| Makeup of the SWCD |
Projects & Programs |
Agricultural Assistance Programs |
SWCD Accomplishments |
Current Funding |
The SWCD is overseen by a locally elected board of directors, historically made up of farmers and ranchers living on the land. These are people who know first hand the issues that every other farmer in the county faces. Up until the 1990s, when the board hired a manager, the work was performed by the board with assistance from OSU Extension Agents and the USDA Soil Conservation Service (SCS). Technical Support
In the past, SCS was on hand to provide needed technical support (by way of engineering, soil scientists, mapping, crop and range specialists) to assist the SWCD in addressing natural resource issues. At its peak in the late 1950s, SCS was providing a technical staff of four in Sherman County. While that partnership is still strong, USDA technical support has steadily declined. Today, the SCS, now known as the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), provides a technical staff of two. In response to the loss of staff support and an increasing workload, the SWCD has slowly and steadily built its own technical capacity and currently employs a professional staff of four.
Early projects in the district were based on objectives established by the district’s board of directors. Sherman County projects included range improvements, stream bank protection, stock water ponds, and soil erosion control. While erosion control and water conservation for water quality are still top priorities, the mission of the SWCD has grown to encompass all natural resources. Most recently that has included assisting the people of Sherman County to deal with endangered species issues.
Over the years, the SWCD has played key roles in a variety of projects, often in the position of bringing multiple agencies together to problem solve and obtain funding. As soon as the Soil & Water Conservation District was formed the board began to bring together landowners and agencies to establish conservation plans on their farms. In 1950 the main conservation goals were control and eradication of noxious weeds and obtaining a complete soil conservation survey of the area in order to develop cropping and tillage practices to improve soil fertility, minimize soil erosion, increase yields, and manage soil according to its land use capacity. Emphasis was put on developing agreements with landowners in order to get conservation practices on the ground. In the first two years, agreements were signed with 63 landowners covering 106,050 acres. Efforts have continually been directed towards improving the soil health and stability. Stubble on the surface of the soil, contour farming, direct seed, strip cropping, grassed waterways, terraces and sediment basins were practices utilized since the establishment of the Soil & Water Conservation District. Over the years the District has been able to involve the entire county in efforts to conserve soil and water.
Beginning with the Buck Hollow Watershed Enhancement Project in 1990, the district began to focus on ridge top to ridge top watershed projects in an attempt to address all known natural resource issues within an area. This approach was successful, and has grown to include all of Sherman County. A detailed watershed assessment is being completed for the Grass Valley Canyon watershed. Assessments will be completed for all of the watersheds as soon as possible. Assessments are an in depth analysis of every aspect of a watershed, from historical documents to first hand accounts from those who’ve lived in the watershed their whole lives. The district established Watershed Councils (local citizens groups) to take advantage of local knowledge and involvement in resource issues. These groups are tasked to develop action plans based on local resource priorities identified in the assessments. The Conservation District then incorporates those action plans into its long range and annual work plans.
The district board of directors, through its business plan and annual work plan, helps guide USDA NRCS funding priorities. This makes local input very important. The district also serves as a link between federal and state agencies and local landowners.
With the advent of the 1985 Farm Bill’s Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) and the Highly Erodible Land (HEL) Programs, erosion control (already a priority) became a major focal point. CRP took less productive and highly erodible land out of production and put it into grass to stabilize soil, improve wildlife habitat, and improve water quality. The 1996 and 2002 Farm Bills included the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP). The SWCD convened a local work group to develop a list of prioritized conservation needs eligible for cost share. Under this same program, the SWCD facilitated the designation of Grass Valley Canyon Watershed as a geographic priority area in part due to its DEQ listing as a water quality limited stream for temperature. This designation made the watershed eligible for additional conservation funds. From 1997 to 2006, 70 EQIP contracts were issued, bringing $1.2 million into the county.
USDA incentives programs and SWCD cost shares from grants assist the county’s wheat producers in implementation of all conservation practices. What makes this important is that from the 1850s to 1990s cropland has lost a large percentage of its topsoil from erosion. If that trend had continued, it is estimated that in 70 to 80 more crop years, agriculture production in cropland would have dropped dramatically, not to mention the impact that soil erosion would have had on streams.
Agriculture has been the foundation of our economy and its sustainability as an industry is critically important to our future as a food-producing nation.
The SWCD uses its newsletter to publicize projects, for feedback, and get information out to the community. The SWCD along with its partnering agencies, conducts workshops on numerous natural resource and agricultural topics, and tries to sponsor one conservation tour a year.
Following the February 1996 flood disaster near Rufus, the SWCD led the effort to develop a Flood Hazard Mitigation Plan for Gerking Canyon Watershed to reduce vulnerability to flood disasters. In 1999 the SWCD obtained a Hazard Mitigation Grant from FEMA to implement mitigation measures which prompted the District to request emergency assistance from USDA through the Emergency Watershed Protection Program (EWP). As a result, NRCS brought in engineering personnel to assist in design work. The SWCD generated permits and agreements, and paid for construction through EWP, and OWEB funds. A total of 51 projects were completed from March-November 1996 protecting homes, bridges, roads, and other infrastructure, at a cost of $89,800.
In 1999 when the steelhead were listed as a threatened species, the SWCD worked to gain recognition of local conservation efforts and the proven conservation planning methodology employed by NRCS and the Districts. This effort, partnered by Sherman, Gilliam and Wasco County SWCDs, USFWS, NRCS, NOAA, and others, was launched to provide a safe haven to farmers actively engaged in conservation. On April 22, 2004, NOAA Fisheries signed a biological opinion covering conservation on non-irrigated cropland, range, pasture, and associated riparian areas. What this means is that farmers in Gilliam, Sherman, and Wasco Counties, following an approved NRCS conservation plan are protected from incidental steelhead “takes” during farming operations. The next step, currently underway, is to achieve the same result for irrigated cropland.
In 2000, the SWCD recruited people for a local advisory committee to work with Oregon Department of Agriculture to develop the Lower Deschutes Ag Water Quality Management Area Plan, which covers a portion of Sherman County. The program, known in Oregon as SB-1010 is designed to help the agricultural community address its responsibilities under the Clean Water Act while retaining local control versus having EPA step in and dictate what people will do. It allows flexibility for ag producers on ways they can achieve the goals of the plan. In 2002 the SWCD became the Local Management Agency for the development of the Lower John Day Ag Water Quality Management Area Plan. These plans have been adopted and will be reviewed every two years with the assistance of the SWCD.
Using BPA and ODA funds to help cover our technicians’ salary, the SWCD has been actively developing riparian buffer plans for area streams in partnership with USDA. The first buffer was established in Sherman County in 2001 and as of April 30, 2006 there are about 8,100 acres, or approximately 330 miles of buffers in Sherman County. The SWCD’s active involvement since 2002 has resulted in total USDA buffer contracts worth $7.33 million in local income and technical assistance reimbursements of $234,000 from BPA. Landowners continue to sign up for these cost share programs that encourage riparian restoration.