Structure, staffing and location

Organizational Structure

The Consortium consists of a group of interested parties from both within and outside of NRCS. In the spirit of inclusion, participation in the Consortium is open to any and all parties within NRCS or Land Grant Institutions that have a vested interest in tropical natural resource conservation. Consortium members specified in the original memorandum of agreement (dated 13 June 2000), include representatives from the NRCS West and Southeast Regional Offices, NRCS State Offices in Hawaii and Florida, NRCS Area Offices in the Caribbean and Pacific Basin, the University of Hawaii, the University of Puerto Rico, the University of Guam and the University of Florida (see Appendix 1). In order to effectively develop and implement projects and activities, the TTC is organized in two components, an administrative group and a technical group.

Administrative Group

The administrative group identifies and prioritizes needs and provides overall direction. Members of the administrative group include: NRCS State/Area Conservationists from the Caribbean Area, Florida, Hawaii and the Pacific Basin Area; Deans of the Colleges of Agriculture at the Universities of Florida, Guam, Hawaii at Manoa, and Puerto Rico – Mayaguez; NRCS Regional Conservationists from the Southeast and West Regions; and representatives from the NRCS Office of the Deputy Chief for Science and Technology and the NRCS World Soil Resources Program. Table 2 lists the names and contact information for current members.

Technical Group

The technical group adapts, validates, develops and diffuses appropriate resource management technologies. It also designs and implements natural resource management activities addressing tropical needs. Members of the technical group include the three NRCS Tropical Technology Specialists as well as technical personnel from NRCS State and Field Offices, NRCS Regional and National Offices, NRCS Institutes and Centers, and University Faculty and Staff. Table 3 lists the names and contact information for current members.

Other Interested Parties

The TTC encourages information exchange and cooperation with any and all groups interested and involved in tropical conservation issues. To that end, the TTC will widely distribute informational materials including potential areas of interest or collaboration both within the current cooperating institutions and outside these groups.

Consortium Staff

Tropical Technology Specialists

The Tropical Technology Specialists are responsible for developing and implementing specific activities and projects that address Consortium priority areas. This includes the development and implementation of annual Plans of Work. Tropical Technology Specialists are directly supervised by the associated State or Area Conservationist and are expected to fulfill all other agency requirements and duties (training, service etc.) as specified in the specialists’ job descriptions and annual work plans.

Support/Administrative Staff

Basic administration and support services are currently being provided by NRCS state/area offices and associated university partners. Consortium coordination will rotate between the three primary areas served by the TTC (Hawaii, Pacific Basin Area, Caribbean Area) on an every-other-year basis. Hawaii will serve as the coordinating group from January 1, 2003 to December 31, 2004. The Pacific Basin Area will serve from January 1, 2005 to December 31, 2006. And the Caribbean Area will coordinate beginning on January 1, 2007 until December 31, 2008.

Location

The Tropical Technology Consortium service area is vast, stretching from the Pacific Islands to the Caribbean.. Consortium staff (Tropical Technology Specialists) are will be located in the three primary service areas: Puerto Rico at the University of Puerto Rico - Mayaguez (Agronomist), Hawaii at the University of Hawaii at Manoa (Soil Scientist), and a third position (Soil Conservationist) co-located with NRCS Pacific Basin Area Director’s Office (Guam).

The Specialists will work as a team to support the design and implementation of consortium projects and outreach activities and to provide tropical technology technical advice and support for NRCS field staff within their geographic service areas.