Rural Abandoned Mine Program: As Authorized by Section 406 of the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977: Environmental Impact Statement

The Rural Abandoned Mine Program (RAMP) will help landowners develop and apply plans for the reclamation, conservation, and development of eligible lands affected by coal mining. Participation in the program is voluntary. The program will be carried out in cooperation with conservation districts. RAMP provides cost sharing to landowners through long-term contracts funded through Congressional appropriations from the Abandoned Mine Reclamation Fund. This statement explores alternative methods to administer RAMP and the environmental consequences of the selected program alternative. It demonstrates that the environmental effects of individual actions under the program will not have significant adverse effects on the human environment. There will be cumulative impacts over the life of the program. These impacts will be caused by the reduction of acid mine drainage, erosion, and sedimentation. Streams, ponds, and land will be improved for fish, wildlife, and human use. Areas subject to landslides and other hazardous conditions will be stabilized, reducing safety hazards to people and property. Returning the land to beneficial use will improve productivity, increase economic return, enlarge the tax base, improve wildlife habitat, and enhance the visual quality of the landscape. The use of funds under this program is an irreversible and irretrievable commitment of resources. Final program rules and regulations will be issued 30 days after the final EIS is made available to the public

Self help in soil conservation

Land is regarded by many people as the symbol of permanence - as a solid asset to pass on to succeeding generations. But farmers know, or should know, that soil is not static. They know that erosion by water and wind can cause good soils to become wastelands, and that wise land use can initially poor soils into expanses

Agricultural Resources of the Pearl River Basin (Mississippi Portion): Main Report

Excerpts: The Pearl River Basin is located mainly in the state of Mississippi with part of the lower basin being within Louisiana. The study area for the report is the Mississippi part of the basin. This study area contains about 7,792 square miles of various land and water resources. Land use varies, with forest being the major use. About 63 percent of the study area is forest with 30 percent being used for agriculture and the remainder being urban and built-up areas and other uses (7 percent). The objective of the study was to assimilate data and information concerning the agricultural resources of the Pearl River Basin. These data and information were needed to facilitate the orderly conservation, development, utilization, and management of the land and water resources of the basin. Conservation and development needs concerning agricultural resources for the study components were estimated and quantified for each component

Irrigation: Soil-Plant-Water Relationships

Soil-Plant-Water relationships describes those properties of soils and plants that affect the movement, retention, and use of water essential to plant growth. This publication attempts to provide engineers the basic data necessary to plan and maintain efficient conservation irrigation practices to provide a permanent irrigated agriculture engineering principles and research findings have been screened to give emphasis to the information needed to design, install, and operate irrigation systems on farms or groups of farms

Notes on Community-Owned Land Grants in New Mexico

Excerpt from the Introduction: The land grants of New Mexico have long been the subject of considerable interest on the part of lawyers, livestock and lumber companies, governmental agencies, and the native resident owners and users. These grants, ranging in size from a few thousand to ever a million acres were originally made by the Spanish Crown and the Government of Mexico. By the treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo in 1848 the United States agreed to recognize and protect the titles to these grants. The inadequacies of the supporting documents and the absence of careful surveys resulted in long drawn-out litigation before titles to most of the grants were confirmed. The following pages contain the information gathered on four land grants: The Canyon de San Diego Grant which was lost to its original community owners through litigation and sale marked by certain peculiarities; the Jacona Grant which was lost and repurchased and is now commonly owned and used; the Cundiyo Grant which is community owned and used; and the La Joya Grant which was lost by its community owners in a tax sale to Thomas D. Campbell early in 1937

Tenant Herding in the Cuba Valley (New Mexico)

Excerpts: As it is generally understood, tenancy relates primarily to the use, under varying contractual arrangements of non-ownership, of agricultural land. In urban areas it refers principally to the renting of homes. In a range area it is concerned with the leasing of land and the renting of livestock. It is this last form of tenancy that is here called tenant herding. Tenant herding in the Cuba Valley is a contractual agreement between a large sheep owner (Bond, in this case) and about twenty-five tenants whereby these tenants agree to run sheep on a rental basis. Bond supplies breeding herds varying from a few hundred to 2,100 sheep

SCS Natinoal Engineering Handbook: Section 15, Irrigation, Chapter 9--Measurement of Irrigation Water

Measurement of Irrigation Water describes the various methods of measuring irrigation water that are commonly used on irrigated farms. Tables and charts giving rates of flow for various structures and measuring devices are included. It is intended for use by Soil Conservation Service engineers providing assistance to individual farms or groups of farms