Sue Ellen Smith is a Conservation Project Coordinator for the Natural Resource Conservation Service Mission Field Office in Pendleton, OR. She supports District Conservationists by assisting with USDA program implementation and evaluation.
Ms. Smith conducts resource inventories on land uses – forestry, rangeland, cropland and pastureland – to determine the needs, feasibility, design, and specifications of proposed or planned conservation practices. She is responsible for contacting and following-up with participating landowners during and after completion of the conservation practices.
One of her favorite aspects of the ACES position is the interaction with the landowners. Over 500 landowners participate in programs based out of the Mission Field Office. She has been able to travel to area ranches and pasturelands to meet with many of them and build relationship. Most recently, Ms. Smith, along with a District Conservationist, conducted a status review on a landowner’s forested property. They counted and surveyed trees to determine if there was sufficient room for new, healthier growth.
In addition to her duties at the Mission Field office, Ms. Smith also assists the
There are new conservation programs on the horizon and Ms. Smith will be “getting the word out” to area landowners. She will also be doing status reviews for specific conservation practices involving soil, energy, pest, irrigation as well as management practices related to grazing, air resource, and habitat.
Ms. Smith attended Boise State College in