National Conservation Planning Partnership (NCPP) Update

Pamela Pavek is a Resource Conservationist for the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in Moscow, Idaho. Pavek graduated from University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 1997 with a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Studies and holds a master’s from Washington State University in Crop Science. She continues her family’s legacy of serving with NRCS, following in her father’s 38-and-a-half-year career as a soil scientist in Nebraska. She started at NRCS in 2005 and has worked in several roles, including one with plant materials, before landing a role as a soil conservationist in 2016. In her current role, Pavek develops conservation plans for the conservation reserve program and helped the District Conservationist manage hundreds of contracts for the Environmental Quality Incentives Program, the Conservation Stewardship Program, and Wetland Reserve Easements.

Curtis Elke, NRCS ID State Conservationist says, “Conservation Planning is one of the most important technical assistance products on our NRCS conservation shelf we offer the customer.  Pamela has demonstrated her expertise in conservation planning and innovative thinking over the years and I am so very proud of her receiving the National Conservation Planning Partnership, Hugh Hammond National Planner Award.”

Pavek is a leader in expanding the reach of conservation in the community. She leads training and provides numerous presentations, lectures, and learning opportunities for new conservationists and the public. She is also the author of numerous publications on pollinators, weed control, cover crops, and other conservation topics. In addition to implementing conservation by consulting directly with landowners, Pavek maintains a close working relationship with many regional partners including the Latah Soil and Water Conservation District, Palouse Conservation District, Idaho Fish and Game, Palouse Land Trust, University of Idaho Extension and Washington State University.

It is clear to Pavek’s colleagues and the landowners she serves that she cares about conservation planning being done right. She goes above and beyond planning process, and makes sure producers feel comfortable with the language being used in contracting, specifications, and implementation. While she excels at all she does, Pavek has a particular strength in writing plans for planting, pollinator habitat, and riparian vegetation. She's the planner who always has a backpack full of books and tools strapped to her back while she walks the property with a client and is always prepared for whatever questions they may have, or resource concerns they may encounter.

Charles Holmes owns Holmestead Company in Marion, Alabama with his wife, Jenny, and their three sons (William, Webb, and Cooper) who have managed the farm since 1972.

The Holmestead Company is the successor of the original farm that was founded in 1819 by Holmes’ great-great grandfather William Moore from Newberry, South Carolina. Holmes’ grandchildren are the 7^th generation to work on the farm. The family farm and its historical and agricultural buildings are open as a teaching property and include 53 structures on the National Register of Historic Places. 

The farm is one of the oldest continuous working family farms in Alabama and is certified as both a Century & Heritage Farm by the Alabama /Department of Agriculture and Industries. The farm has been managed based on Hugh Bennett’s belief that using the land according to its capability and treating the land according to its needs is the wisest form of stewardship.

Ben Malone, NRCS AL State Conservationist, says, “Mr. Holmes has a commitment to conservation planning and implementation of conservation practices that is exhibited by the many recognitions he has received.”  His farm’s designations as a Treasure Forest, Tree Farm, and Stewardship Forest are indicative of his planning and implementation of forestry practices.

The farm has changed through time from cropland, dairy, cattle, and forestry to mostly forestry and a new endeavor of agritourism. The first conservation plan was written in 1939 and has been updated several times as new conservation technology and information became available.

Youth education is another objective of Holmes in giving back to the community. Youth are introduced to forestry and wildlife practices as well as the operations of the farm overall. One of the annual events is “Classroom in the Forest,” which is offered to all fifth graders in Perry County. Previously, the farm has hosted “Fall in Folsom” with music, hayrides, corn maze, and pumpkins. The day of history illustrated the operations of the farm in the 1800s alongside more current practices.

Holmes was an early adopter of soil health practices and knew the value of healthy soil as a young man because of the example of his predecessors on his family farm. His commitment to healthy soils over the course of time has never waned. Holmestead Company has evolved from a row crop operation to a more diversified crop, cattle, and timber operation, and finally, to the current forestry, wildlife, education, heritage and agritourism venture that comprises Holmestead Company today. In each iteration, Holmes has been committed to conserving the natural resources that are within his stewardship.