| WASHINGTON July 22,
2004—Agriculture Secretary Ann M. Veneman today announced
a five-year effort to study the collective environmental benefits of government
conservation programs on agricultural land.
“The advantages of conservation programs
are widely recognized, from reducing soil erosion and enhancing water
and air quality to promoting wetland and wildlife habitat preservation
and restoration,” Veneman said. “However, the environmental
benefits of these programs have not been previously measured at the national
level. This effort will provide an accounting of the benefits achieved
through conservation programs.”
Through the Conservation Effects Assessment
Project (CEAP) the Department of Agriculture will study the environmental
benefits of conservation practices implemented through 2002 Farm Bill
programs: the Environmental Quality Incentives Program, Wetlands Reserve
Program, Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program, Conservation Reserve Program,
Conservation Security Program and Conservation Technical Assistance.
CEAP is composed of two basic parts: a nationwide assessment of conservation
benefits and more in-depth studies of these benefits in 20 selected watersheds.
The national assessment will be reported annually starting in 2005.
USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service’s (NRCS) National
Resources Inventory will be used as the sampling basis for estimating
the environmental benefits of conservation practices, as well as farmer
surveys and existing USDA computer models.
In-depth studies within eight special-emphasis and
12 benchmark watersheds will occur simultaneously with the national assessment
and other on-going watershed research efforts. NRCS selected the special-emphasis
watersheds to address specific concerns such as manure management on animal
feeding operations, water use on irrigated cropland, drainage management,
wildlife habitat and riparian restoration. These watershed studies also
should help develop performance measures for estimating soil quality,
water quality and wildlife habitat benefits for specific conservation
practices.
| Special Emphasis
Watersheds |
Location |
Primary Conservation
Issues |
|
Choptank River |
Maryland |
Poultry manure management |
|
Maumee River-Upper Tiffin River |
Michigan |
Dairy manure management and
subsurface drainage |
|
Maumee River-Upper Auglaize River |
Ohio |
Subsurface drainage |
|
Upper Snake Rock Creek |
Idaho |
Irrigation management |
|
Cheney Lake |
Kansas |
Wildlife habitat and beef cattle
manure management |
|
Upper Klamath Lakes |
Oregon |
Irrigation management |
|
North Bosque River |
Texas |
Dairy manure management and
reservoir water quality |
|
Stemple Creek |
California |
Dairy manure management and
riparian restoration |
USDA’s Agricultural Research
Service (ARS) has been conducting research on most of the 12 benchmark
watersheds for a considerable period of time and anticipates that watershed-scale
research and assessments will be continued over many years.
| Benchmark Watersheds |
Location |
Primary Conservation Issues |
|
Beasley Lake |
Mississippi |
Fertilizer management, pesticide
management, wildlife habitat, and riparian restoration |
|
Goodwin Creek |
Mississippi |
Tillage management, wildlife
habitat, and riparian restoration |
|
Little River |
Georgia |
Tillage management, pesticide
management, and riparian restoration |
|
Mark Twain Reservoir |
Missouri |
Fertilizer management, pesticide
management, tillage management, reservoir water quality and surface
drainage |
|
South Fork Iowa River |
Iowa |
Fertilizer management, swine
manure management, tillage management, and pesticide management |
|
St. Joseph River |
Indiana |
Fertilizer management, pesticide
management, tillage management, reservoir water quality and subsurface
drainage |
|
Town Brook |
New York |
Dairy manure management, streambank
fencing, and reservoir water quality |
|
Upper Big Walnut Creek |
Ohio |
Fertilizer management, pesticide
management, reservoir water quality and subsurface drainage |
|
Upper Leon River |
Texas |
Dairy manure management and
reservoir water quality |
|
Upper Washita River |
Oklahoma |
Fertilizer management, irrigation
management and rangeland health |
|
Walnut Creek |
Iowa |
Fertilizer management, pesticide
management and tillage management |
|
Yalobusha River |
Mississippi |
Wildlife habitat and riparian
restoration |
In
addition, the USDA Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension
Service in April 2004 issued a notice to accept applications for competitive
grants for additional CEAP watershed studies.
Additional information about
CEAP can be obtained at www.nrcs.usda.gov/technical/nri/ceap.
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