I had a day filled with field appointments today. Normally I would consider this a good day since it involves being outside, talking to people, and seeing different lands and parts of Santa Cruz. The first client was even better than usual while the second was just plain frustrating.
The first stop of the day was a horse ranch. I had been waiting for a ranch trip ever since I began this job. I had grown up going to horse camps and always love being around them so I couldn't wait for the day that I could go to work and spend time with horses. Today we met with a client and a compost specialist that helped them with composting their manure. The main reason we were called out was for erosion help. There was a sandy arena at the bottom of a hill with a driveway that had runoff flowing into the arena and then all the sediment was flowing out of one of the corners into the creek every time it rained. Not only was this damaging the waterway, but they were having to spend a lot of money on buying new sand for the arena. There were two options: either attempt to divert water off the driveway before it reaches the arena, or section off the corner of the arena and put in a sediment basin with a drain. Rich said it was probably best to do both and use the sediment basin as an insurance. The other thing we discussed was the composting of manure. I know almost nothing about composting and had managed to avoid horse manure in the many years of riding. Despite all that, I listened intently about how they could better compost and then use the composted manure as bedding for the horses while standing around their manure dump watching the dog eat horse poo. Not what I would have imagined, and yet, I was completely ok with it. They had also been red flagged for having too steep of a paddock which is when I got to pet Grant, an overly hungry, nudgy, quarter horse. Then it was time to head to the next meeting.
The next meeting was not one of my favorites. We met up with the guy farming the land, who made myself and the older lady from the county climb a hillside of mud just to get on the property. This was a smaller farm next to a ginormous house. Unfortunately, the farm was on a steep slope and all the runoff was being directed to a sediment pond at the bottom of the hill. This farm had been red flagged by the county because the wall of the pond had blownout during the recent storm and flooded into the nearby street and then into the stream next to the roadway. The temporary fix? Pipes leading to the stream and sandbags to fill the hole. And the farmers just kept talking about solutions for right now, except that during the winter and rain, you cant do any large land moving permanent projects. They should have done cross slope planting to help reduce erosion and they should have had a cover crop in before the rainy season. Because they had attempted to plant radish in Sept, they cover crop wasnt put in until November and was not a fast growing grass. While I stood in the sun and listened to how they wanted to just pipe the water to one location, I thought about when Rich told me it was better to spread the water so it could sink in and not erode. I also was thinking of ways to reduce runoff that I had learned from my restoration ecology class. I had originally thought that either rip rap could be an option, but Rich told me that rip rap needs to have fairly clean water. Another thought I had was a vegetation buffer at the bottom of the farm so that it could take up any of the water instead of pushing it all into a pond. Rich told me this was a pretty good idea and something they should consider as a long term plan. I was pretty pleased that I had noticed a problem and thought of an appropriate solution.
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
2-16-11
Today was a single task day, but it was not the usual tedious paperwork. Rich had a farmer he was nominating as a small "socially disadvantaged" farmer basically meaning he had a small acreage and was diverse. The farmer only spoke spanish and had previously relied on his son as a translator. My job today was to create a powerpoint showing why this man was up for this award. Rich gave this project to me with all the information already prepared and a template for what the State wanted this powerpoint to look like. Pretty much it was already done. I sat down and began to look at the template and realized, it was kinda awful. I asked Rich if I could deviate and he said he thought it was terrible too and to go for it. Now, I've been doing powerpoints since we got computers at my elementary school in the 2nd grade. It was either that or Oregon Trail and I had a tendency of getting bit by a rattlesnake and dying so I was always making powerpoints. If you are going to give me free reign and all day as my time limit, I am going to have some fun. I spent half my time playing with the fonts and attempting to create better colors. In the end, Rich said he thought it looked great and he was amazed with how quickly I did it. I didn't want to tell him that most of the time I was trying to figure out whether I liked the Script font or the Kristen font. I also did a slight bit of research about noxious weeds for horses.
