spring 2011 seasons, inland empire natural resources conservation

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Newsletter Seasons

Spring, 2011

Attention Residents! There is a new opportunity for residents of several district cities to receive vouchers for free

sprinkler nozzles. Residents must be within the jurisdiction of the following entities to receive

the vouchers:

Residential homeowners will receive Precision™ Series Spray Nozzles which are a new type of

sprinkler nozzle created by The Toro Company, a Riverside‐based international irrigation

company. These state of the art water nozzles offer better water coverage, reduced run‐off,

and lower flow. The Precision™ Series nozzles promise up to 30% water savings. Several

different nozzles are available to work with a resident’s existing landscaping, while maximizing

efficiency. The website, www.freesprinklernozzles.com, offers advice on choosing the needed

sprinkler nozzles and a checklist of consideration before ordering. To receive these nozzles,

homeowners must log onto the aforementioned website and click on the entity that classifies

them. Then

they

will

be

instructed

to

fill

out

an

online

form,

and

the

nozzle

vouchers

will

then

be sent in the mail. Updating irrigation systems is integral in the reduction of water

City of Chino

City of Chino Hills

City of Corona

City of Ontario

Cucamonga Valley Water District

Elsinore Valley MWD

Monte Vista Water District

Riverside Public Utilities

City of Upland

Western Municipal Water District



Upcoming Apple Grower Workshop

Rialto Community Garden

.

broken sprinkler heads releasing a more than necessary amount of water. Take advantage of

incentive programs such as these to do your part in water conservation!

In 2009, the IERCD began working together with residents and multiple local organizations in

the

City

of

Rialto

to

lend

support

to

the

community

garden

being

established

in

cooperation

with the adjacent Church. Prior to beginning work, the target site was both underused and

experiencing increased invasion by non‐native vegetation. Leadership at the adjacent church

sought to remedy both those issues by removing the non‐native vegetation and harnessing a

combination of area resources to turn the space into a functional garden capable of providing

fresh, local produce to the surrounding disadvantaged community. Soon after the initial

conceptualization, partners including Stater Bros Supermarket, the Inland Empire United

Way, the City of Rialto, and the Inland Empire Resource Conservation District began

contributing a variety of support to help the project to move forward.

Garden construction began in September of 2009, beginning with site grading and the

removal of noxious species of invasive vegetation and other harmful debris from the site.

Following that work, garden plots were marked off for a total of 81 available sites for rent by

the local

community,

ranging

in

size

from

50

square

feet

to

120

square

feet.

Local

residents

were contacted through a variety of outreach including radio, newspaper ads, and door‐to‐

door advertising in order to attract interest. All respondents were given consideration in

order of time of reply, and a percentage of the plots were also set aside as low‐income rentals

to ensure equal public access to the garden. Residents planted the first crops in the winter of

2009/10, and the majority of participating gardeners ultimately donated a percentage of

individual harvests to charitable organizations within the City.

Recently, the project organizers began advertising for individuals interested in becoming part

of the garden. There are multiple plots available, and anyone that would like to take

responsibility for an individual plot may contact the Greater Faith Grace Baptist Church at 249

East Randall Avenue, PO Box 1149, Rialto CA 92376, or at (909) 875‐4891. The plots are $20

for

the

year,

which

goes

toward

the

cost

of

water

and

upkeep

of

garden

infrastructure.

Cultivating one’s own produce is less expensive than purchasing it in the grocery store, and

also involves a lower average impact on the environment. For more information on the

garden or other local projects, please check www.iercd.org .

The IERCD is teaming up with the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) to

sponsor an Apple Grower Workshop. The event will take place on

March 22, 2011 and will be held in Oak Glen, CA. Sessions will include

information on

pollinators,

marketing,

and

techniques

in

pest

and

orchard management. At the culmination of the event, an optional orchard tour will be given. Lunch will also be provided! If you are interested and would like more information please contact Sarah

Ulloa at 909‐799‐7407 or [email protected]. RSVP is a must!

IERCD Education Connection



New IERCD Educational Program The IERCD offers a Reduce, Reuse, Recycle program free to teachers throughout the

District’s service area, consistent with California State Standards for Science Curriculum

and featuring interactive instruction and hands‐on activities including making and using

recycled paper. Recently, the District expanded this program to include an additional activity, which involves participating students creating reusable shopping bags out of old

t‐shirts. The activity involves minimal supplies and can be done with a variety of grades. It also results in a functional bag which can be substituted for paper or plastic

alternatives

when

shopping.

