Philip Small currently serves as NSCSS Secretary.

Philip Small first became interested in a soil science career in the summer of 1974 as a college sophmore interested in general agriculture.  He was working as a college educated farm implement operator at Sagemoor Farms in Pasco, WA. It seemed his employer was interested in the soil science knowledge of his fellow CEFIOs to the exclusion of any other aspect of their education.  The soils at Sagemoor Farms are highly erodible and success in managing the extensive new wine grape plantings seemed to hinge on subtle soil characteristics and the use of new and creative approaches to manipulating vigor and dormancy that required heightened awareness of soil temperature, nutrient and moisture dynamics.  Inspired by a combination of the job security promised by a career in soil science and a fascination with the underground, he proceeded to take a whirlwind of soils courses, including Soils 105 in the summer of 1975.  The joint UC Berkely/US Davis 105 course was taught that year by Rod Arkley, Gordon Huntington, and Mike Singer.  The highlight was a field tour of the Mendocino Pygmy Forest (now the Hans Jenny Pygmy Forest Reserve) led by Hans Jenny.  Star 105er  Jennifer Harden is a 1975 class alumnus.

Showing far more interest in pedology than edaphology, Phil landed a summer 1976 internship with the USFS Regional Ecological Group, a position he qualified for mostly on the merits of having taken Soils 105.  The job was to select and describe soil profiles of the representative soil-vegetation units. Phil returned to the project on after fininshing his coursework in May, 1977.  A summary of the multi-year effort were published in 1980 (Matyas, Wendy J.; Parker, Ike. 1980. CALVEG--Mosaic of existing vegetation of California. Regional Ecology Group Report. San Francisco, CA: Pacific Southwest Region, Forest Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture; 27 p.).

Phil started an on-site wastewater site assessment soil testing service at the end of 1977.  With slim prospects for a permanent position with USFS, and a housing boom in the Sierra Nevada foothills, he had a full time consulting practice going by the spring of 1978 when he was tapped for contract soil survey work.  He and future fellow NSCSSer, Sidney W Davis, mapped portions of the Plumas National Forest under the mentorship of Grant Kennedy, retired NRCS State Soil Scientist and a most attentive and demanding teacher.  The USFS' contracting officer's technical representative was another future NSCSSer, Denny Churchill.

Phil secured a soil scientist position with an environmental consulting firm in San Rafael, CA in 1979, CA, marrying Rosemary in August 1979.  During their honeymoon year of 1980, Rosemary prepared food and kept camp for the crew of soil scientists that Phil ran herd on. The burden of the isolation of camp life was much lightened by the reliable wit and humor and soil mapping story telling ability of retired soil scientist George Borst.  (For a taste of George's abilities in this regard see this pdf, pages 72 and 73)

The 1980 mapping season started on the floor of the Owens Valley and proceeded into the Inyo Mountains.  From there the work proceeded to the southern end of the Overthrust Belt in Utah, this time proceeding from high desert to alpine.  As a result Phil was able to bring flowers to Rosemary nearly every day, from cactus blooms in the spring to columbine from sub alpine meadows and aspen groves that fall.  This is his only defense for the grievous and wholly unforgiveable error he made in missing the chance to taking a side trip to visit Bryce Canyon and Zion National Park.  This is something that he should be reminded of in the presence of his wife whenever the opportunity presents itself.

(to be continued)

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