Outreach to Underserved Constituents

Individual Tech Assistance

Noreste SCD assisted more than 54 persons with copies of the Conservation Manual (Spanish version) and other NRCS literature on conservation practices at the Loiza FO. The Mayaguez FO Staff provided technical assistance to six (6) EQIP participants in conservation practices installation and equipped seven (7) beginner producers with information regarding USDA programs and conservation practices: The DC provided training on NRCS programs and USDA eligibility requirements to extension agents at the Agricultural Extension Service Workshop; the agents will promote USDA programs among the producers in the region:  Twenty (20) farms were also visited to evaluate EQIP 2007 contracts and provided information regarding EQIP program and eligibility. The Ponce FO assisted four (4) new beginner farm owners and provided them with information on NRCS programs.

Agriculture Fairs

Fifty-six (56) booklets on conservation education were provided to Agricultural Extension Agents for distribution at their county fairs and during Land’s Week Activities.

Workshops/ Meetings

The Atlantico RC&D and Noreste SCD organized a meeting with swine producers from Vega Baja to coordinate efforts in proposing the establishment of a new energy efficient farm: Noreste SCD, in partnership with FSA and Extension Service, hosted an informational meeting that 40 farmers attended and 12 EQIP applications were completed: Fifteen (15) goat producers received information on farm management and EQIP at a meeting held at the Las Piedras Agricultural Extension Service office.  The NRCS and FSA Caguas Staff organized an informational meeting at the Yabucoa Agricultural Extension Service office in which fifteen (15) farmers received valuable information about the 2007 EQIP program.  The Mayaguez FO and AES Staff participated in an educational activity where conservation information was given to 12 farmers. The Utuado FO provided handouts of conservation program information to 23 land owners who participated in “Proyecto Administracion de Fincas,” a 3-day course that trains land users on farm business administration and record keeping logs.

RC&D Project Assistance

El Atlantico RC&D received $50,000 from USDA-Rural Development to fund its Coffee Classification Project, which entails evaluating soil types, elevations, coffee varieties, management practices etc.: El Atlantico and El Caribe RC&D hosted the USDA-Foreign Agriculture Service for a town hall meeting in Yauco, Puerto Rico for the first time ever where 130 mango and flower producers were in attendance: El Caribe RC&D met with several potential partners ( Martex Farm – mango producer; Beef Cattle Nucleus, BFI – Sanitary Landfill in Jobos Area; AAA – Sewer Treatment Plant in Guayama/Salinas; and Ganado Porcino Nucleus) to seek program opportunities.

Capacity Building

NRCS staff met with twenty-seven (27) farmers and stakeholders (20% female representation) in the Jobos Bay Area to seek input regarding problems and concerns on their agricultural lands for incorporation in their area-wide conservation plan, which included at least 28 resource concerns: El Caribe RC&D held a meeting of the PR Specialty Coffee Association to share information regarding projects sponsored by the Council that could impact over 5,000 limited resource farmers in the RC&D Area.

Newsletters & Articles

Two press releases were sent to the “Nucleo Ganaderos Del Este” and to “El Oriental” local newspapers to share information about the availability of EQIP funds for FY 2007: The Loiza FO distributed letters/flyers regarding 2002 Farm Bill programs which captured 23 new EQIP applications.

Environmental Education & Outreach

Individual Tech Assistance

St. Croix Field Office staff provided information on NRCS programs and services; GIS and Soils information for individual properties; soil and tree conservation information; erosion and flood control technical assistance, V.I. environmental rules & regulations; and copies of USVI Soil Survey CD-ROMs to over 49 persons visited or contacted by phone on all 3 islands. Field Office Staff provided Farm Bill program information that resulted in 7 non traditional producers requesting participation in EQIP. Additionally, information on conservation-oriented grant opportunities, including NRCS Caribbean Area CIG grants, and other federal agency, along with national NGO, conservation and pollution-prevention-oriented projects, programs and publications and other resources were distributed to over 100 V.I. RC&D Council, VI NPS Committee members and other clients in the territory. met with a client to discuss potential funding sources for V.I. educational programs and potential outreach projects w/ VIRC&D and local school.

Agriculture Fairs

Poster presentations on local soils, available NRCS programs, and V.I. RC&D programs and projects were displayed during the February 2007 St. Croix Agriculture and Food Fair to over 1,200 fair-goers. A one-page public input survey to assist in revising the Council’s Area Plan was also produced and distributed to over 175 St. Croix Ag Fair attendees by RC&D program staff and 7 VIRC&D volunteer members.