2-15-11
Today I finished off what I was working on yesterday and sent out the HEL forms to both the regulatory Federal Department and the clients. Anytime I have to use a technology other than the computer I'm always scared that I am going to break something. I went to fax these papers to the federal department and was terrified the whole time that I was going to accidentally send private information to a random person. As far as I know it eventually got where it was supposed to be.
Then Rich and I headed out to go to a meeting with the Santa Cruz farm bureau where they were discussing Pajaro Valley irrigation. It was a mix of a couple of big farm owners, Kelli from the RCD, and a couple of other people from the Bureau. The discussion was about better ways to improve irrigation in the Pajaro Valley. One of the things you have to worry about as a committee was to make sure you don't recommend only one practice because it appears to be monopolizing or forcing an agenda. They discussed better land practices for the soil such as letting it stay fallow or rotating crops to get more nutrients back into the soil. The NRCS offered to help with funding if they let it stay fallow or put in a cover crop. Another discussion was about creating a flashier website for the Pajaro Valley District to make it easier and less formal like other federal websites. This is when I got a lot of expecting looks from the people around the table. Hey if they need it, and Rich wants me to do it, I am always willing to help! The meeting was interesting because I got to meet some of the big names I had seen on the packaging of my produce in this area.
Then Rich and I headed out to go to a meeting with the Santa Cruz farm bureau where they were discussing Pajaro Valley irrigation. It was a mix of a couple of big farm owners, Kelli from the RCD, and a couple of other people from the Bureau. The discussion was about better ways to improve irrigation in the Pajaro Valley. One of the things you have to worry about as a committee was to make sure you don't recommend only one practice because it appears to be monopolizing or forcing an agenda. They discussed better land practices for the soil such as letting it stay fallow or rotating crops to get more nutrients back into the soil. The NRCS offered to help with funding if they let it stay fallow or put in a cover crop. Another discussion was about creating a flashier website for the Pajaro Valley District to make it easier and less formal like other federal websites. This is when I got a lot of expecting looks from the people around the table. Hey if they need it, and Rich wants me to do it, I am always willing to help! The meeting was interesting because I got to meet some of the big names I had seen on the packaging of my produce in this area.
2-14-11
Oh valentines day...I had almost forgotten about it until I got to work and Rich asked why I wasn't wearing red. How do you tell the happily married boss that you despise this day? You don't, instead you let them tell you about their v-day plans. This took up some time, but it was nice to get to know Rich better. I've usually been one of those people who tries to keep extremely professional in job positions because I'm always concerned with getting too comfortable and saying something that makes me worry to list them as a reference. But I've learned that getting to know people is part of the networking and it makes the work environment much better.
Seeing as its midterm check in time for my internship, it was time to discuss my senior project. I am required to do a senior project as part of my graduation requirement. Rich had recently discussed some ideas about personalizing the Conservation Plan folder and making it more visually appealing. There was also an idea about creating a visual and easy friendly guide to various land problems and practices that could be installed. Another option would be helping the RCD with their livestock meeting. They were in need of a poster or information publication about the noxious weeds for horses. Ideally, this would be done in poster size and hung in barns to help ranchers know the weed as well as the symptoms their horses were showing. This would also have some advice on how to avoid bringing these weeds in such as importing your hay.
I also worked on some HEL forms or the erosion forms for some farms. The government doesn't want to give money to people if they are going to be farming on highly erosive land. I had tried to do HEL forms before but got confused and was unable to ask Rich to go through it again. This time I made sure I had it down. Basically, it involves finding where the farm is, what soils there are, whats their permability, slope, and slope length. After doing 3 of these, I think I finally have it down, though it requires a field visit to know the slope of the field.
Seeing as its midterm check in time for my internship, it was time to discuss my senior project. I am required to do a senior project as part of my graduation requirement. Rich had recently discussed some ideas about personalizing the Conservation Plan folder and making it more visually appealing. There was also an idea about creating a visual and easy friendly guide to various land problems and practices that could be installed. Another option would be helping the RCD with their livestock meeting. They were in need of a poster or information publication about the noxious weeds for horses. Ideally, this would be done in poster size and hung in barns to help ranchers know the weed as well as the symptoms their horses were showing. This would also have some advice on how to avoid bringing these weeds in such as importing your hay.