The IERCD would like to make this activity a permanent feature of the Reduce, Reuse, Recycle program. In order to ensure that happens, the District has begun collecting clean, used t‐shirts in all sizes including tank tops, as long

as they have a strap that is at least 1½ inches wide. This is a great opportunity to clean out your closet and give a new use to a t‐shirt you no longer wear! The t‐shirts can be

dropped off at our office in Redlands, or we would also

love to pick them up from your home or office. To

schedule a Reduce, Reuse, Recycle program for your classroom or group, or to donate t‐shirts, please contact

the IERCD

conservation

educator

at

909

‐799

‐7407

x107

or

[email protected]. Reusable T ‐Shirt Bag

Upcoming Events in the Community Dates Event Location Address Time

3/16/2011 Arbor Day Mary Vagle Nature

Center

11501 Cypress Avenue, Fontana

9am‐1:30pm

4/9/2011 Earth Day Chino Hills Community

Park

3280 Eucalyptus Avenue

Chino Hills, CA 9am‐1pm

4/9/2011 Earth Day Frontier Project 10435 Ashford Street, Rancho Cucamonga

11am‐3pm

4/16/2011 Earth Day Paul Biane Library 12505 Cultural Center Drive, Rancho

Cucamonga 12pm‐4pm

4/22/2011 Earth Day Highland Library 7863 Central Avenue,

Highland, Ca 1pm‐4pm

4/22/2011 Earth Day Chino Wetlands park 6075 Kimball Avenue,

Chino 91708

1pm‐6pm

Don’ t Forge t! T he IE RC D Educa tion

Depar t men t is also

collec ting clean, e mp t y alu

minu m cans

in all sizes for a ne w educa tion

progra m hig hlig h ting ne w us

es for

rec ycla bl

e o bjec ts. Please con tac t t he

IE RC D i f you would li ke to ma ke a

dona tion!



Explore Local Land Use with the Web Soil Survey The Web Soil Survey is an invaluable tool provided by the USDA‐Natural Resources

Conservation Service (NRCS) to help access and understand soil properties and their land

use capabilities determined by the National Cooperative Soil Survey. Anyone can use this online tool to get an idea of the soil characteristics for your home, farm, or other types of land uses by visiting http://websoilsurvey.nrcs.usda.gov

Click the “Start WSS” button to begin.

The Soil Map

section

of

the

Web

Soil

Survey

provides

custom

reports

based

on

location

defined by you, the user, to map important physical characteristics of your soil. In addition

to soil properties like texture—sand, silt, loam, or clay—the web soil survey can give you

information like average precipitation, frequency of flooding, and the depth to the water table.

In the Soil Data Explorer tab you can get specific interpretations of the map area you

define. The Suitability and Limitations for Use section is useful, for example, to a homeowner troubleshooting irrigation on a soggy front lawn, an engineer designing a new

building site, or a farmer to assess the most productive use of their land.

The Web Soil Survey provides web soil data for over 95% of the United States and is the

result

of

over

110

years

of

survey

and

interpretation.

Since

2005,

this

information

has

been

accessible to the general public through the Web Soil Survey—prior to that it was available through printed soil survey publications for each region of the U.S.

The Web Soil Survey website has detailed written

instructions on how to use it. There are also some great tutorials and demonstrations available on YouTube. Search for “Web Soil Survey” to learn more!

5/20/2011‐5/22/11

Iris Festival Regional Park 35938 Wildwood Canyon

Rd, Yucaipa

Friday evening to

Sunday late afternoon

A Word from NRCS...

Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) There are many voluntary conservation programs offered by the United States

Department of Agriculture (USDA) and one of the most popular programs is the Environmental Quality Incentive Program (EQIP). This program provides financial and

technical assistance to eligible participants who would like to install structures or

implement

management

practices

on

eligible

agricultural

land.

California has defined the priority natural resource concerns that EQIP will address.



Applications will

be

ranked

based

on

those

resource

concerns.

If

you

would

like

a

complete

list of the resource concerns please contact the office. Practices that could be funded

under the EQIP are:

WIND BREAKS

Linear plantings of single or multiple rows of trees or shrubs established to reduce wind erosion and protect crops from wind damage.

PEST MANAGEMENT (IPM) Using an integrated approach to managing pests (weeds, disease, insects, and

others) to avoid economic loss.

NUTRIENT MANAGEMENT

Managing the amount, form, placement, and timing of nutrient applications for optimum crop/forage yields, while minimizing the loss of nutrients to surface and

groundwater, and maintaining or improving the chemical and biological condition

of the soil.

IRRIGATION WATER MANAGEMENT Determining and controlling the rate, amount, and timing of irrigation water in a planned and efficient manner to promote the desired crop response while minimizing soil erosion and offsite movement of pollutants, including movement to groundwater.

CONSERVATION COVER

A permanent

vegetative

cover

to

reduce

erosion

and

protect

wildlife.

EQIP offers a cost share or reimbursement of 50‐90% of the average cost to the approved

contracts. Average cost on structural and management practices can be obtained through

the local Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) office as well as the rules for qualifying as a socially disadvantage, beginner or limited resource farmer/ ranchers.

EQIP offers contract terms from 1 year and up to 10 years. Each contract has one year of required maintenance. During this maintenance year all structures and

management practices must be maintained.

If you

would

like

to

apply

for

EQIP

please

contact

us

at

(909) 766‐7407 or visit us at 25864 Business Center Dr., Suite K; Redlands, CA 92374

Contact Us at (909) 799-7407 or visit our

Web site at www.iercd.org for more information

spring 2011 seasons, inland empire natural resources conservation

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