2003 National Cooperative Soil Survey Conference Plymouth, Massachusetts TABLE OF CONTENTS General Session ________________________________________________________ 1 The National Cooperative Soil Survey-New Technology and Building for the Future, by Wayne M. Maresch, Acting Director for the Soil Survey Division, USDA, Natural Resources Conservation Service _______________________________________________ 1 The Importance of Statistical Documentation – Keeping Soil Survey Information Relevant in the 21st Century, by Maurice J. Mausbach, Deputy Chief for Soil Survey and Resource Assessment, USDA, Natural Resources Conservation Service ______________ 3 Challenges to the Soil Survey: Soil Information for a Changing World, by Craig Cox, Executive Director, Soil and Water Conservation Society__________________________ 7 National Cooperative Soil Survey Conferences—Definition and Bylaws__________ 14 2002 Regional NCSS Conferences ________________________________________ 20 South Regional Cooperative Soil Survey Conference, 2002--Highlights______________ 20 West Regional CSS Conference Highlights and Recommendations _________________ 20 Northeast Cooperative Soil Survey Conference—Highlights and Recommendations___ 26 North Central Cooperative Soil Survey Conference – Highlights and Recommendations _________________________________________________________________________ 32 Committees ___________________________________________________________ 33 Standing Committees—General Descriptions___________________________________ 33 IN-Conference 2003 Committees—General Descriptions _________________________ 36 Standing Committee Reports _____________________________________________ 42 NCSS Research Agenda Standing Committee___________________________________ 42 Charge 1: Identify, document, prioritize, and address the critical research issues within NCSS ______________________________________________________________________________ 42 Charge 2: Identify opportunities for funding priority research needs ____________________ 43 Monitoring Long Term Soil Property Changes--Task Force Report _____________________ 44 Outstanding Research Project: Seasonal Saturation and Morphology Relationships________ 59 NCSS Standards Standing Committee_________________________________________ 61 Biological Soil Crust Subcommittee ________________________________________________ 63 Subaqueous Soil Mapping________________________________________________________ 69 ICOMANTH Circular Letter No. 4-- Review and Testing______________________________ 73 International Committee for the Classification of Anthropogenic Soils (ICOMANTH) Circular Letter No. 4 released January 31, 2003 __________________________________________ 82 International Committee on Soil Moisture and Temperature Regimes (ICOMMOTR)______ 93 NCSS Standing Committee on New Technology_________________________________ 95 USDI/NPS New Technologies Activities Report ______________________________________ 97 USDA/NRCS Soil Landscape Analysis Activities Report______________________________ 100 USDI/BLM New Technologies Activities Report ____________________________________ 102 Outstanding Project Using New Technology- _______________________________________ 103 Into the Wild with Technology-The Making of the Denali Park Soil Survey, Alaska _______ 103 i 2003 National Cooperative Soil Survey Conference Plymouth, Massachusetts IN-Conference Committee Reports _______________________________________ 104 2003 Committee 1 –Rapid Response Quality Improvement Team for Soil Survey Publications______________________________________________________________ 104 2003 Conference Committee 2 -- Ecological Interpretations and Principles Committee105 2003 Conference Committee 3--New Inventory Techniques and Delivery Systems in Production Soil Survey ____________________________________________________ 106 Committee Discussions _________________________________________________________ 107 Recommendations _____________________________________________________________ 107 Written Responses To Charges___________________________________________________ 107 2003 Conference Committee 4--Recruitment and Retention of Soil Scientists in Soil Survey __________________________________________________________________ 119 Charge 1: Investigate what incentives and programs are available to the NCSS to recruit soil scientists with Office of Personnel Management for the federal government. _____________ 120 Charge 2: What are the reasons that students do not apply for federal jobs when they are made available? ____________________________________________________________________ 120 Charge 3: What impedes applicants from registering with OPM for positions such as soil scientist or soil conservationist? __________________________________________________ 121 Charge 4: What scholarships are available nationwide that support students in soil science? 121 Charge 5: Gather recommendations from past national and regional committee reports for retention of soil scientists in agencies and report on progress. _________________________ 122 Charge 6: Explore options for electronic or internet clearinghouse that improves information flow on positions, student applicants, scholarships, grants, and contacts within NCSS._____ 123 Charge 7: Promote internships and career intern program in federal government to provide more opportunities for high school and college age students to consider soil science as a career. _____________________________________________________________________________ 123 Attachment 1 --2001 Conference Committee 4⎯Recruitment and Retention of Soil Scientists in Soil Survey ___________________________________________________________________ 124 Attachment 2--Subject: Listing of Scholarship Programs _____________________________ 127 NCSS 2003 Committee 5--Water Movement and Water Table Monitoring in Soil Survey ________________________________________________________________________ 131 Charge 1: This committee will review water table studies nationally to formulate regional guidance of measurement techniques, database documentation and interpretations for taxonomy and practical user applications in soil survey. ____________________________________________________ 131 Charge 2: What are the lessons learned from the wet soil monitoring project, 1990-2001 that could be applied for future studies?______________________________________________________ 140 Charge 3: How might studies of regional or local hydrology apply to updating and refining soil survey information? _____________________________________________________________ 141 Charge 4: How might the concepts of hydropedology apply to soil survey? _________________ 141 Charge 5: How may sub-aqueous soil mapping be incorporated in soil survey? ______________ 142 2003 Conference Committee 6--Report of the National Technical Committee for Hydric Soils(NTCHS) ____________________________________________________________ 143 NCSS Cooperator’s Reports ____________________________________________ 144 The University Cooperator’s Perspective-- Strategic Planning for the Future _______ 144 BLM Report: Continuing to Meet the Challenges of Soil Survey on Public Lands____ 146 USDA Forest Service --Soil Survey on Public Lands: Special Needs and Opportunities149 National Park Service (NPS) Soil Resources Inventory __________________________ 151 Department of Defense(DOD)—NRCS Liaison to the Army______________________ 155 ii 2003 National Cooperative Soil Survey Conference Plymouth, Massachusetts National Association of State Conservation Agencies (NASCA) – Partnership in Soil Survey with State Government______________________________________________ 156 Two Perspectives of a Native American / NRCS Interface in Soil Survey & Soil Services ________________________________________________________________________ 160 A Roundtable on Meeting the Needs of the Professional Soil Scientist______________ 168 Canada’s New Initiatives in Soil Information Upgrade and Delivery_______________ 172 NCSS Special Reports _________________________________________________ 179 Soil Change and Natural Resources Decision Making: A Blueprint for Soil Survey __ 179 Soil Indicators of Rangeland Health Evaluation Systems: Potentials for Assessing and Monitoring Change in Soils_________________________________________________ 187 Arid Soils Study in South Africa and Namibia --Slides and discussion on the Arid Soil Study and Field Tour______________________________________________________ 199 Appendix 1—Workshops _______________________________________________ 200 Correlation and Management of MLRA Soil Surveys ___________________________ 200 NASIS Database – Intro to Interpretations Modules and Fuzzy Logic _____________ 202 Appendix 2—Agenda__________________________________________________ 204 Appendix 3—Participants ______________________________________________ 209 Appendix 4--Conference Recommendations to NCSS ________________________ 216 Appendix 6—Steering Team Minutes_____________________________________ 217 Appendix 7-National Cooperative Soil Survey Conferences: Structure and Function Task Force __________________________________________________________ 219 iii 2003 National Cooperative Soil Survey Conference Plymouth, Massachusetts The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, gender, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, and marital or familial status (Not all prohibited bases apply