I also worked on some HEL forms or the erosion forms for some farms. The government doesn't want to give money to people if they are going to be farming on highly erosive land. I had tried to do HEL forms before but got confused and was unable to ask Rich to go through it again. This time I made sure I had it down. Basically, it involves finding where the farm is, what soils there are, whats their permability, slope, and slope length. After doing 3 of these, I think I finally have it down, though it requires a field visit to know the slope of the field.
2-9-11
The due date for the Farm Bills is quickly approaching, and it appears that a lot of our folders are missing a lot of forms. Perfect project for an intern; go through 20 folders with a checklist to see whats missing. Unfortunately, there were a lot of things missing and a lot of those were forms I wasn't familiar with. Then it was time to search the computer for the forms and fill them out as best as I could. The main thing I was looking for were the practices recommended in their plans and the specifications for each one. While this sounds simple, it was quite time consuming. There were at least 5-10 practices for each folder and about 20 folders. This means a lot of searching, printing, hole punching and organizing. One would think that I would go through this task simply and easily. However, this is me we are talking about so there was bound to be a disaster around the corner. About 2 folders from the end, the printer ran out of paper. No big deal, I knew where the paper was and I refilled it, hit resume printing to hear the printer make a weird noise and then start beeping. Rich had left early and so it was just me and a couple of the RCD employees in the office. After 5 minutes of attempting to solve the problem myself, I gave in and asked one of the other employees to give me a hand. After trying to follow the directions of paper jam removal we found there was no paper jammed! But the printer still wouldn't work. I finally realized there was no hope and went home early feeling frustrated that I couldn't finish my task.
2-8-11
After such a fun field trip yesterday, I assumed there would be some office work today. We did some updates from the client visit yesterday. This included mailing information about erosion control and doing research about Broom removal tools. Once I got that all collected and mailed out it was on to a couple of soil maps. I'm really getting good at making soil maps, not that its that hard. But it's kinda fun when Rich gives me a map of somewhere and asks me to make a soil map. Trying to figure out the address feels like I am being a detective.
Then onto the tedious part of the job. I had to go through all the Farm Bill applications and find Direct Deposit Forms that were out of date. Then make a list of those for Rich to get new forms for. Unfortunately, this is how I finished my day. The benefit is that I am becoming really familiar with the organization of the folders and the clients.
Then onto the tedious part of the job. I had to go through all the Farm Bill applications and find Direct Deposit Forms that were out of date. Then make a list of those for Rich to get new forms for. Unfortunately, this is how I finished my day. The benefit is that I am becoming really familiar with the organization of the folders and the clients.
2-7-11
Today we had a field visit in the Santa Cruz mountains. Rich picked me up as well as Angie, the new soils conservationist working with the NRCS. She is a masters student at Cal Poly so she isn't going to be full time till April. As we continued our drive into the mountains, Rich talked about the invasive acacia lining the road and how it had originally come from Africa. It was perfect that he talked about how despite it being invasive, many people wanted to plant it for its appearance, because we were about to go to a property dealing with invasives. We also passed over a couple of creeks and I got to see the RCDs creek signage.
Once we got to the property, I realized what a beautiful place I live in. We zigzagged up their driveway and saw what 95 acres in the Santa Cruz mountains look like. We passed a paddock with goats and sheep, as well as a couple of sheep dogs before we got to the house. The client was interested in doing the EQIP to get funding for switching to organic and the removal of invasive species from her property. We went outside to look around the key parts of her property.
The first field we looked at was overrun with Broom plant. Broom spreads quickly and is a dangerous plant to have in fire areas. Being in the Santa Cruz mountains, fire was a large concern. It was also on a slope so complete removal during the rainy winter wasn't the best option. Right now, to prevent the spread of fires, the best thing was to remove the broom under the trees. Eventually she was hoping to use it as a grazing area and use hedgerows as fences and start rotation grazing.
