E. “Kika” de la Garza Plant Materials Center Receives National Recognition for Outstanding Work

The E. “Kika” de la Garza Plant Materials Center (PMC) in Kingsville recently received the 2008 Plant Materials Certificate of Performance for Technical Document Preparation for the Central Region from the U.S. Department of Agriculture-Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). This award was presented in recognition of the PMC’s outstanding performance preparing scientific and popular documents in fiscal year 2008.

Certificates were awarded for Technology and Information Transfer and Technical Document Preparation based on scores from the Plant Materials Performance Index. One certificate was awarded to a PMC in each NRCS region, which includes the West, Central and East regions.

In 2008, the PMC produced 19 scientific documents, 13 popular documents, gave 14 presentations at local, regional and national meetings and provided assistance to more than 470 customers on plant materials related issues. The PMC ranked as the number one producing PMC in 2006 and 2007. The PMC staff is committed to producing high quality plant materials products for the South Texas Plains and Gulf Coast.

“Kudos to John Lloyd-Reilley, Shelly Maher, Albert Quiroga, and George Farek for an excellent job in developing a successful program built on a quality plant selection process and partnerships leading to the advancement of plant science technology for conservation of natural resources in South Texas,” said Don Gohmert, state conservationist with the USDA-NRCS.

The E. “Kika” de la Garza PMC is a 91-acre facility that provides cost-effective vegetative solutions for soil and water conservation problems for the 27-million acres that make up South Texas. They identify plants and develop techniques for successful conservation use of these plants. They also assist in the commercial development of these plants and promote their use in natural resource conservation and other environmental programs.

The PMC also provides technical assistance to restore Gulf Coast prairie and the associated salt marshes, enhance waterbird habitats, re-vegetate areas disturbed by mining and oil field exploration, and improve range and pasture lands.

For more information about the E. “Kika” de la Garza PMC, visit their Web site at http://plant-materials.nrcs.usda.gov/STPMC/index.html.