NRCS Holds State Technical Committee Meeting

Maryland Media Liaison:

Carol Hollingsworth, 443-482-2902

Annapolis, MD ---May 31, 2006, --- Virginia (Ginger) L. Murphy, Maryland State Conservationist for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), today announced that NRCS will hold a meeting of the Maryland State Technical Committee on Tuesday, June 13, 2006, from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The meeting will be held at the US Fish and Wildlife Service Building, Conference Room, 177 Admiral Cochrane Drive, Annapolis, Maryland 21401.

Agenda items will include development of a state plan for implementation of the Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program (WHIP) and prioritization of watersheds recommended for eligibility in the Conservation Security Program (CSP).

• State WHIP Plans serve as the partial basis for allocation of WHIP funds from NRCS and ensure that resources are targeted to the needs of the highest priority wildlife habitat. Meeting objectives will include the evaluation of the current program to address wildlife needs, identification of new opportunities, reviewing ranking criteria and identifying partner contributions.
• The State Technical Committee provides recommendations on prioritizing Maryland watersheds for consideration for future CSP sign-ups. Meeting objectives will include a review of accomplishments in CSP in fiscal years 2005 and 2006, a review of the selection criteria for watersheds, and discussion and prioritization of remaining watershed in the state.

The primary role of the Maryland State Technical Committee, an advisory group, is to assist in the development of technical guidelines necessary to implement the conservation provisions in the 2002 Farm Bill. The NRCS Maryland State Conservationist chairs the committee. NRCS is USDA’s lead conservation agency and has worked hand-in-hand with farmers and landowners for more than 70 years to conserve natural resources on private lands.

Please contact Linda Elben-Adams at 443-482-2936 or linda.adams@md.usda.gov if you wish to participate in the meeting.

The public is invited to attend the meeting.