Assisting the Natural Resources Conservation Service with Sites for Assessment on Public Lands within California

December 23, 2014

In Reply Refer To:
7000 (CA930) P

EMS TRANSMISSION: 12/23/14 
Information Bulletin No. CA-2015-003

To:               All CA Field Managers

From:           Deputy State Director, Natural Resources

Subject:        Assisting the Natural Resources Conservation Service with Sites for Assessment
                      on Public Lands within California

This Information Bulletin provides guidance for assistance to the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) for the purpose of the collection of soils and other data on lands administered by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) in California.

The NRCS is mandated through several laws and supporting legislation to assess the status, condition, and trends of soil, water, and related resources on the Nation’s non-Federal Lands. Starting in 2011, the on-site framework has been extended to lands managed by the Department of the Interior, BLM.  The BLM has partnered with the NRCS in implementing a National approach to monitoring rangeland resources, by expanding on-site data collection to the BLM- managed lands.  The NRCS will be enhanced through this adoption of the National Resources Inventory (NRI) on the BLM-managed landscapes. The NRI Grazing Land On-Site Data Collection is conducted cooperatively with the Iowa State University Center for Survey Statistics and Methodology.

Funding to assist the NRCS with their data collection is contained in your base programs. The NRCS may wish to dig soil pits or conduct additional ground disturbing activities on the BLM Lands within California. Depending on the size of the ground disturbance (average hole size is about 20 inches deep and 12 inches across) and each Field Office’s Cultural Resource Specialist’s discretion, Protocol Exemption 1A may apply to some, none, or all of these locations.

You may be requested to assist the NRCS by doing the following:

       •    Reviewing site locations to ensure those locations are on public lands.
       •    Ensuring the NRCS can assess those sites through locked gates, etc.
       •    Identify sites that have no access or that cannot be cleared.
       •    Cultural Resources compliance and clearance for special status plant and wildlife species.
       •    Please review attached file (zipped) for locations within your Field Office.  You will need
            GIS assistance to open.

The NRCS is responsible for all data collection and will report findings periodically to the BLM in preparation of a final annual report.

Any questions can be directed to Jack Hamby, State Rangeland and Weeds Coordinator at (916) 978- 4633, or via E-mail at jhamby@blm.gov.
 

Signed by:                                
Elizabeth Meyer-Shields        
Acting DSD, Natural Resources        

Authenticated by:
Shanen E. Fox
Procurement Technician