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Stewardship 2004 THE N IL Page 1 of 2 HE ~IV'ING "Actual Soil Painting" {click fm 1~11 size my, ge} Nebraska Artist Jan Lang used actual soft, nnxed w~th clem acryhc, to paint th~s year's Soil Stewardship art The ,mil coitus available lend themselves to a fall scene w~th lots of warm colors. Ordgr Yo.uj' 2004 Mat~grt~ls_.~Q_W The L~vmg Soft The 2¢)04 Soil and WL~t¢l.Stewardshtp Ess~ay by _Neff Sampson The l,~vmg Soft shde shg~v! Educators Grade C'hurci~ Leaders Grade Clip AiJ Your 20U4 NACD $~.¢walclsh~p ('ommtttc~ Mcrnb~ ~ "The Living Soil" 2004 Soil and Water Stewardship Week April 25 to May 2, 2004. And under all is the Mtlhons of words have been written about the living soil. Many were smentific and factual, some were emotional and moving, others artistm and creative. But in generation after generation, it is important to br attention back to the central theme - the living soil sustains all hfe on earth. Without the soil, nothing live Healthy soils support healthy environments, and healthy environments support healthy hfe. As you walk across a field or down a forest pathway, your eyes and feet will give you messages about the On your next walk, try to sense those messages. Is the sod hard or does it feel spongy? is it wet or dry? L, around you. What plants do you see? You may be surprised to learn that most soil has lots of open space I the surface --cracks, channels and pores between the solid grains of sand and soil and around growing plm roots. You may also be surprised to learn that millions of beneficial organisms are going through their daily rou of eating, breathing, hying, and dying in the soft. One cup of fertile soil may contain as many bacteria as are people on Earth. In one acre - an area about the s~ze of a football field - there may be a ton or more microscopic bacteria. That's equal to the weight of two full-grown cows! We eat the food, dnnk the water, breathe the air, and enjoy the views, but only a few of us walk the fields forests on a regular basis and understand what those lands need from us m order to sustain the hying soil. However, here are a few things each of us can do in our own backyards to be better stewards of our soil resources: · Protect the soil from damage by wind or water erosion by keeping healthy plants growmg on the surface. · Restore and maintain organic matter in the soft, such as grass clippings or tree leaves. · Protect and enhance soil life by using the least amounts and the least toxic materials to control pe problems on growing plants. "While the farmer holds' the title to the land, actually tt belongs to all the people because ctvthzatton ttsel~ upon the sod" -- Thomas Jefferson The L~wng Sod -- an expan~t0n on thc [hem¢ by Neff Sampson Promotional Items (MS Word files. Click to download and modify as needed): · Stewardshtp Week Proclamation - PROCLA_MATI_ON, dgc · Public Service Announcement- PubhcServ~ceAnnouncement.doc · Sample Local News Release - SampleLocaINewsRelease.doc file ://C :~D~cuments%2~and%2~Settings\sfb~ndsxL~ca~%2~Settings\Temp\Stewardship%2~2~4.htm~ 4/6/2004