Conservation District seeks BMP data
The Culpeper Soil and Water Conservation District is known for many services throughout the five member counties in which it operates, including Rappahannock: technical assistance to landowners, homeowners and local government, engineering reviews for land development, engineering design for ag projects, general technical assistance, education programs for K-12 and for the public at large, training for engineers and more.
“I expect we do some things well that many people are not aware of but one of the more prominent services is the local delivery of the state agricultural cost share program and all that is involved with putting Best Management Practices (BMPs) on the land,” says District Manager Greg Wichelns. “Most agricultural producers are familiar with this aspect of district services. We have been engaged in delivery of this program since the mid-1980s, to the benefit of both the producer/ land owner and the environment.”
Most of the projects have included a five- to 10-year contract, Wichelns says, during which the property owner or applicant was responsible for upkeep of the BMP. At the end of the contract, that responsibility ended — although, he notes, “many of these BMPs have become a permanent part of the operation and still provide both the management benefits and help protect the environment. We are very interested in these older BMPs at this time.”
Through the years, all of these BMPs have been included in the computer modeling of the Chesapeake Bay restoration efforts; the modeling science that lawmakers, state agencies and the district use to make decisions regarding additional investments to protect and restore the environment. Those modeling efforts are currently being updated and the modelers are seeking information on the status of many of these older BMPs that no longer have the contract requirements.
“Both the district and the state are interested in confirming that they still exist and function more or less as intended,” said Wichelns. “The benefit to all is that Virginia gets credit for all these practices in its efforts to meet restoration expectations.”
The district has hired a part-time employee to assist with the collection of this information: Edward “EJ” Burke from Madison County. He has been charged with contacting all landowners to see if they are willing to assist the district in this effort.
“We encourage consideration of participating in this initiative; it is to the benefit of all. There is no long-term commitment or any new contract to sign other than a verification statement that the district did complete the assessment. We are simply seeking data to update the modeling status,” says Wichelns.