Another area we were looking at was a possible field for grazing, but it was missing a top soil. There was also a slope with good erosion control but they were using Coyote Brush which is highly flamable. This was a problem because it was up against the barn. There was also an erosion problem down one of the driveways, creating ravines. She could also apply for the forest management plan because there was a large amount of forestland that was occasionally used for lumber.
This was my first big client visit and it was not only a beautiful property but it provided a wide array of land problems for me to learn from. Most of this job is problem solving, so it was really good experience for me to observe the problems and try to find solutions. Its perfect for applying what I have learned in the classroom to the real world.
Once we got to the property, I realized what a beautiful place I live in. We zigzagged up their driveway and saw what 95 acres in the Santa Cruz mountains look like. We passed a paddock with goats and sheep, as well as a couple of sheep dogs before we got to the house. The client was interested in doing the EQIP to get funding for switching to organic and the removal of invasive species from her property. We went outside to look around the key parts of her property.
The first field we looked at was overrun with Broom plant. Broom spreads quickly and is a dangerous plant to have in fire areas. Being in the Santa Cruz mountains, fire was a large concern. It was also on a slope so complete removal during the rainy winter wasn't the best option. Right now, to prevent the spread of fires, the best thing was to remove the broom under the trees. Eventually she was hoping to use it as a grazing area and use hedgerows as fences and start rotation grazing.
Another area we were looking at was a possible field for grazing, but it was missing a top soil. There was also a slope with good erosion control but they were using Coyote Brush which is highly flamable. This was a problem because it was up against the barn. There was also an erosion problem down one of the driveways, creating ravines. She could also apply for the forest management plan because there was a large amount of forestland that was occasionally used for lumber.
This was my first big client visit and it was not only a beautiful property but it provided a wide array of land problems for me to learn from. Most of this job is problem solving, so it was really good experience for me to observe the problems and try to find solutions. Its perfect for applying what I have learned in the classroom to the real world.
Friday, February 18, 2011
2-2-11
Today was an interesting day because it wasn't the typical work we do at the NRCS. Rich picked me up for a drive into the Ben Lomond area for a Cal Fire meeting. Rich had done some work in this area after the big fire in 2008. This meeting had people from the Fire department, PG&E, the RCD, and residents. It was to discuss the Ponderosa Pine in that area and how to handle some of the trees dying after the fire. They were also having a problem with the pine beetle showing up because the area was under stress. The trees showing the highest population of the beetle were the ones still standing but dead, as well as those which had already fallen. The ones that had fallen were also increasing the fuel load which could lead to another fire. There was also a root fungus appearing in the area. Cal Fire's goal was to remove the trees with the beetle to help stop their spread, to remove any excess fuel load, and to help stop the root fungus with a pesticide. They also wanted to create better trails in the park to help with the management.
The residents there were people who had properties bordering the park and were wondering what would be done to remove the damaged trees on their property. The park had to deal with permits from CEQA because they were public land. The residents were unable to get funding to remove the trees on their property in the same way the park would. Thats where the RCD and NRCS could help. The NRCS had a forest plan that they might be able to help fund with federal money. The RCD has grants that might allow them to help but only more than 100 feet from the property. What I learned the most from this meeting is that when a natural disaster occurs, theres a lot of groups involved. Another point that Rich pointed out was how the environmental policy puts up a lot of tape to get things done. While I have always been focused in policy, being the type of person who strongly believes in rule following, it was interesting for me to see the negative side of policy.
The residents there were people who had properties bordering the park and were wondering what would be done to remove the damaged trees on their property. The park had to deal with permits from CEQA because they were public land. The residents were unable to get funding to remove the trees on their property in the same way the park would. Thats where the RCD and NRCS could help. The NRCS had a forest plan that they might be able to help fund with federal money. The RCD has grants that might allow them to help but only more than 100 feet from the property. What I learned the most from this meeting is that when a natural disaster occurs, theres a lot of groups involved. Another point that Rich pointed out was how the environmental policy puts up a lot of tape to get things done. While I have always been focused in policy, being the type of person who strongly believes in rule following, it was interesting for me to see the negative side of policy.
