC and INCA for your third meeting of tribal conservation districts.

In September, Deputy Agriculture Secretary Chuck Conners signed the Memorandum of Understanding establishing the first Alaska Native Village conservation district. We’ll be presenting a commemorative plaque to the Tyonek Conservation District in a few minutes.
That brings the total to 26 tribal conservation districts. When you meet again, I hope we’ll see more.

I understand more tribes are working to form conservation districts, including:

1. the Kiowa of Oklahoma—the first tribal district in Oklahoma
2. the White Earth Tribal Conservation District in Minnesota—the first tribal district in Minnesota
3. 56 Alaska Villages in the Bethel, Alaska area, and
4. the Warm Springs Tribal Conservation District in Oregon

The Natural Resources Conservation Service has been working in Indian Country for a quarter century. We opened our doors on tribal lands in 1980, and today we have more than 65 full or part-time offices on tribal lands to directly service Tribes.

I think we’ve seen a significant payoff to making our conservation programs more accessible to Tribes. From 1999 to 2003, assistance activities to American Indian customers tripled—from 40,000 to more than 120,000 contacts—and I’m sure it’s grown since then.

Our mission of helping people help the land supports your commitment to care for Mother Earth, and we want to work more closely with you to help you achieve your conservation goals.

Implementing the 2002 Farm Bill

I want to speak for a few minutes about the 2002 farm bill and then look ahead a bit.
In 2005, we’re into the third year of the 2002 farm bill. This bill

• doubled funding for conservation programs,
• re-focused conservation on working lands,
• demanded accountability, and
• rewarded stewardship.

And NRCS has been busy delivering on the promise of increased investment in conservation.

Fulfilling the promise of the 2002 farm bill is job one for our agency.

Getting conservation on the ground is our top priority. We want to be sure everyone is aware of our programs and has the opportunity to participate. Our focus over the next two years will be consolidating the gains we’ve made with new programs and tools for producers.

Cooperative Conservation

One of the keys to the 2002 farm bill, and I believe, the next farm bill, is cooperative conservation. This past August, President Bush sponsored a cooperative conservation conference that featured many success stories of locally-led, collaborative efforts to benefit the environment.

It was an opportunity for everyone to see how well incentives and partnerships can work in accomplishing environmental goals. The conference emphasized voluntary approaches that recognize that economic prosperity and environmental stewardship go hand-in-hand.

We can be successful with agricultural conservation only when we are able to demonstrate that the practices we recommend bring benefits to those who live on and work the land as well as others in the community. There’s a clear link between managing crop residues, nutrients, irrigation water, manure and other agricultural inputs and outputs and environmental benefits such as water quality and quantity.

FY 2005 Achievements

I want to turn now specifically to the past year—Fiscal Year 2005, which ended in September.
Over the last 12 months, NRCS

• Served nearly 100,000 farmers and ranchers
• Invested $3.3 billion in voluntary, incentive-based conservation
• Established a unified comprehensive policy and transparent allocation formula for conservation technical assistance
• Expanded the new Conservation Security Program to every state
• Launched the Web Soil Survey to make soils data available 24/7 over the Internet and
• Supported the President’s Wetlands Initiative to restore, create or enhance 3 million acres of wetlands by 2009

Limited Resource Farmers Initiative

I want to talk with you at greater length about a new program we began last year—our Limited Resource Farmers Initiative. Last spring we announced we were setting aside up to $6 million in 2005 Environmental Quality Incentives Program funds in 11 states and the Caribbean Area to help limited resource and beginning farmers implement good conservation practices on their lands.

It was an overwhelming success. Having these farmers compete only against other limited resource farmers makes a lot of sense. When we tallied the totals, we actually worked with more than 1,100 farmers to invest $6.8 million in cost-effective and economical conservation practices.

Most of the farmers who participated had small acreages and received up to 90 percent cost-shares to apply technically sound conservation practices modified to suit smaller operations.
We believe more beginning and limited resource farmers—including American Indians and Alaska Natives—could benefit from this program.

