State Conservationist, USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service in Texas
In this issue’s Q&A, Texas+Water Editor-in-Chief, Dr. Todd Votteler, interviews Kristy Oates, State Conservationist for the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service in Texas.
Oates began her career with USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in 1995 as a Soil Conservation Technician in Freestone County, Texas, after being raised on a beef and cropland operation in central Texas. During her 25 years of service, Oates has been promoted through multiple technical, supervisory, and leadership positions in Texas. Detail assignments in multiple states have given her valuable experience working with producers who have varied agricultural systems. Further, her assignments included executive level positions of Acting Division Director of Conservation Planning and Technical Assistance Division in Washington DC, as well as Acting State Conservationist in Iowa and Minnesota. Most recently,Oates served as the State Resource Conservationist in Texas where she led the ecological sciences department in addressing natural resource concerns through sound conservation planning, technical leadership in quality assurance, policy development and implementation, and training oversight.
Oates served as the co-chair for the National Conservation Planning Partnership, Training, Certification, Technical Processes and Tools Committee advancing conservation planner certification across the nation. She fostered new opportunities to increase streamlining and efficiencies in landscape initiatives such as the National Water Quality Initiative and Working Lands for Wildlife Conservation Strategies. Her leadership created a combined leveraging of federal, state, local, and private resources to maximize the impact of implementing conservation across the landscape.
She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Agriculture from Sam Houston State University and she is a graduate of the U.S. Department of Agriculture Emerging Leaders Development Program from The George Washington University Center for Excellence in Public Leadership.
What is the Natural Resources Conservation Service and what is its mission?
The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) is a federal agency that works hand-in-hand with the people of Texas to improve and protect their soil, water, and other natural resources. For decades, private landowners have voluntarily worked with NRCS specialists to prevent erosion, improve water quality, and promote sustainable agriculture. The mission of the NRCS is to deliver conservation solutions so agricultural producers can protect natural resources and feed a growing world.
NRCS was initially focused on preventing soil erosion on America’s farmland, but over the years, NRCS has broadened its technical services to provide science-based solutions to address America’s ever-changing environmental concerns. While farmers and ranchers remain primary customers of NRCS, the agency also provides technical assistance to city planners, watershed groups, state and local governments, and civic organizations.
NRCS has a unique partnership with soil and water conservation districts. All 217 soil and water conservation districts in Texas have working mutual agreements with NRCS to provide grassroots input on local conservation priorities. Organized statewide, soil, and water conservation districts often follow county boundaries and are typically collocated with NRCS in U.S. Department of Agriculture Service Centers across Texas.
What previous experience has been the most beneficial to you in your new role as State Conservationist?
All of my previous experiences have benefited me in some way. I grew up on a farm, which taught me the value of agriculture as a way of life and the sacrifices farm families make to earn a living and feed the world. I began my NRCS career at the local level serving agricultural producers within a county. There, you get to know your customers and see the positive impact you have on their lives and their agricultural operations. As I moved up, this solid foundation kept me grounded. I have also had the opportunity to work in other states and at the national level, learning what works for others and bringing those ideas to help make Texas NRCS better able to serve its customers and make an impact across the landscape.
As State Conservationist what are your top priorities for NRCS in Texas?
- Provide conservation technical assistance and deliver the 2018 Farm Bill to our farmers, ranchers, and private forests landowners.
- Streamline our processes and program delivery to best serve our customers across Texas. Understand our customer needs and improve overall customer service.
- Increase internal mentoring, training opportunities, and experiences that collectively involve staff, customers, and partners.
- Expand focused outreach efforts to increase agency awareness among populations of young, beginning, small, veteran, urban, and historically underserved farmers and ranchers.
- Elevate the importance of soil health across our agency’s outreach and communication efforts to further enhance and promote the delivery of soil health principles to staff, customers, and partners.
- Engage with conservation partners to work together with our farmers, ranchers, and private forest landowners to create a positive impact on climate change mitigation. Private landowners are the best stewards of our land, and they require the resources and the technical know-how to implement soil conservation, carbon sequestration, pasture and rangeland management plans, and waste management programs.
What are the primary NRCS programs regarding water in Texas?
Almost every program NRCS operates has an effect on water resources.
The National Water Quality Initiative, along with the focus on source water protection, are two of the more common water resource programs that NRCS manages in Texas. Additionally, there are partnership efforts to address water resources through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program like the Richland Chambers and the Eagle Mountain Lake Water Quality initiatives. The collaborative partnership approach leverages resources to improve water quality impairments in reservoirs that serve as drinking water for Tarrant County. NRCS, along with many other partners, worked with agricultural producers to provide technical and financial assistance for the voluntary implementation of conservation practices designed to improve water quality. Another program, the Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP), is also being used to address water resources. The Hill Country Headwaters Conservation Program, the Texas Gulf Stream and Wetlands Initiative, and the Restoring Perennial Flow in Comanche Springs Project are some examples of these types of partnership initiatives aimed at enhancing or protecting water quality and quantity, soil health, and wildlife habitat.
In addition to land treatment practices, channel improvements, and dikes for watershed protection, NRCS has assisted watershed sponsors in construction of nearly 2,000 floodwater retarding structures (dams) in 145 watershed projects in Texas. This work was authorized as part of the flood control acts of the 1936, 1944, and 1954 Watershed Protection and Flood Prevention Program. Over 11 million tons of sediment is stored annually in these structures, therefore preserving over 10,000 acre-feet of storage in downstream reservoirs and water supplies. These dams also provide an additional 60,000 acres of created, enhanced, or restored wetlands, as well as numerous social benefits.
What do you consider to be the biggest challenge facing Texas over the next 20 years regarding water?
The biggest challenge facing Texas regarding water will be balancing the needs of agriculture, wildlife, and humans across rural and urban landscapes. Everyone has specific wants, needs and desires related to water, and it will be a challenge for Texas to balance these needs fairly, from rural farmers and ranchers to wildlife enthusiasts, to suburban families, to intercity dwellers.