Workshop / Conference Presentations

The St. Croix DC delivered a power point presentation on soil and water conservation practices and NRCS conservation programs to 28 St. Croix Farmers Co-op members at a week-long technical training. NRCS helped plan and participated in the 2006 Coral Reef Task Force Meeting, held October 23-28, 2006 at Marriott Frenchman’s Reef in St. Thomas. Staff exhibited a table-top poster display highlighting the VIRC&D/NRCS Bethlehem EWP and Bethlehem Water Quality Demonstration projects, distributing 18 fact sheets describing the projects to meeting attendees, and developed and distributed a fact sheet describing the Estate Bordeaux Farm Pond project to over 40 participants on the conference’s Land-Based Tour. Staff was quoted in an October 25, 2006 V.I. Daily News Article on CRTF Workshop entitled “V.I. Coral Reefs: Issues, Status & Solutions.”

VIRC&D Project Assistance

NRCS staff continued to provide technical project assistance to the V.I. RC&D Council by:

• Forwarding workshop announcements to over 120 clients and news releases to 10 local media outlets advertising the 2007 Project Design & Evaluation workshops, conducted by the NOAA Coastal Services Center. The 59 clients attending the workshops (held on both St. Croix & St. Thomas) received information about VIRC&D and supplemental information from short course trainers.
• Developing and distributing flyers and news releases, holding public meetings, and developing a website to help form a St. Croix Recycling Association. Sixty-two (62) residents attended the kick-off meeting Feb. 7 and Association meetings have been held monthly since. Two new members joined VIRC&D as a result of the kick-off meeting and newspaper articles appeared in the V.I. Daily News, St. Croix Avis and V.I. Source describing the new association.
• Developing and distributing a news release promoting the Stormwater Satellite Workshop to 10 local news media outlets, resulting in an article regarding information presented at the workshop being published in the October 18, 2006 St. Croix Avis.

Grant Writing / Capacity Building Assistance

NRCS staff provided grant-writing technical assistance to the V.I. RC&D Council to develop proposals to fund 4 new projects: Estate Adventure Nature Trail Riparian Restoration Demonstration project [319 proposal], NPS Committee Operating Budget & Newsletter Project [319 proposal], 10th V.I. NPS Conference [319 proposal], and Teague Bay Farm Pond / Riparian Stabilization Demonstration project [NFWF Coral Reef Conservation Funds]. NRCS continued to provide the V.I. RC&D Council with capacity building assistance, researching grant and foundation funding mechanisms for various Council projects; continuing to update the VIRC&D website (www.usvircd.org) with new pages highlighting current projects, listing FY 2006 completed projects, and updating the events calendar; and drafting meeting materials, sample organizational policies, and marketing letters. Staff also helped the St. Croix Environmental Association draft a television public service announcement script regarding litter prevention to protect leatherback turtles.

Newsletters & Articles

NRCS staff assisted the V.I. RC&D Council in developing & laying out the 6th and 7th issues of the V.I. Network of Environmental Educators [VINE] newsletters, which were distributed electronically to over 60 VINE members and local educators. Printed copies of the newsletters were distributed to over 230 teachers, fair & meeting participants at teacher training workshops, the St. Croix Ag Fair, and at the Coral Reef Task Force Meeting.

NRCS staff also assisted the V.I. RC&D Council in developing & laying out the 31st and 32nd issues of the V.I. Nonpoint Source Committee Newsletter, which were distributed to a mailing list of approximately 1600 clients in the VI, PR, wider Caribbean and U.S. mainland & Pacific territories. NRCS submitted articles on the 2006 Natural Resources Conservation Workshop, St. Croix Environmental Information Repository, and Coral Reef Task Force Meeting for publication in both newsletters, and articles on the Project Design & Evaluation Training and National and Caribbean Area CIG requests for proposals for the NPS Newsletter.

Youth Environmental Education & Outreach

NRCS staff distributed 422 environmental education posters, fact sheets, and comic books to local regulatory agency staff and teachers on St. Croix and St. Thomas and 35 Forestry & Environmental Education material sample packets to teachers at V.I. Department of Education trainings, resulting in 6 requests for additional materials from both islands.