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Show Volume II, Issue XX THE OGDEN VALLEY NEWS Page 13 October 15, 2000 The Conservation Reserve Program The Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), administered by USDA’s Farm Service Agency, is the Federal Government’s single largest environmental improvement program on private lands—and one of its most effective. Today, the CRP is safeguarding millions of acres of American topsoil from erosion, improving air quality, increasing wildlife habitat, and protecting ground and surface water by reducing water runoff and sedimentation. The program is a major component of the Secretary of Agriculture’s Buffer Initiative, an effort to plant vegetation along streams, rivers, and other bodies of water throughout the country. Countless lakes, rivers, ponds, and streams are cleaner, healthier, and more useful because of the CRP. Even more impressive, the CRP’s success is accomplished through local voluntary partnerships between individuals and government. Instead of compelling participation, the program uses financial incentives to encourage farmers and ranchers to voluntarily establish valuable conservation practices. Under CRP contracts, farmers are [monetarily] compensated for planting permanent covers of grass and trees on land subject to erosion, where vegetation can improve water quality, or to provide food and habitat for wildlife. This use of voluntarism helps make the CRP one of the most effective Federal conservation programs in operation today, providing environmental benefits that are felt across America, both on and off the farm. Since 1986, CRP has helped farmers plant 2.5 million acres of trees. Besides beautifying the land, tree plantings offer a broad range of conservation benefits. They help cleanse runoff water of silt and pollutants, protecting and improving streams. They replenish water tables, conserve and stabilize soil, reduce flood damage, and enhance wildlife habitat. Trees prevent the erosion of streambanks, increase oxygen levels, reduce socalled greenhouse gases, clean pollutants from the air, and provide shade and buffers against high winds. And they provide food and shelter to countless forms of wildlife—from big game Senior Meals Meals provided at the Ogden Valley Branch Library. October 12: Salmon Pattie with Dill Sauce, Potatoes Romanoff, Zucchini and Tomatoes, Red & White Coleslaw, Blueberry Cheesecake and Dinner Roll. October 19: Turkey Souvlaki, Lemon Rice, Spinach with Bacon, Autumn Jello Salad, Gingerbread with Spiced Topping and Honey Wheat Dinner Roll. October 26: Roast Turkey with Gravy, Sweet Potatoes, Cauliflower with tomatoes, Pear and Cranberry Salad, Spiced Cake with Icing and Oatmeal Roll. such as deer and elk, to ducks and pheasants, to threatened songbirds and other small species. Wildlife Benefits The combined size of new wildlife habitats established by the CRP is twice as large as the National Wildlife Refuge System and all State-owned wildlife areas in the contiguous 48 states combined. This makes it one of America’s most successful wildlife conservation efforts. Under the CRP, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has consolidated large blocks of land with undisturbed vegetation, creating vital space where wild populations can breed and expand. The program encourages diverse covers of natural grasses and other plantings, with the specific aim of sheltering and feeding as great a variety of wildlife as possible. In the Prairie States, for instance, the program emphasizes requirements for planting grass, providing local species with the habitats most in short supply. While in previous years the program was aimed at protecting highly erodible soil, today it also emphasizes enhancing riparian areas and protecting wetlands and flood plains. These important areas offer diverse and unique habitats important to many wildlife species. This effort to improve our natural resources has achieved impressive results. Since its inception in 1986, the CRP has produced a number of dramatic improvements in the health and size of wildlife populations. Tree Planting Benefits USDA expects the vast majority of CRP acres planted with trees to remain forested long after the contracts expire, providing important conservation and environmental benefits for decades to come. Trees on CRP land remove and estimated 2.3 million metric tons of carbon per year from the atmosphere through photosynthesis, which changes carbon dioxide into oxygen. Carbon dioxide has been identified as a major greenhouse gas that possibly contributes to global warming. Water Quality and Wetlands Restoration Benefits Converting highly erodible and/or environmentally sensitive cropland to permanent vegetative cover under the CRP has created significant improvement in water quality across the nation. According to the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), the CRP reduces soil erosion by millions of tons every year. This improves the quality of water in streams, lakes, and other bodies of water—not only by reducing sediment, but also by reducing the amount of nutrients and pesticides swept into bodies of water along with America’s valuable topsoil. On top of this, producers who enroll acreage in CRP greatly reduce their application of pesticides and nutrients on these acres, largely eliminating CRP lands as a source of these substances in runoff water. Additional benefits from sedimentation reduction include: Lower water treatment costs; Lower sediment removal costs; Reduced flood damage; Improved aquatic and riparian area habitats; Larger and more diverse popula- tions of aquatic wildlife; Increased water-based recreational values; Reduced maintenance costs for water navigation systems; Reductions in eutrophication or stagnation, resulting from lower levels of nutrients and pesticides; Improved oxygen levels in the Gulf of Mexico near the Mississippi Delta. Cropped Wetlands Restoration Another vital part of the CRP is its emphasis on the enrollment and restoration of wetlands that have been farmed. Wetlands provide important habitat for migratory birds and other wildlife—especially many threatened and endangered species. Wetland acreage also filters out pollution and sedimentation and improves water quality, and it serves as an important flood control mechanism by slowing the flow of water. Healthy wetlands are vital to the recharging of underground aquifers. The CRP restores and expands America’s wetland acreage for the health and enjoyment of current and future generations. Economic Benefits The CRP’s benefits go far beyond CONSERVATION cont. on page 14 WINTER’S COMING (WE THINK) Asphalt or Sealcoat before it’s too late! LAY NEW * RESTORE EXISTING * REPLACE OLD Wasatch Paving Locally owned and operated Member Better Business Bureau of Utah 745-3006 email: kthompso@slkc.uswest.net |