CREP Corner

By

Lee Ashford

 

It isn’t easy to ask for help. Sometimes it isn’t easy even to know whether you NEED help. This may be particularly true if you have a river or stream running through your property. Water quality and riparian restoration are two topics which have held a lot of public interest over the past several years, but how is a landowner supposed to know whether or not the waterway crossing his property needs help? How is he supposed to know what help may be available? More importantly, how is he supposed to know what questions to ask so he can get the help he needs?

Recognizing a need, staff from Oregon State University Extension Service joined forces with experts from the USDA NRCS Watershed Science Institute in Portland several years ago to devise a stream assessment tool for landowners. Called “Stream*A*Syst”, this tool is available online at no charge to the landowner. Hardcopy versions can be purchased for a nominal fee at select OSU Extension Office locations.

“Stream*A*Syst” stands for Streamside Assessment System. It consists of two main parts: a self-evaluation worksheet and an action plan. The worksheet has been designed to provide landowners with a simple yes-or-no choice to a number of questions. These questions address the same issues an experienced watershed scientist would evaluate, but in a format that doesn’t require a PhD to understand. No special equipment or training is necessary to answer these questions, and it is not necessary that you answer every one of them. Examples of some of the questions include: Is the water green? Has the stream been straightened? Are there high, vertical banks in straight sections? By simply circling the “yes” or “no” answers as they apply, you compile a record of the stream condition on your property.

Following the worksheet is the action plan. In this section the producer can check boxes for specific areas of concern, and then refer to a list of things to do, or agencies to call, about those concerns. There is even a section in which the producer can record any action taken to address those concerns. The action plan is basically a chart of things you can do after you identify a problem.

Your Stream*A*Syst workbook provides a permanent record of your stream conditions at a specific point in time. However, its greatest value becomes apparent when you take it with you to meet with your NRCS Conservation Planner or Soil and Water Conservation District staff. By providing a copy of your Stream*A*Syst worksheet to your planner, you will enable the planner to better understand your stream conditions and your concerns. That will help the planner direct you toward appropriate programs designed to address your specific areas of concern.

Download your copy of Stream*A*Syst today by going to the website, http://extension.oregonstate.edu/catalog/html/em/em8761/ on your home computer. If you don’t have internet access at home or work, you should be able to access this site by using the computers at your local branch of the County Library.

Once you’ve identified an area of concern, you may find CREP is the program best suited to address that concern. However, it is important that you consider all your resource concerns, not just focus on riparian concerns. Stream*A*Syst is a tool which can help you identify riparian concerns, but a comprehensive resource management system developed with the assistance of your local NRCS planner will help you address all aspects of your resource concerns. Give your planner a call today – after you download and complete your Stream*A*Syst worksheet – to find out how he/she can work with you to help you improve your operational efficiency.