Wheeler Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) continues to focus on improving riparian habitat and overall watershed health within Wheeler County. Working in close partnership with U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and the Farm Service Agency (FSA), the district has the ability to develop and implement scientifically sound and economically feasible resource management plans for private landowners.

Wheeler SWCD will plan and implement riparian buffer protections to address limiting factors identified in the John Day Sub-Basin Plan (John Day Subbasin Plan by Northwest Power and Conservation Council) for the subbasins located within Wheeler County. This contract will fund the SWCD CREP Lead and additional staff to provide technical planning and support needed to implement seventeen riparian buffer contracts (nine new fence construction), three plant vegetation, and five renewed contracts (leases) on approximately 732.29 acres covering an estimated 23.86 miles of streams under this contract. Ten of the agreements were carried forward from the prior contract due to planning alterations with landowners having different goals and objectives and for the SWCD staff to continue technical assistance during implementation. Additionally, 2025 renewal contracts were carried over due to monitoring efforts and contract execution taking place in the next fiscal contract. As there is uncertainty with federal funding and securing a new Farm Bill, FSA has been authorized to not be planning nor executing any CRP contracts, new or renewals. The SWCD staff will continue to conduct outreach and planning efforts in preparation for an executed Farm Bill and will work with FSA once authorized to do so.

Plans developed by the SWCD staff are used to implement riparian buffer agreements. Buffer widths will average 65 feet on each side of the qualifying streams but may also vary in width from 35 to 180 feet. Program costs for lease agreements, practice installation (implementation), and other incentive payments will be borne by the USDA FSA Conserve Reserve Enhancement Program. Program leases will be 10–15-year periods. Implementation practices include fencing, plantings, off stream water systems and other related practices necessary to ensure restoration and enhancement of the riparian area. Other funding sources will be utilized if additional resource concerns need to be addressed.

Wheeler SWCD has completed a series of priority watershed assessments and evaluations throughout the county to leverage funds from partners and other funding agencies. The District continues to participate in the Lower John Day Working Group and John Day Basin Partnership to understand and utilize the Atlas prioritization efforts so project efforts are focused on high priority practices in high priority watersheds identified within the county. This program meets a critical need in developing plans to address riparian health for the John Day Basin. The SWCD uses the USDA NRCS "Nine Step" planning process to develop these plans: 1) identify opportunities and potential problems, 2) determine objectives, 3) inventory resources, 4) analyze resource inventory, 5) formulate alternatives, 6) evaluate alternatives, 7) decision - select alternative, 8) implement the plan, 9) evaluate the plan (monitor).

Notes:
Operation and Maintenance (O&M) are not required in this project:
Actual O&M is a funded item in the CCRP/CREP contract whereby the landowner receives an additional payment to cover maintenance costs. The landowner is responsible under the contract for maintenance. O&M is funded by the USDA FSA. If practice has exceeded its life expectancy, practice can potentially be cost shared on in the future.

Technical review and recommendation are included as a cost item. This is accomplished through visual inspections, and repeated assessments.  Additionally, records of stream miles, acreage and number of plans completed will be tracked for reporting purposes.

FSA has fiscal and administrative responsibility for managing CREP contracts to ensure contract terms are being met. NRCS has responsibility for technical supervision of all installed practices. NRCS delegates authority to the SWCD to provide this technical supervision as long as the SWCD adheres to NRCS standards and specifications. Through this delegation, SWCD technicians will use the NRCS Stream Visual Assessment Protocol (provided by NRCS) as the principal monitoring and evaluation tool to evaluate and describe both pre- and post- CREP project conditions.