CREP Corner

By Lee Ashford

Excerpt from Lost River Subbasin Agricultural Water Quality Management Area Plan:

603-095-3940

Requirements

…(3) Streamside Areas

(a)   By December 31, 2005, agricultural activities must allow the establishment or improvement of vegetation to provide bank stability and shading of natural streams consistent with the capability of the site. Evaluation of vegetation will consider conditions for a stream reach in contiguous ownership.

(b)   Except as provided in (a), grazing, weed control and other common agricultural activities are allowed in riparian areas.

On December 31, 2005, Senate Bill 1010 hit home for agricultural landowners in the Lost River watershed. That was the date established in the approved Agricultural Water Quality Management Area Plan by which all agricultural activities MUST allow riparian vegetation to provide bank stability and shade the water, or be in violation of the law.

What does this mean for you? That depends on a lot of factors. It doesn’t mean you can’t allow your cattle to graze close to the river anymore, but it probably means you can’t allow them to loaf in the water all summer. It doesn’t mean you can’t spray, burn, mow, dig, or otherwise control noxious weeds along the river, but it may mean you’ll want to modify how you control them. It doesn’t mean you have to give up any freedom to run your operation as you see fit, but it does mean you are accountable to your neighbors for how your activities might impact a resource you all must share.

Fortunately, for most of you this date will pass without a ripple, and will not require any change whatsoever in how you operate. Many of you already have spent time and money to fence your livestock away from the river. Many of you have established buffers in the riparian zone to filter out surface pollutants from reaching the water. Many of you have operated for years in a manner that allows riparian vegetation to function as it should.

For those of you NOT in the Lost River watershed, the Klamath Headwaters Agricultural Water Quality Management Area Plan gives you just one more year to come into compliance; its requirements take effect January 1, 2007. Regardless of which watershed your property is in, if you are concerned about compliance with SB1010 you might be interested in the CREP program. CREP provides cost-share and annual rental payments to help you establish a buffer zone. Give me a call and I’ll be glad to provide the information to help you decide if it’s right for you.

On a personal note: I’ve been the Klamath County CREP Technician for just over a year now. During that time I’ve been very favorably impressed with how many of you – entirely on your own, and at your own expense – have implemented many of the conservation practices the CREP program encourages. All my dealings with Klamath County producers have been very pleasant, favorable, and enjoyable. You are a great bunch of people! Thank you for making the past year so gratifying. I’m looking forward to working with even more of you in 2006.