So later this week, we are announcing a nationwide expansion of the program for 2006. We expect to devote more than $10 million in EQIP funds across the country.

As in 2005, under the 2006 Beginning and Limited Resource Farmers Initiative:

• At least 10 percent of the overall cropland must be planted to alternative crops,
• Producers may have 100 acres or less of cropland,
• Cost-share rates may be as high as 90 percent for all practices, and
• Contracts are limited to $10,000.

Typical conservation practices suitable for smaller operations include:

• Erosion control
• Water management
• Grazing land planting and management
• Livestock watering facilities
• Fencing, and
• Irrigation systems

I see this initiative as one that could work well for some of our American Indian and Alaska Native farmers. And I hope you will take a look and encourage your friends and neighbors to contact their local NRCS offices for additional information.

Serving Tribal Lands

I mentioned earlier that our work with American Indian customers has greatly increased over the past several years. In 2004, we had 763 Environmental Quality Incentives Program contracts to treat 1.82 million acres of tribal lands. These contracts were worth more than $21 million.
We’re still analyzing our efforts in 2005, but our preliminary estimates indicate that we will show similar results.

One of the concerns Tribes have raised is the $450,000 payment limitation in the 2002 farm bill.
We have now resolved that issue. And in August, we issued a national bulletin that provides flexibility for Tribes and Alaska Native corporations for easier compliance with the payment limitation.

As you know, in the spring we held listening sessions and accepted public comments to help us revise the national EQIP priorities. I want to assure you that in updating the priorities, we will be mindful of the sovereign status of Indian Tribes and trust land ownership issues.

Over the past couple of years, we have sponsored a number of demonstration and test projects through Conservation Innovation Grants under EQIP, including several largely on tribal lands:

• In South Dakota, the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology is seeking to demonstrate the benefits of a quantification system for carbon sequestration credits.

• In the Pierce Conservation District in Washington State, there is a project to restore the Ohop Creek to help in the recovery of the Nisqually [nis KWAH lee] Fall Chinook salmon—an endangered species.

• In Northwest Michigan, the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians are working with the Conservation Resource Alliance to restore and protect critical ecological corridors in the region.

As we continue to work with Tribes, we are always looking to expand our services or to meet a need. In the never-ending fight against diabetes, many Tribes have established traditional community gardens. In Wisconsin and Michigan, NRCS Tribal Liaisons collaborated with the Rose Lake Plant Material Center to develop community garden guides to assist Tribes and individuals in establishing community gardens with traditional fruits and vegetables and to extend the growing season in northern climates. These guides are available on the Rose Lake website as well as at the INCA booth here at the conference.

As you know, the 2002 farm bill completed the conservation portfolio with the Conservation Security Program to recognize and reward excellence in conservation. In 2005, 14 of the 220 watersheds participating in CSP include more than five percent tribal lands. A total of 2.2 million acres of land in Indian Country were eligible for CSP in 2005, and we hope to have a tally soon of the number of acres under contract. We expect to announce final CSP watersheds for 2006 shortly.

As you probably know, there’ve been a number of CSP eligibility requirements that could pose problems for Tribes or Tribal members. These include issues of ownership and control of land, sharing in the risk of producing a crop and participating in only one contract. These issues have limited participation among American Indians and Alaska Natives, and I want to see that change.

We need your help. In the spirit of our partnership, I would welcome suggestions from INCA or IAC on ways to work around them and work through them so we could increase Indian participation in CSP.

Strengthening Relationships with Tribes

As we move forward, both in the remaining years of the current farm bill, and with the next farm bill, we hope to strengthen our relationships with Tribes. In addition, we hope to better track conservation work on tribal lands through GIS and ProTracts.

Last fall the Chief met with the Tribal Elders on several issues related to tribal participation in EQIP. With their help, we’ve clarified EQIP requirements involving time restrictions on irrigation-related systems. We issued a national bulletin on this in September, giving State Conservationists the leeway to determine situations where the land should be “considered irrigated.”