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
2-1-11
Today was one of the business comes first days. Usually, half my time is filled with a discussion with Rich either about life or a specific aspect of the NRCS. Not today. Today was filled with printing, copying, and mailing. It was an accumulation of all the field work that had been done, paperwork being finished and now it was time to send it all out. I was running back and forth from our office to the RCD office down the walkway (our copier is broken). So today was about the little victories. I learned how to copy double sided and I sent a fax. Not huge steps towards a career but a sign that I am finally getting the hang of everything.
While that doesn't sound like much, it took up most of the day. I also attempted to fill out paperwork that was talking about the erodibility of land since the USDA wont let you plant annuals in erodible lands unless the NRCS creates a plan. Unfortunately there were charts and math equations involved and after only one run through, I still didn't have the full understanding of it. Maybe after about 50 more times of explaining it, I will understand. Anyway, I am excited for tomorrow because we are going to go see another property!
While that doesn't sound like much, it took up most of the day. I also attempted to fill out paperwork that was talking about the erodibility of land since the USDA wont let you plant annuals in erodible lands unless the NRCS creates a plan. Unfortunately there were charts and math equations involved and after only one run through, I still didn't have the full understanding of it. Maybe after about 50 more times of explaining it, I will understand. Anyway, I am excited for tomorrow because we are going to go see another property!
1-31-11
Today was the first day I got to go into the field, YAY! I have been so excited to go and see what the folders I had been working on looked like in real life. After outlining someones land, writing about their soil types, writing about their land issues, you begin to actually want to see it in person. So today we went to see one of the smaller acreages that the NRCS will see. It was someones residence and it was about .75 acres. The problem was that it was on a slope the runoff was going into a creek. We walked around the property and assessed the various places where erosion was occuring. I tried to take notice of everything and try to find where the problem was coming from before Rich said it to see if I could get it right. I occasionally did, but I definitely think his 33 years of experience probably knows way more that I could ever see and notice.
It was also very cool to see someone interested in protecting their land and having a stewardship with the land not because they had to, but because they wanted to. This wasn't someone who was living off their ranch and had livestock getting affected by their poor land management. It wasn't causing any damage to their home, but rather someone who wanted to make sure they were doing the best possible thing for their land.
I also learned a lot today about the practices that should be implemented on sloping land. Basically the best thing to do is to spread any runoff so it can go into subsurface system instead of creating huge amounts of runoff. Having riparian plants that enjoy the wet soil are recommended. Also, consider having more downspouts for your gutters so the water isn't only flowing from one downspout. You can also put in subsurface preforated piping to help the water spread. Lastly, if you are in an area where there could be fires, and you have a deck, your best option is to put down gravel underneath to help stop erosion.
It was also very cool to see someone interested in protecting their land and having a stewardship with the land not because they had to, but because they wanted to. This wasn't someone who was living off their ranch and had livestock getting affected by their poor land management. It wasn't causing any damage to their home, but rather someone who wanted to make sure they were doing the best possible thing for their land.
I also learned a lot today about the practices that should be implemented on sloping land. Basically the best thing to do is to spread any runoff so it can go into subsurface system instead of creating huge amounts of runoff. Having riparian plants that enjoy the wet soil are recommended. Also, consider having more downspouts for your gutters so the water isn't only flowing from one downspout. You can also put in subsurface preforated piping to help the water spread. Lastly, if you are in an area where there could be fires, and you have a deck, your best option is to put down gravel underneath to help stop erosion.
1-26-11
Today was a bit of a unique day. It was less about the land and resources today and much more about what it is like to be part of the federal government. Every five years, Washington DC sends someone out to review the diversity of the districts. I could tell that Rich wasn't really concerned that he would be in any sort of trouble, especially since he was the regional leader for the Civil Review group in this area. But it was also a review, so there were definitely some tension going around. Today I mostly sat back and observed the insanity but it gave a different view of what it means to work for the government.
