USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service Celebrates 75th Anniversary with Summer Exhibit at the Arkansas State Capitol

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. -- 2010 marks the 75th anniversary of the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and the beginning of the federal commitment to conserving natural resources on private lands.

In honor of the agency’s 75th anniversary, the Arkansas Secretary of State’s Office is hosting an exhibit in the first floor galleries of the State Capitol entitled, “Helping People Help the Land.”  This exhibit offers a glimpse into the origins of the agency as the Soil Conservation Service, historical photos, conservation programs and practices, conservation tools and current programs including American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) projects.  The State Capitol is open to the public from 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on weekdays and from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. on weekends and holidays.  The exhibit will run now through August 2010. 

NRCS was created as the Soil Conservation Service within the USDA on April 27, 1935, in response to the devastation of the Dust Bowl on the nation’s agricultural land.  The agency’s primary mission then was to conserve soil on agricultural land. It became NRCS in 1994 to better reflect its expanded role of servicing other natural resources such as soil, water, air, plants and animals on private and tribal lands.

“Our agency’s rich conservation legacy has resulted in many benefits to the nation’s citizens - abundant food and fiber, cleaner water, pure air, productive soils and open spaces to use and enjoy,” said Michael Sullivan, Arkansas NRCS state conservationist.  “We are honored Secretary of State Charlie Daniels is hosting this exhibit at the State Capitol and we hope all who come to visit this summer will learn more about our agency’s legacy of conservation, helping people help the land.”

Seventy percent of the land in the United States is privately owned, making stewardship by private landowners absolutely critical to the health of our nation’s environment.

NRCS works with landowners through conservation planning and assistance designed to benefit the soil, water, air, plants, and animals that result in productive lands and healthy ecosystems.

Science and technology are critical to good conservation. NRCS experts from many disciplines come together to help landowners conserve natural resources in efficient, smart and sustainable ways. Whether developed in a laboratory or on the land, NRCS science and technology helps landowners make the right decisions for every natural resource.

NRCS succeeds through partnerships, working closely with individual farmers and ranchers, landowners, local conservation districts, government agencies, Tribes, Earth Team volunteers and many other people and groups that care about the quality of Arkansas’s natural resources.

NRCS employees work at the local level – in field offices at USDA Service Centers in nearly every county in the Arkansas. NRCS employees’ understanding of local resource concerns and challenges result in conservation solutions that last.

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