Agricultural News
12th National Watershed Conference Gets Underway Sunday in Downtown Oklahoma City
Fri, 13 May 2011 3:27:24 CDT
The 12th National Watershed Conference will be held at the Cox Convention Center in Oklahoma City, May 15-18, 2011. Local, state, tribal, regional, and federal watershed, floodplain, and natural resources program managers and project sponsors from 30 states are expected to attend the conference. Presentations and discussions at the conference will include flood control, water quality, rehabilitation of aging flood control dams, emergency action plans, current and future budgets for the USDA Watershed Program and other water resource and conservation issues.
Speakers for the conference include Oklahoma Congressman Frank Lucas who authored the Rehabilitation Amendments to the PL-83-566 Watershed Protection and Flood Prevention Program. These amendments authorized the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) to provide technical and 65% cost share assistance to rehabilitate high hazard flood control dams. Dave White, NRCS Chief and Dr. Ed Knipling, USDA Agriculture Research Service Administrator will also speak at the conference.
We talked with the Executive Director of the Oklahoma Conservation Commission, Mike Thralls about the Conference- and you can hear his preview by clicking on the LISTEN BAR below.
A special ceremony has been added to the agenda of the National Watershed Conference. The USDA Small Watershed Program will be recognized as a historical landmark by the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers (ASABE). The ASABE historical landmark program was established 75 years ago to commemorate significant engineering accomplishments by agricultural engineers. The Small Watershed Program will join many past prestigious landmark recognitions including the John Deere Tractor, vegetated waterways, center pivot irrigator, and Graham-Hoeme plow.
The dedication ceremony will be held at the National Watershed Conference at 8:30 AM on Tuesday, May 17th at the Cox Convention Center. Speakers for the event include Oklahoma Lt. Governor Todd Lamb, ASABE President Ron McAllister, USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) Chief Dave White, and USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS) Administrator Dr. Edward Knipling.
The ceremony will consist of the unveiling of a plaque and speakers who will provide remarks relative to the importance of the program and the contributions of the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service and Agriculture Research Service engineers and scientists. Since 1948 over 11,000 flood control dams and associated conservation practices have been installed in 2,000 watershed projects in 47 states. The program was created by the Flood Control Acts of 1936 and 1944 and expanded nationwide by the Watershed Protection and Flood Prevention Act of 1954. Oklahoma has constructed 2,107 flood control dams in 61 counties.
The watershed program established the principle of combining conservation practices in a watershed with flood control dams on tributary streams. In order to implement the program, innovations in engineering, hydraulics, hydrology, and soil mechanics were developed by USDA Soil Conservation Service (now Natural Resources Conservation Service) and Agricultural Research Service engineers and scientists.
The first USDA-assisted flood control dam was built in Oklahoma in 1948 and the ARS Hydraulics Engineering Research Lab, located in Stillwater, has provided much of the research and design assistance for the Watershed Program.
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