Improving Lives, Communities and the Environment Through Natural Resources Conservation

1. Improving Lives, Communities and the Environment Through Natural Resources Conservation

2. The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) works with private landowners and others to: • protect the land • keep water clean • improve air quality This work impacts allof our lives everyday, whether we live in the countryor the city. Who we are

3. Since the dust bowl we have helped landowners: • identify natural resource concerns • write conservation plans addressing those concerns • provide cost-share opportunities for installing conservation practices What we do

4. These practices include: • terraces • buffers of grass and trees • strips of grass planted along the contour of a crop field • crop rotations • special ways to plant crops and apply nutrients What we do

5. NRCS has offices in every county, employing a wide varietyof professionals: • biologists • engineers • conservationists • soil scientists • geologists • economists • landscape architects Our employees

6. Our understanding of local resource concerns helps: • improve water quality • prevent flooding • promote wildlife habitat • develop local economies Their work impacts your life on a daily basis. Our daily work

7. Nearly 80 percent of all water crosses private lands before it fills your drinking glass. NRCS helps farmers keep soil in place and nutrients and pesticides out of water supplies by helping farmers decide how to plant their crops and livestock producers store and properly use manure. Safer Drinking Water

8. NRCS helps reduce wind erosion by helping farmers keep soil on the fields and out of the air. We also deal with potential changes in greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere. Better Air Quality

9. NRCS helps landowners maintain healthy soils through proper management including: • crop rotations • reduced tillage • matching land use with soil types Keeping Ag Land Productive

10. NRCS works with thousands of private landowners each year to help them: • reconstruct wetlands • build dams creating in small private lakes and ponds • restore prairies and plant trees •provide wonderful habitat for wildlife Enjoying the Great Outdoors

11. Through the PL-566 program, NRCS helps communities build larger dams for water supply and public recreation with opportunities for: • fishing • boating • and camping Enjoying the Great Outdoors

12. NRCS is one of the first agencies to respond to flooding emergencies. Through the Emergency Watershed Protection Program (EWP), we immediately minimize damage to roads, bridges and other infrastructure. This assistance is often provided in less than a day, reducing future damages. Protecting Roads, Bridges and Homes

13. Many more of NRCS' efforts result in preventing and reducing flooding. This includes: • building grade stabilization structures •restoring wetland systems along rivers • installing conservation practices and other structures Protecting Roads, Bridges and Homes

14. Each year NRCS enhances local economies with hundreds of millions of dollars through contracts for the construction of conservation practices, watershed structures and other activities. Other efforts help local industries and businesses create jobs, expand business opportunities and improve local tax revenue. Job Creation and Economic Development

15. Other areas of economic development include: • the production of alternative energy through wind farms, •promoting alternative crops • and installing dry hydrants for rural fire protection. Job Creation and Economic Development

16. Through a special NRCS program called Backyard Conservation, the agency provides ideas and information to help homeowners take better care of the soil and water on their own property. Making Neighborhoods More Beautiful

17. NRCS also helps cities, towns, developers and others to help reduce pollution from soil erosion and wastewater, by using conservation practices that add to the aesthetic quality of urban areas. Making Neighborhoods More Beautiful

18. If you’d like to know moreNRCS or protecting natural resources contact your local NRCS field office or go to www.ia.nrcs.usda.gov USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer. Getting More Information