CARLSBAD SOIL AND WATER CONSERVATION DISTRICT Annual Report July 1, 2008 to June 30, 2009
The Carlsbad Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) presents this annual report of the activities within the District during the past fiscal year, to inform those interested in our efforts to conserve our natural resources. Mission Statement To facilitate programs that conserve our district’s natural resources for all citizens and future generations by utilizing any available funding technical and educational resources and through voluntary efforts. The governing Board of Supervisors were: Ridley Gardner Nathan Jurva Ron Head Jimmie Cisneros James Walterscheid Ray Nance Tyson Mahaffey District Staff: Judy Bock Judith McCollaum-Ortego Nance Painter District Manager Information & Education Specialist Administrative Assistant
Chairman Vice-Chair Secretary/Treasurer Member Member Member Member
During the year the Carlsbad SWCD was assisted by the following Natural Resources Conservation Service Staff; Garth Grizzle Raquel Miller Tracy Hughes Michelle Fierro John Fajardo District Conservationist Soil Conservationist Technician Technical Service Provider /Technician FT Civil Engineering Tech
Community Collaboration & Coordination
♦ Conducted quarterly meetings and coordinated approximately 2,155 acres in treatment (i.e., African rue, Malta Star thistle) as lead agency for the Eddy County Coordinated Weed Management Group ♦ Collaborated with various oil and gas companies within the county to assist them with noxious weed control. ♦ Coordinated and presented a Wind Energy public meeting with representatives from NMDA ♦ Provided administrative oversight to Hackberry Draw Watershed District. ♦ Lead agency for non-native phreatophyte management along the Pecos River and its tributaries ♦ Provide low-flow showerheads for the local Chamber of Commerce to put in their “Welcome to Carlsbad” bags ♦ Provided low-flow showerheads to the City of Carlsbad for Hazardous Waste Day and to households within the area. ♦ Provided leadership in the local work group in setting priorities and determining factors that affect EQIP, WHIP, etc. ♦ Continued as lead agency for the Lower Pecos River Watershed Alliance (LPRWA) ♦ Provided administrative assistance to Bureau of Land Management (BLM) as part of the Restore New Mexico program for rangeland reclamation and brush control ♦ Provided conservation awareness material for Halloween handouts to the San Jose Senior Citizens Center
Information/Education
♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ Distributed 3,000 book covers to the 6th – 7th grades in Carlsbad and Loving Distributed 2,000 annual newspaper inserts Quarterly distribution of 500 newsletters Distributed 2009 Soil Stewardship Week materials and conducted a poster contest for thirteen local elementary schools Produced the “What’s New in Carlsbad SWCD” and numerous newspaper articles Participated at the following events with the District’s booth: Eddy County Fair, NMSU Ag Science Days, Santa Fe Soil and Water Conservation Days, and NM State Parks Earth Day Provided the Rolling Rivers Trailer for approximately 1,500 children at the Carlsbad and Artesia Children’s Water Festival, the NM Environmental Science & Education Fair, US Park Service Park Kids summer camp at Carlsbad Caverns, Pucket Elementary Science Fair, a local Girl Scout troop, and NM State Parks Earth Day Participated in NM Arbor Day celebration by distributing tree seedlings to approximately 400 fourth grade students in Carlsbad as part of the 4th Grade Foresters Program. Participated in Loving Schools Science Fair as a judge. Gave informational talks to: Heights Lions Club and Xeric Landscape Workshop, Living Desert State Park Our web site is updated and used as an informative center for the public to see what is going on in the District Developed several information pamphlets for a handout to also explain what the District offers to the public
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Watershed Conservation/Habitat Restoration Projects Federal Funding
♦ Continued with Bureau of Reclamation (BOR) agreement in assisting them with revegetation demonstration plots, saltcedar extraction (126 acres) and monitoring ♦ Continued with the BLM - CFO assistance agreement for noxious weed control work ♦ Continued with cooperative agreement with the New Mexico Association of Conservation Districts (NMACD) and the BLM – Pecos Valley District to implement saltcedar treatment (154 acres), brush control (approx. 117,287 acres), and oil and gas reclamation (approx. 83 acres seeded, over 53 acres reclaimed) – $790,000 ♦ Continued oversight of a National Fish and Wildlife Foundation grant in conjunction with BLM for bird and soil moisture monitoring in the Avalon/Alacran watershed ♦ Senator Bingaman’s Riparian Restoration Program for restoration work, test plots and demonstration areas to showcase various methods of riparian restoration.
State Funding
♦ Avalon-Alacran Watershed Improvement and Management Project, continued work on structure placement and design ♦ Coordinated the restoration work (extraction) of treated saltcedar on 730 acres ♦ Extracted 22 acres and provided follow up ground treatment of 10 acres of saltcedar under a NM Soil and Water Conservation Commission in the Alkali Lake area (a playa lake within the Avalon/Alacran watershed) ♦ Received and coordinated a $20,000 grant from Energy Minerals and Natural Resources Department to purchase chemical for noxious weed treatment of 245 acres of Malta Starthistle and 310 acres of African Rue.
District Funding
♦ Continued Gopher Tail Bounty Program in conjunction with the Carlsbad Irrigation District collected approximately 1,400 tails ♦ Provided $50,000 in matching funds for vegetation control under the District’s vegetation management program The Carlsbad SWCD Board of Supervisors submit this report and hereby acknowledge the work done by all cooperating agencies and their contributions to the Districts overall programs. With continued support, this District will carry on a strong conservation program throughout the coming years.
_____________________________ Ridley Gardner, Chairman
_________________________________ Ron Head, Secretary/Treasurer
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