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Urban Soils Team

Charges, activities, membership, and contact information for the Urban Soils Team.

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Overview

The Urban Soils Team was created to address topics relevant to soils in the urban environment. Team members are experienced urban soil mappers and bring together a diverse perspective of urban soil issues from cities with various mapping needs and historical backgrounds.

Charges

  • Coordinate urban activities across division (procedures, equipment, safety)
  • Identify training needs
  • Identify needs to update standards – propose solutions
  • Identify needs to update taxonomy – propose solutions
  • Assemble existing data
  • Identify gaps
  • Work with BOA and MGT to provide guidance on priority areas

Resources

Urban Soil Survey Story Map

Urban Technical Notes (links to Box)

Projects

Active Projects List:

  • Support active urban soil survey projects
  • Support planning of future soil survey projects
  • Develop an urban dynamic soil property (DSP) project framework
  • Review of horizon nomenclature conventions for soils formed in HAHT materials

Long-Range Plan:

  • Launch Urban Soils Field Week to support active soil survey projects and deliver field training
  • Assist efforts to modernize the Urban Soil Primer and Soil Risks and
  • Hazards documents
  • Develop job aids, tech notes, training materials, and other resources
  • Develop new urban soil interpretations
  • Develop suggested urban soil mapping guidelines or procedure
  • Reimagine soil survey datasets for urban areas to meet local needs
    – E.g. soil artifact content database review
  • Promote and expand the use of proximal sensors to support soil survey operations in urban areas

Accomplishments

  • Urban Soils Fact Sheet
  • Urban Soil Survey Story map
  • Technical review for Artesols soil order proposal in Soil Taxonomy
  • Contributions for the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Global Soil Partnership (FAO–GSP) Soil Organic Carbon (SOC) Technical Manual; Recarbonizing global soils – A technical manual of recommended management practices
  • Display skin for urban soil focus team
  • HAHT Soil Series extent map (ESRI online map)
  • Provided presentations at the Urban Soils Symposium during the 2019 SSSA Annual Conference in San Antonio, TX
    – Genesis of Urban Soils
    – Mapping of Urban Soils
  • International Union of Soil Science – Soils of Urban, Industrial, Traffic, Military, and Mining Areas (SUITMA) conference participation
  • Technical review for “Native Soil Properties and Qualities in Urban Soils” for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification
  • NCSS webinar presentation – Urban Soil Mapping in New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Detroit
  • Urban soil mapping presentation for the U.S. Geological Survey – Urban Landscapes Capability Team
  • NCSS National & Regional Conferences poster & presentations
  • Urban soils technical data evaluation and review for EPA

Sub-Teams

  • Urban Soil Survey Data & Methods
  • Urban Dynamic Soil Properties (DSP)

Contact

Randy Riddle

Senior Soil Scientist for Urban Soil Survey; Ventura County, CA

Greg Taylor

Senior Soil Scientist for Special Projects; Raleigh, NC

Members

  • Josh Beniston, Urban Soil Health Specialist; Santa Rosa, CA
  • Dan Benyei, MLRA Soil Survey Leader; Marietta, OH
  • Carl Fuller, Soil Scientist; Olympia, WA
  • Eric Gano, Soil Scientist; Flint, MI
  • Braden Fleming, Soil Scientist; Tolland, CT
  • Roel Guerra, Soil Data Quality Specialist; Temple, TX
  • Jacob Isleib, Connecticut State Soil Scientist; Tolland, CT
  • Tiffany Justus, Soil Scientist; Aurora, IL
  • Kefeni Kejela; Resource Soil Scientist and Urban Ag Conservationist; Reading, PA
  • Alaina Kresovic, Soil Scientist; Dover-Foxcroft, ME
  • Ben Marshall, MLRA Soil Survey Leader; Frederick, MD
  • Chris Miller, MLRA Soil Survey Leader; Juneau, WI
  • Edwin Muniz, New Jersey State Soil Scientist; Somerset, NJ
  • Cooper Nichols, MLRA Soil Survey Leader; Tuskegee, AL
  • Donald Parizek, Soil Survey Leader; Tolland, CT
  • Austin Price, Soil Scientist; Greensboro, NC
  • Kristine Ryan, South Carolina State Soil Scientist; Columbia, SC
  • Lucas Scott, Soil Scientist; Hayes, KS
  • Kari Sever, Soil Scientist; Denver, CO
  • Sarah Smith, MLRA Soil Survey Leader; Indianapolis, IN
  • Andy Steinert, MLRA Soil Survey Leader; Fort Morgan, CO
  • Ralph Tucker, MLRA Soil Survey Leader; Union, MO and Marion, IL
  • Olga Vargas, Resource Soil Scientist; Greenwich, NY

University Partners

  • Dr. John Galbraith, Virginia Tech
  • Dr. Bryant Scharenbroch, University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point
  • Dr. Patrick Drohan, Penn State University
  • Dr. Jonathan Russell-Anelli, Cornell University

Additional Information