Colorado NRCS Leadership Team Minutes
May 7 - 9, 2007

• Welcomed visitors:


• Andy Keep, new DC in Meeker from Nebraska


• Tracy Miller, DC in LaJara/San Luis


• Petra is a member of the National Facilitator Cadre and facilitating this meeting.
• Budget:


• Colorado received additional allocation.


• Colorado is in good standing.


• Some funding available for WAEs.


• There are funds available to prepay agreements this year, e.g. Farm Bill
  technicians, Ultima contract.


• New Farm Bill should be ready by September.


• The Secretaries proposals are a good source for the Farm Bill.
  
• It is critical that we clean-up the EQIP backlog.
 

• Key Points of State Efficiency Plan reviewed


• Colorado Efficiency Plan


• Phase 1 - Proposal


• Phase 2 - Finalized and due to the RAC on June 30.


• Phase 3 - Implementation
  
• Colorado began the process of developing an Efficiency Plan in 2006.


• Allen and Randy meet with the ACs individually to conduct a "blank slate" session that focused on our core functions.


• From this process, the ACs identified offices that could possibly converted, e.g.mobile offices, hard structures, etc.


• Nationally we received direction to develop a State Efficiency Plan.


• Overhead and Indirect cost table has determined a 1% reduction in administrative cost in Colorado's 2008 budget from the 2001 to 2005 averages.


• Phase 1 - Budget object class codes were used to help determine the averages.


• The averages were adjusted to determine what we needed to operate in 2008.


• Some things will be reduced, e.g. vehicles, and some will increase, e.g. utilities.


• Phase 2 - Improve our efficiencies and office structure.


• We have identified our office structure.


• We have not been given an indication what the goal should be.


• Colorado has areas that offices are fairly concentrated, e.g. San Luis.


• Allen met with the staff and partners, in Area 4, to discuss a structure change.


• Proposals for office consolidation


• Phase 3 - Reduce staff numbers above the field level.


• Colorado is not going to move staff, demote, or eliminate positions.


• Realignment and staffing changes will result in an 18% reduction.


• Reduce the number of DCs by having the DC and staff handled the work of two offices.


• Streamline State office staff.


• This will be revisited on Tuesday at 1:30 - tomorrow for discussion.

• Tracy M. - Area 4:


• EQIP back log - 2002 to 2005 are all done and closer to obligating the funds.


• Four Rivers WRP Reverse Bid Auction is being held in Costilla and Conejos Counties.


• The goal is to obtain 500 acres of WRP under the bid auction process.


• On May 15 the San Luis Valley will have Range Management course that is in partnership with GLCI, Colorado Cooperative Extension Service and NRCS that will be held in Alamosa.


• National Civil Rights Review last week - good report


• CREP Update


• Two meetings were held with FSA to get bids/acre for center pivots and flood irrigation.


• On June 1 the San Juan CD is conducting the Conservation District's Billionth Acre Ceremony in conjunction with the San Juan CD 60th Anniversary. Gary Mast, Under Secretary, will serve as a keynote speaker.


• Staffing changes


• Scott Woodall accepted a promotion with USFS.


• Joey Pruitt and Jared Morang, SCEPs, resigned.


• Dave D. - Area 1:


• Rick Isom took a disability retirement - major health issues.


• Wayne Jepson is serving as the Acting Coordinator for Painted Sky RC&D.


• In June, a joint meeting with Colorado, Wyoming, and Tony Puga (from NHQ)will meet to discuss a WRP project that covers about 30 miles of the little Snake River.


• NRI process to begin the first week in June.


• Back log report

• John K. - Area 3:


• Back log - systemic issue.


• Getting the number of practices applied that are schedule is an enormous task.


• Quality Assurance Review


• National Civil Rights Review


• State Land Board - Plans in place to purchase agreements; interesting land shift.


• National Park Service - new historic site - Sand Creek Massacre Site.


• SRM sponsoring an overnight campout in Cotopaxi


• Wildlife society tour in South Park.


• Completed rapid watershed assessment.


• Mary Miller was elected the Northern Plains SWCS board member.


• Baca County - weather devastation to the communities.


• Springfield Blizzard
  
• The increase in corn prices is a long term concern and may affect CRP.


• Holly tornado


• Two dead and several in the hospital


• Staff still on emergency work.


• About 1/3 of the town was destroyed.


• Lost 15 - 18 sprinklers


• Cost share possibilities are being looked at.


• Next Farm Bill is considering an emergency program - ECP.


• Roy Hall - Area 2:


• CRP contracts were bought out to grass seeding in Flagler.


• Tornadoes in Holyoke area


• Some personal items from the Holly tornado were found in Nebraska.


• Metro office has one CNMP to complete.


