The Soil Science Society of America (SSSA) Executive Board met twice in Baltimore in conjunction with the national meetings. The board addressed a number of key issues and took the following actions that should be of interest to S1 members:

1. Society Separatism. The SSSA board voted to not separate itself from the executive board of the Agronomy Society (ASA). The vote was to not change the current by- laws, which state that members of the SSSA board are also members of the ASA board. The SSSA board expressed support for the actions taken by the tri-societies (ASA,CSSA, SSSA) to increase the identities of the individual societies (an example, is the inclusion of all three names in the title of the former "Agronomy News"). The board also voted to continue exploring ways to increase the identity of the Soil Science Society, including having separate meetings apart from the sister societies. However, no action was taken to initiate separate meetings. The board also voted to evaluate the assets of the Soil Science Society in relation to the assets of the Agronomy Society and the Crop Science Society.

2. Journal of Production Agriculture (JPA). The board voted to accept the recommendation of an ad-hoc ASA committee (headed by Jerry Hatfield) regarding the demise of the Journal of Production Agriculture. It was recommended that JPA be discontinued and that JPA-type papers be folded into the Agronomy Journal. This action is to be initiated almost immediately, with all paper submitted after Jan 1, 1999 to be considered for the Agronomy Journal. The JPA will be discontinued at the end of 1999.

3. Vadose Zone Hydrology Journal (VZHJ). The board voted to delay a decision on establishing a Vadose Zone Hydrology Journal. The board requested that additional information be provided, related to expected costs and potential non-member interest and participation. Information on expected income and additional detail on the breadth and scope of the Journal will be provided to the executive committee by the VZHJ feasibility committee over the next several months.

4. Accreditation. The Board voted against establishing an accreditation board for Soil Science. There was considerable debate on this issue but it was determined that the ARPACS activities in this area would likely meet the needs for most institutions that are looking for accreditation to enhance the statures of their programs.

5. U.S. National Committee on Soil Science. Wilford Gardner briefed the board on the status of forming the U. S. National Committee on Soil Science. Wilford discussed the role that SSSA would play in the new committee. The committee is chaired by Wilford and is composed of 12 soil scientists, including the president and past president of SSSA, who serve as ex-officio members of the committee. The committee will be funded by the National Research Council (through a NSF grant) to conduct meetings and carry out planning activities. Wilford reported that the National Committee will interact with other societies and with congressional delegations in promoting SSSA interests. Research needs in soil science, on a national level, will be identified and promoted by the committee. The National Committee will be the U.S. representative to the International Council of Scientific Unions (ICSU). It will work closely with the SSSA and other societies (Clay Mineral Society, Soil and Water Conservation Society, etc) in the developing plans for the International Soil Science Congress to be held in the US in 2006.

6. Bouyoucos Conference. The next Bouyoucos conference is scheduled for the year 2000 and will be on the topic of the science of the clay-water interface. Division S-2 is taking the lead on this conference with input from S-9. Funding ($25,000) for this conference was approved by the board.

7. Kirkham Conference. The first Kirkham conference will be held in late summer (or early fall) of 2000. Limited funding is available, so opportunity funds or others sources will need to be obtained to hold this conference. No action was taken by the board on this item, since a formal request was not made. However, a formal request for funding will be prepared for the next board meeting.

8.Society Heroes. The ASA executive committee has established a committee to identify nominees for recognition as heroes of the society. Their profiles will be compiled into a book to be published in the year 2000. Nominations should be submitted to V. B Cardwell, chair-Honoring our Heroes, 411 Borlaug Hall, 1991 Upper Burford Circle, St. Paul, MN 55108-6026, cardw001@tc.umn.edu.

This report was prepared by Glendon Gee, Division S-1 Board Representative.
Please send any comments and suggestions to Glendon: glendon.gee@pnl.gov