Conservation assistance funds available
Grazing lands in Rappahannock County continue to be eligible for conservation assistance funds for establishing rotational grazing fields, developing water resources (wells, springs and stream access points), re-establishing critical pollinator and songbird habitat, reforestation of critical areas and re-establishing buffer areas along waterways. Several different funding sources are available to landowners and livestock grazers to assist with the transition to improved forage management and natural resource management.
The Culpeper Soil and Water Conservation District (CSWCD) and USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) have highly skilled employees that assist owners in developing farm resource conservation plans and with navigating program opportunities.
Agency staff sit down with owners or producers and lay out the options; both pros and cons. According to District Manager Greg Wichelns, a frank assessment of the options is one of the things his staff can bring to the table; not all programs are created equal and staff will assist applicants in understanding those options.
Although significant program signup recently occurred in Rappahannock County under Virginia’s 100 percent reimbursement initiative for stream fencing, additional funds continue to be available, particularly for Rappahannock due to the CSWCD’s long standing Upper Hazel project area grants focusing on reducing E Coli levels in local streams.
The Upper Hazel project area includes nearly all of Rappahannock and some adjacent areas of Culpeper and Madison. The grants focus on reducing livestock contributions to the elevated bacteria levels found in some local streams and also provide assistance to maintain, repair and replace septic systems that need help or updating.
According to Wichelns, “The Upper Hazel grants are scheduled to end in July 2016 but we still have funding available for agriculture projects and septic systems. Now is a very good time to seriously consider that fencing project under consideration or fixing that ailing drain field that occasionally surfaces above ground. Especially for the latter, it is only a matter of time before it fails so why not sign up for the assistance while it is available.”
According to CSWCD records, it has been financing septic upgrades in Rappahannock for nearly 10 years and the Commonwealth seems to be interested in shifting those funds elsewhere later this year. “I believe these grants have done a tremendous amount of good for the environment in Rappahannock County, particularly groundwater quality but also surface waters. It is not late to get in on the good thing.”
The CSWCD also expects other program funding to significantly increase in the near future.
“By all appearances, the Commonwealth is currently making huge commitments to get producers into voluntary conservation programs before any federal deadlines on Chesapeake Bay restoration arrive,” said Wichelns.
He acknowledged that 2017 is one such milestone year for healthy Bay planning.
“A lot is likely to change in 2017 at least for those of us in the conservation business. Workload has and is significantly increasing and we are currently seeking increased operational funding to help us keep pace. No-one really knows if any regulatory change is in the future; we at the conservation district office are more focused on resource conservation management farm by farm and assisting producers and landowners with understanding what that entails and the assistance available to implement plans.” said Wichelns.
During the past year the CSWCD was also involved in the review and approval of many official resource management plans (RMP’s), some of which were in Rappahannock County. According to Wichelns, “A large emphasis has been placed on RMP’s this past year and once approved and implemented, an RMP guarantees the producer “immunity” from regulatory change for a period of nine years. The RMP process was designed to help producers achieve that level of implementation which meets reasonable expectations for lessening impacts on the Bay and other water bodies. The RMP law came forth from the Virginia General Assembly several years ago. We expect to be reviewing even more of these plans this spring.”
Anyone interested in exploring the many benefits of conservation planning with either the CSWCD or NRCS should contact the District at 540-825-8591 or NRCS at 540825-4200.
According to Wichelns, “In the world of natural resource conservation management the old saying still applies, an ounce of planning is certainly worth a pound of cure. Natural resources, once diminished, don’t just get restored. It takes a lot of time.”