• Late rate report focus is on completion of the practices.
• 25% will be completed


• 10% cancelled/terminated


• 10% completed by the end of the fiscal year


• 55% to be rescheduled

• Roy Hall Cont'd:


• Jason Peel conducted an Irrigation conference and an IWM training - excellent work.


• CRP - becoming a workload issue due to contract changes.


• National Civil Rights Review


• Mobile Field offices


• Previous experience with Area 2 - the truck was not used.


• Problems:


• Employees are not accustom to doing business a different way.


• Managers not fully supporting the new process.


• Area 2 will try to utilize the 3 CETs.


• We need to take time with Field employees to help them completely understand the concept.

• Engineering Technology - are we using them to full capability and how can we move it along, more users, and more efficient users?


• Survey grade GPS


• CADD and Eagle Pint programs


• New programs, e.g. SET Winpond, MMP

• Engineering CADD Drawing References on the NRCS website.


• Scanned drawings


• Pdf format are not fillable


• Printable


• Share at the State level.


• John Andrews indicated there is a system is in place for the developmental stage.

• Plant Material Training is scheduled for June 12 - 13.


• Dr. Gregory Johnson (Portland, OR) will conduct an Energy/Atmospheric Training session June 18 - 20. Jeff asked the ACs for the names of staff attending.


• Ethics Training - Employees interested in operating a farm or ranch on highly erodible tracks.

• Management backlog of prescribed grazing practices:


• 91 contracts that are back to 1996


• No information available


• Many had an incentive payment

• RMET - managing as State staff and cooperating with other states and their work needing done; however doing Colorado needs first.


• Staffing update


• Geological Technological Analysis Plan (a/k/a GAS) identifies where geologist travel throughout the Nation. Al Albin services Colorado; however, Utah does not have a geologist so he is assisting them too.


• EWP


• Three projects in the implementation stage


• Dave Wolff is in charge in carrying out the logistics


• Dave is the secondary contact for EWP.


• Ray Marine is completing a project in Boulder County that is in the design stage.


• Ray will be helping Delta/Montrose/Grand Junction offices as Dave Doty see fit.


• July 10 - 11 Engineering Meeting in Salida


• Review expectations of these positions.
  
• What John can do to help them to be successful-
  
• The ACs are welcome to attend and participate.
  

• We are in the Planning phase for designs in Montana and Utah.

• Work schedules


• Flexi-tour - Schedule is juggled at the beginning and end of the employee's tour to equal 8 hours in a day.


• Alternative Work Schedule - 5/4/9


• Four 10 hours days - must be approved by STC.


• Lynn is working on revising the Colorado supplement that addresses our work schedules.


• OT and/or Comp require prior approval - costly to the Agency, and is being monitored.


• Federal Career Intern Program Policy and Guide


• Draft was distributed to the LT.


• Lynne Price received authorization to develop this policy from NHQ.


• It is difficult to promote an Intern without a year in grade.

• Training Tool Assessment


• Developed from the old proficiency model by a committee whom received input from NRCS field staff on training employees needs to meet their current grade and their goals.


• This is a tool for the employee and supervisor to determine the courses they need to help them to have the knowledge required for their grade level - a training needs assessment.


• A Bulletin was sent out to all employees for their review and to assist them in determining where they are and what they are lacking for the grade level.


• Employees were suggested to discuss with their supervisor.


• Ila developed draft spreadsheets that contain the training employees requested.

• The State office staff training will be addressed at a later date.


• The next step is to develop guidance on the training assessment tool.


• Coop Plan and Pandemic Plan:


• Allen understood that NHQ would call us with a mock situation and we would follow our plan of action.


• Lynne Price was involved in a mock run during her time at NHQ and is willing to help in this effort.

• Ila asked the ACs to send in their equipment needs and has extended the bulletin action date.

• State Legislative Update:


• Long Bill has been signed by the Governor


• Matching Grants will continue the same as last year - $600,000


• Communicating with the Senators and House members regarding the Farm Bill.


• Letter sent May 7 regarding priorities, e.g. EQIP


• CSP - redefined the tier system


• CRP - continues and focus on more sensitive lands


• Notified the Districts


• Colorado Ag Water Alliance is conducting a symposium December 14 that is open to all landowners - goal is to have 300 people - location is to be Jefferson County fairgrounds or near by.


• Watershed Meetings.


• Drafting an RFP for the Districts to be sent our May 25 utilizing the Fort Morgan meeting as a model.


• Expectation will be included in the RFP.


• Watershed Tours


• Hosting tours again this year due to the success of last year.


• Plan is to complete all by September 15.
  
• CACD Annual Meeting November 13-15, 2007, Antlers Hilton Hotel - Colorado Springs


• Board Meeting is schedule on Monday


• Actual meeting will begin on Tuesday.


