PI.300.10.3, LTP – FY2010 Pacific Islands Area (PIA) Local Working Group Meetings (LWG)

PIA Bulletin:	PI-300-10-03
Subject:	LTP – FY2010 Pacific Islands Area (PIA) Local Working Group Meetings (LWG)
To:	All Area and Field Offices (excluding FSM and Palau Field Offices)
Date:	11/03/2009
Purpose: Provide policy and timeline for PIA Local Working Groups chairpersonship, membership, meeting schedule, and submittal of recommendations. Expiration Date: September 30, 2010. Action Due by: December 23, 2009 Background: The locally led conservation effort is the foundation of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) conservation program delivery process. The local working group is a subcommittee of the State Technical Committee (STC) that is chaired by the Director of the PIA. Local working groups provide recommendations to the District Conservationist and the State Conservationist on local natural resource priorities and criteria for conservation activities and programs. In the event the local Soil and Water Conservation District is not able, or does not choose to chair the local working group, NRCS’ District Conservationist will be responsible for those duties. The local working group membership should be diverse and focus on agricultural interests and natural resource issues existing in the local community. Membership should include agricultural producers representing the variety of crops and livestock and/or poultry raised within the local area; owners of nonindustrial private forest land, as appropriate; representatives of agricultural and environmental organizations; and representatives of governmental agencies carrying out agricultural and natural resource conservation programs and activities. It is mandated in the 2008 Farm Bill and by the Chief of NRCS that all program ranking tools include local ranking questions that comprise at least 25 percent of the total ranking points. Local working groups are to meet quarterly and the first FY2010 meeting shall be no later than December 18, 2009 to provide recommendations on the points below: Identify priority resource concerns Identify, as appropriate, high-priority areas needing assistance Recommend eligible practices Recommend payment rates and cost-share levels Generate five to seven local ranking questions for the Environmental Quality Incentives Programs (EQIP), Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program (WHIP), and Agricultural Management Assistance program (AMA) To assist the District Conservationist in this effort, guidance documents have been uploaded to the PIA Share Point at LWG Documents. District Conservationists will upload the local working group meeting minutes and a summary of any recommendations to the LWG Documents folder on the PIA Share Point by December 23, 2009. For additional information contact Dennis Kimberlin 808.541.2600 ext. 149 or for PIA West Colleen Simpson 671.472.7467 /s/ LAWRENCE T. YAMAMOTO Director Pacific Islands Area