Another concern for Alaska Natives has been the subsistence definition that enables Natives to participate in EQIP. The Alaska State Conservationist and the State Technical Committee have worked with the Natives to modify the definition so it’s clear when and how Natives can sign up for EQIP. We’ve also updated our national manual that clearly includes Alaska Native Villages, Regional Corporations and Village Corporations in the definition of Indian Tribe. We anticipate it will be published soon.

IAC Agreement with USDA

We particularly appreciate the assistance IAC and INCA have given us in reaching out to tribes.
For the last two and a half years, IAC has hosted dozens of meetings to promote NRCS programs to Tribes and individual Indian landowners.

You’ve also helped us work with tribal colleges and universities. We’re looking forward to publication of the updated Guide to USDA Programs for American Indians and Alaska Natives that IAC has been working on.

INCA Outreach Agreement

INCA has also played an important role in helping establish conservation districts. This past July we signed a cooperative agreement with INCA to help us provide on-site outreach and training to American Indian and Alaska Native producers and tribal governments. Providing information through this conference is part of that agreement.

The agreement also calls for INCA to develop a conservation planning guide—the Seven Generation Planning Process. This guide incorporates all NRCS and BIA planning process guidelines, including the Integrated Resource Management Plans that Tribes have developed.
I understand you’re previewing a draft at this conference. The guide, along with a handbook for District Supervisors and training for NRCS employees, is going to help us work more effectively on tribal lands.

BIA MOU

We are updating our 1988 Memorandum of Understanding with the Bureau of Indian Affairs to facilitate coordination and increase understanding between our agencies. The new MOU, which also includes the Farm Service Agency, will revitalize and expand our working relationships.

Our goal is to better serve the Tribes and to make certain we are respecting tribal authorities. Once the memo is signed—perhaps early next year—we will train NRCS employees to be sure they understand our responsibilities on tribal lands and how to work effectively with Tribes and their representatives.

NRCS Employees

I’m pleased to report that NRCS has 383 field offices serving Indian Tribes in the lower 48 States, including 65 full or part-time offices on tribal lands.

To improve interaction with tribal partners and customers and increase diversity in our workforce, NRCS established a Tribal Scholars Program last year. Selected Native American scholars receive financial assistance to pursue a degree in agriculture or related natural resources sciences at any one of the 34 tribal colleges or universities nationwide.

This summer, we awarded our first five scholarships to students who began their studies this fall. These scholarships cover full tuition, employment, employee benefits, fees, books, room and board and use of a personal computer and software for up to four years. In addition, the students will have the opportunity to work at NRCS field offices near their schools.

Competition for the 2006 Tribal Scholars Program has begun and will run through the end of February. Please encourage conservation-minded young people who plan to attend tribal colleges and universities to contact their local NRCS office for more information on these scholarships.

2007 Farm Bill

As we’re thinking about our young people and the future of agriculture, I want to talk for a few minutes about the next farm bill. This summer and fall, Secretary Johanns and other top USDA staff have been reaching out to our customers across the country to learn what they want to see in the 2007 farm bill.

USDA has completed more than 50 listening sessions nationwide. As Secretary Johanns put it, we’ve heard “very strong opinions expressed by some very passionate people.”

We’ve learned there are diverse views on many programs, but there is consensus on the value and importance of conservation programs. We know that conservation programs provide farmers and ranchers with financial support while benefiting our nation by protecting our natural resources both today and for future generations.

At the same time, we know we can always find ways to improve—better integrating our programs, making them more transparent, ensuring that programs work for all producers, including small farmers. We also know we need to emphasize results—preferably outcome-based measures, not miles of streams buffered or acres of land treated.

Conclusion

As I mentioned, this year NRCS is celebrating its 70th anniversary. We’ve been helping people help the land for seven decades. That seems like a long time. But compared to seven generations, we are just getting started.

Your way of looking long term is the right way. We must honor those who came before us. And we must conserve the land—the soil, the air, the water and the wildlife—for those who will come after us.

Living in harmony with the land is both a solemn obligation and a source of deep contentment.
We look forward to working with you toward that end in the days—and for the seven generations—ahead.