• Format is being changed:


• All new resolutions will need to be in to CACD by September 15


• All policy committees, included NRCS advisors, will meet on September 20


• Revised policy book will be out in July for review.


• October 1 is the goal for finalizing the Policy book


• Annual meeting will have one session for the policy meeting


• There will not be breakouts for each group.


• Tuesday afternoon and Wednesday will consist of speakers


• A time will be allowed for NRCS to conduct a meeting.


• Governor invited to speak


• Camp Rocky - limited to 60 students


• Revamped sponsorships

• Snowpack storage


• Statewide Precipitation Summary


• Reservoir Storage


• Streamflow Forecast


• Colorado Web page Report


• Civil Rights compliance review


• 1,104 documented with 508 compliance errors


• Technically easy to fix.


• Problem with 508 Compliance for products in varies formats, e.g. pdf, PowerPoints, MS Word, Excel, text.


• Will need to convert to html.

• NRCS is partnering with The Natural Conservancy in this effort.


• Central Shortgrass Prairie Ecoregion


• The Need


• Temperate Grasslands is the most threatened yet least protected habitat type on Earth


• The Central Shortgrass Prairie Ecoregion has lost 50% of its native grasslands


• Native species are declining, e.g. grassland birds.


• Primary Threats


• Altered hydrology


• Urban-suburban development


• Invasive species


• Global warming


• New tilling of prairie


• Energy Development


• Land Ownership


• Success depends Upon


• Collaboration with private landowners


• Collaboration with the ranching community


• Understanding the link between land and water


• The CSP Partnership


• Work together to ensure the long-term viability of native species and ecosystems of the Central Shortgrass Prairie


• Promoting the continued existence of economically productivity.


• Strategies - four key elements


• Provider of state of the art science


• Shared solutions


• Network of working landscapes through practices


• Influence policies and programs to protects these area


• Major Accomplishments


• State of the art science available


• Priorities and shared vision


• A group eager to collaborate


• Smith Ranch project


• Next Steps


• Present to watershed groups in eastern Colorado


• State Tech committee


• MOU with NRCS

• Rocky Mountain Birds Observatory presenters


• Seth Gallagher


• Lacrecia Johnson


• Matt Reddy, NRCS


• Focus Area identified thought the prairie and wetlands group.


• Objective - Gain state level support targeting NRCS Area 2 & 3 and FO staff


• Lacrecia Johnson is the Playa Project leader


• Goals


• Create an integrated, complete, field verified map of eastern Colorado playas


• Describe playa conditions document wildlife use


• Outreach to private landowners


• Inform conservation efforts


• Summary


• 7000 playas in eastern Colorado


• Widely distributed


• Most playas in grassland cover


• High wildlife use, by declining and at risk species


• Conservation opportunities


• Landowner perception and Current playa Projects by Seth Gallagher


• Landowner Survey in the Great Plains


• Landowner Involvement


• Playa Conservation project


• Objective


• Increase awareness with FO staff


• Better utilize available Farm Bill programs


• NRCS Strategic plan 2005 - 2010 - Matt Reddy


• Healthy Plant and Animal Communities


• Current NRCS planning for Playas


• Needed Planning Resources


• Conservation System Guides


• Practice narratives


• Technical Note specific to Colorado


• WHEG


• Field office training is critical


• Planning Issues


• USDA Programs


• Programmatic Hurdles


• Summary

• MLRA Positions


• Vehicle and equipment workload


• Estes Park Survey


• AR National Forest boundary is 20,000 acres of mapping area.


• Field work should be done this year and wrap-up by next year.


• Meeting with US FS on some of the old Larimer County data


• ESD


• Important to have a cadre of multiple disciplines for resource inventory, e.g. soils, ESD, and NRI.


• Producers are going to web soil survey for ESD information.
  o How are we going to proceed and fund behind Josh?


• There is always going to be a need to have someone dedicated to resource inventory to do conservation planning.

• We can be as mobile as we want to be for very little added expense.


• It costs about $600 to $700 to set up a truck with a desk, AC power plug-in and printer.


• Adding internet access for an additional $80/month.


• This will allow us to finish the job in the field in one trip.


• We need to add a scanner to the mobile office.

• Three new employees


• One on the western slope in Palisade


• Two on the eastern side of the State, e.g. Area 2 and 3 possible in a NRCS office.


• Parallel program is for the 2007 year and may change next year


• Conservation easement issue and questions of the value of tax credits and appraisals


• State Conservation Board meeting - June 26-27 at Isle Grove Park to include a tour to demonstration water projects.


• Focusing on long range programs to build up their utility and decreasing the strategic plan from five years to three years.


• Finding ways to encourage specific Districts to consolidate.


• CACD, NRCS, and CSCB are looking at ways to help build up the relationship between the Districts and NRCS and define the role of NRCS.


