NRCS NJ Bulletin Board

The Roads of New Jersey Are Safer

NRCS employees are driving more responsibly after completing Defensive Driving training. Two sessions were provided so that office operations were uninterrupted while employees attended the training.

A few NRCS employees enjoyed a great hike at Racoon Ridge this past October. With encouragement from outdoor enthusiasts in the Somerset Office, Fred Kelly has been organizing early morning hikes when NRCS offices are closed for national holidays.

Another Successful Year for Combined Federal Campaign in New Jersey!!

The Combined Federal Campaign (CFC) is the Federal employee's best opportunity to give charitable contributions to worthwhile organizations. The 2007 Combined Federal Campaign resulted in 37 employees contributing a total of $17,622. This total represented about 98% of our $18,000 goal. Fred Kelly, CFC Manager, says, "Thanks very much; you have made a world of difference in so many lives."

Warren County Soil Survey Online

From October 2002 to August 2007 Soil Survey Project Leader Fred Schoenagel collected and evaluated transects and soils descriptions in the field and updated soil mapping for Warren County. MLRA Project Leader Edwin Muñiz also worked on the project from 2002 to 2004 as a Soil Survey Project Member, and was instrumental in incorporating new and innovative technologies, like Global Positioning System (GPS) and Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) equipment, and evaluated and utilized several valuable digital map editing techniques in GIS.

Cartographic digital soil map editing and evaluation was performed by GIS Specialists Gary Casabona and ShayMaria Silvestri. State Soil Scientist Ron L. Taylor reviewed the completed update soil maps for errors. Prior collected field data and soil mapping left behind by former Soil Survey Project Leaders Dave Kingsbury and Rich Shaw were invaluable resources utilized during the update.

The Warren update was unique in that the soil mapping was digitally compiled “on-screen” using computers with Geographic Information System (GIS) editing capabilities. Previously, soil maps were compiled by drafting soil lines onto mylar sheets laid over aerial photographs. These mylar sheets were then scanned by a regional NRCS digitizing unit to create a digital copy of the soil maps. The onscreen digitizing approach eliminated the entire compilation-digitization process. As a result, the time needed to prepare the digital soil maps for posting on the web was shortened dramatically.

NRCS Chief Visit New Jersey

Chief Arlen Lancaster visited New Jersey on Thursday, August 6. He shadowed Resource Conservationist Maria Collazo in the morning. They met with Joseph Conte at his Burlington County farm, and then returned to the Columbus office to enter the data for Conte's conservation plan into Toolkit. The Chief joined State Conservationist Tom Drewes in the afternoon at the Mercer Soil Conservation District monthly meeting before heading back to Washington.

NRCS Civil Engineering Technician Rick Parenteau

After 35 years with NRCS, Rick Parenteau, Civil Engineering Technician, is moving on. Rick will retire September 3 from our Hammonton office after working in New Jersey for 22 years. Rick trained many of our field personnel, and in the coming weeks we may all realize how much we depended on his technical expertise. (Fortunately, we have his phone number and email address!).

We will certainly miss Rick. We wish him and his family all the best as they relocate to the Eastern Shore of Maryland.

Regional Assistant Chief - East Visits New Jersey in August

Richard Coombe, Regional Assistant Chief (RAC) - East, visited the Garden State for a few hours on August 6. State Conservationist Tom Drewes used the opportunity to introduce Mr. Coombe to some of our partners in central New Jersey.

Richard Coombe, RAC for the East Region, State Conservationist Tom Drewes, and Assistant State Conservationist for Program Janice Reid visited with Kip Stults at his farm in Middlesex County. The Stults family operation, a showcase of conservation, is permanently preserved. District Conservationist Nicole Ciccaglione (photographer) and Soil Conservationist Laura Coover joined the tour.

Richard Coombe visits Musconetcong Watershed

Coombe, Drewes and Reid also visited Warren County and met with District Conservationist Ron Phelps, Bill Leavens of the Musconetcong Watershed Association, North Jersey RC&D Coordinator Christine Hall, and NRCS Biologist Tim Dunne to discuss fish passage and dam removal on the newly designated wild and scenic Musconetcong River.

NRCS and Accommodation in the Workplace

Nancy Paolini recently discovered a tool that is making it much easier for Doreen Dougherty to participate in teleconferences and net meetings. Details about Relay Conference Captioning (RCC) and Doreen's account of its great benefit are posted on our website in the Civil Rights section of "About Us."