We had organized all the civil review information, including pamphlets for Black, Asian, Latino, Native American, and other what the government calls "socially disadvantaged people". Being someone with a diverse background and having been raised in an extremely diverse area, I am no stranger to the tensions talking about race causes. I find the term socially disadvantaged for diversity ridiculous. Apparently before it was that, it was historically underserved, and before that just called minority. It's interesting to see the change over the years as people normally not owning large farms or ranches take over and attempt to make definitions apply. I also really enjoy watching people attempt to be "politically correct". I felt bad for Rich as I watched him try to be extremely professional when talking about the diversity in clients and in staff while talking to the reviewer, which happened to be a black female. I think because I grew up in such diversity, I don't think I would have cared if the reviewer was white, black, asian, latino, purple, blue or an alien, I would still speak the way I felt comfortable. Which might possibly be something I should learn to change if I need to be professional in a job someday.
We had organized all the civil review information, including pamphlets for Black, Asian, Latino, Native American, and other what the government calls "socially disadvantaged people". Being someone with a diverse background and having been raised in an extremely diverse area, I am no stranger to the tensions talking about race causes. I find the term socially disadvantaged for diversity ridiculous. Apparently before it was that, it was historically underserved, and before that just called minority. It's interesting to see the change over the years as people normally not owning large farms or ranches take over and attempt to make definitions apply. I also really enjoy watching people attempt to be "politically correct". I felt bad for Rich as I watched him try to be extremely professional when talking about the diversity in clients and in staff while talking to the reviewer, which happened to be a black female. I think because I grew up in such diversity, I don't think I would have cared if the reviewer was white, black, asian, latino, purple, blue or an alien, I would still speak the way I felt comfortable. Which might possibly be something I should learn to change if I need to be professional in a job someday.
1-25-11
Today one of the clients came in to discuss her application for the Farm Bill. This is to receive money from the government to help do better practices on their farms. She had a vineyard with a small acreage and was looking to find better irrigation practices. It was really neat to finally meet one of the people whos folder I had been looking at. Then I learned the process each of the plans have to go through to be ranked. They are ranked on the benefits of the practice they are doing as well as how big their land is. This is just one small part of the giant folders I have been working on in their applications for the Farm Bill. I also created three more soil maps for new clients. I am definitely getting really good at outlining properties.
I really learned today the intricacies of this job and how it really embodies their mantra of helping the people help the land. It is incredible that for free you can come to the NRCS and either get help planning better land management and/or get help implementing these projects. Everything is kept private so they can come without the fear of any government regulation. It really is great that this is something people can access to, whether you are concerned with your backyard or your 53 acres.
I really learned today the intricacies of this job and how it really embodies their mantra of helping the people help the land. It is incredible that for free you can come to the NRCS and either get help planning better land management and/or get help implementing these projects. Everything is kept private so they can come without the fear of any government regulation. It really is great that this is something people can access to, whether you are concerned with your backyard or your 53 acres.
1-24-11
I've done two internships before this one; one was with the Sustainable Business Institute and the other was with the Student Environmental Center. In each of these, there have been times where they didn't live up to what I wanted, or it didn't feel like it was pointing me in the direction I wanted to go. Today was one of those days. There wasn't really much for me to do so Rich had me read a bunch of publications the NRCS and the Resource Conservation District had written. It was truly amazing how widespread they really are. They had things about how to protect your home from runoff, fire, how to protect from invasive plants, private road maintenance. The best part was that each of these writings were simple manuals for someone to follow with absolutely no background in environmental studies.
As thrilling as these were, I was doing an internship for the experience and the learning through doing process. Since they were under a deadline and I don't have enough experience to help with what they needed, I went home early. I was slightly disappointed, mostly because I felt like I had wasted the day, but in reality I had learned a lot. I need to be educated about what both the NRCS and the RCD does since I am representing them. It is also better to have a wide variety of knowledge, because I never know if I am going to be working on these projects at some point!
As thrilling as these were, I was doing an internship for the experience and the learning through doing process. Since they were under a deadline and I don't have enough experience to help with what they needed, I went home early. I was slightly disappointed, mostly because I felt like I had wasted the day, but in reality I had learned a lot. I need to be educated about what both the NRCS and the RCD does since I am representing them. It is also better to have a wide variety of knowledge, because I never know if I am going to be working on these projects at some point!
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