• New weed control expert to work at the local level to manage six specific species.


• Cooperative agreements with the Districts need to be updated.

• State Efficiency Plan - June 30 due to the RAC office


• This is a proposal - can be changed and this is something to react too.


• Basic philosophy of how we are going to do business in the future.


• This plan was built around the core functions in this Agency.


• The philosophy around staffing was developed around a core of expertise around a higher level of expertise with an equal or a fewer number of people than today.


• Part of the philosophy is to increase capacity with our partners.


• The Delivery system - value in local offices and local presences in communities and with producers to build trust.


• There is value in someone leading the local level - supervising.


• Districts increasing their capacity so we can focus on higher level of technical


• No major restructuring - only a proposal.


• Primarily a phase in 2010; however, things can change.


• Reviewed, discussed, and edited the proposed plan:


• Narrative


• Budgeting


• State Office structure


• Current NRCS office map contains the maximum office numbers


• 2010 Proposed NRCS office map


• Colorado Staffing Concept

• National Civil Rights Review


• Five must does


• Area office Civil Rights filing (EOP-230)
  
• IDPs need to be current and reviewed annual
  
• Handicap accessibility evaluations in the lavatories.
  
• 508 compliance - web page errors.
  
• MOU with the Districts reviewed annually.
  
• Recommendations:


• Public meeting notices include a note for special accommodations.


• Posters placed in prominent locations in the office.


• Commendable:


• Support to the team
  
• Complying a list of recruitment possibilities
  
• Scanning posters on a CD
  
• English/Spanish glossary
  
• Agribility presentation
  
• Wallet size card of title 6/7
  
• Tribal offices
  
• Earmarking for tribes
  
• Conversion of SCEPS to Carrier conditionals
  
• Maintaining a list of NRCS employees language interpreters
  

• Received 10 applicants


• Allen will make the final decision on filling the positions.

• State Technical Committee (PowerPoint):


• The next meeting is scheduled for June 21, 2007, at the Denver West Holiday Inn.


• NRCS Conservation Planning and Programs Application Schedules


• Silent sign-up period - no public announcement

• State Technical Committee (PowerPoint):


• General Program Contracting Issues


• Payment schedule implementation (handouts provided
)

• The NRCS will implement a new process in FY08 for payment schedule development that provides a cost basis for conservation program payment rates which is clear, accountable, and beyond challenge.


• Payment schedules will be used for all financial assistance conservation programs administered through ProTracts.


• A consistent process will be implemented nationwide for payment schedule documentation and methodology.

• Irrigation issues


• Other topics

• Recommended as a topic to address at the State Technical Committee meeting on Snowpack data products on the web.


• Summer may not be the appropriate time to present to the committee.


• Consider as a topic at the fall meeting.


• Runoff season is starting and this may be an appropriate time to present at the June meeting.


• Allen felt it was a good idea to mix up the topics of discussion - not just programmatic issues.


• Rapid Watershed Assessments in watershed work group planning


• Snow Survey Update

• Contracting Business Model Pilot


• Pilot in Area 2


• Fort Collins, Greeley, Fort Morgan offices


• Existing contracts - 363 on 267,000 ac
V

• If the Area helped the conservation guides, narratives etc. then writing the plan is fairly easy.


• Allen explained the goal is to explore the feasibility of removing some of the contract burden out of the Field office.


• A consideration would be to utilize the Ultima positions the opportunity to provide the contracting functions at the Area level.

• EQIP Issues


• Pending un-obligated balance of $750-$1 million


• Recommendations on how to use the funds - will be swept on June 1.


• Potentially a special initiative to target Area 3's blizzard resource concerns and major impacts from the storm.


• We could turn the funds back if necessary.

• Training needs will be forward to Ila.


• WHIP funds are depleted - limited amount of TA.


• Invasive species RFPs should emphasis partner responsibilities.


• We are looking at the partners for a technical aspect.


• Inventory is difficult to conduct - would it be possible to hire a WAE for 90 days?

• Andy K. - DC in Meeker


• Appreciate the opportunity.


• Interested in the discussion of mobile field offices.


• Training Assessment tool - familiar with a similar basis for developing IDPs.


• Efficiency plan - interesting and happy to hear Colorado is in better standing than other states.


• Program discussion - interesting.


• Tracy M. - DC in La Jara


• Appreciate the opportunity and learning as a DC


• Recognize better ways to serve our customers - good sound Technical Assistance


• Mobile office is a good idea


• IWM discussion


• ACES program, SCEP, and etc are helpful programs in the Field offices


• Back log - planning ahead for the future.

• Appreciation to Area 2 for sponsoring the meeting.


• Appreciation to the visiting DCs for joining in and their discussion input.


• Appreciation to Petra for facilitating the meeting.


Adjourn at 3:50pm


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