The mission of the Gilliam Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) is to conserve, protect, and develop soil, water, and other natural resources for the economic and environmental benefit of the residents of Gilliam County. In partnership with U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Natural  Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) the district has the ability to develop and implement scientifically sound and economically feasible resource management plans for private landowners at the local level.

Project staff will implement riparian buffer contracts that address limiting factors identified in the John Day Sub-basin for areas of the Lower John Day River Sub-basin within Gilliam County. Project staff will provide the technical planning support needed to implement 9 riparian buffer contracts (two renewals; and seven new contracts of which five are carry overs from previous contracts) on anadromous fish streams (or streams providing direct benefit as confirmed by ODFW district biologist) as a one-year goal. Two habitat projects are also included in this contract. One full time employee will be dedicated to the outreach and promotion of state and federal riparian programs in addition to the technical planning support needed to implement the riparian buffer agreements. Buffers widths will average 60 feet on each side of the qualifying streams but may also vary in width from 35 to 180 feet. Actual implementation costs, lease payments and maintenance costs will be borne by the USDA's Conservation Reserve Program and Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP).

Farm Service Agency (FSA) program leases will be for 10-15 year periods. FSA programmatic allows landowner to determine the contract length between 10-15 years. Implementation practices will include fencing, plantings, off stream water systems and other related practices necessary to ensure restoration and enhancement of the riparian area. Other funding sources, such as Environmental Quality Incentive Program (EQIP), and OWEB Focus Investment Partnership (FIP) will also be used as needed based on availability.

This project helps fulfill a critical staffing need to conduct assessments and develop plans to address the growing backlog of potential CREP projects. This contract will partially fund three district positions with specific skill sets required to ensure a fully functional CREP program.
The Program Manager will direct the program with landowner outreach associated with project prioritization. By using local knowledge and geographic datasets a project priority implementation plan will be developed and utilized. The Conservation Technician will be the primary staff person executing the critical planning duties needed for project development. The clerical/technical assistant will ensure all fiscal operations are properly followed. Without these positions, FSA and NRCS would have a backlog of other duties creating another barrier to the implementation of CREP in Gilliam County.

Plans developed by the Riparian Buffer Technician are used for federal contracts to implement riparian buffers. 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).

Additionally, GSWCD staff will promote more aggressive in-stream process-based restoration activities for new CREP contracts and renewal contracts. Private landowners will be provided with technical assistance for practices such as Beaver Dam Analogs (BDAs) and Post-Assisted Log Structures (PALS). Should a landowner be interested in process-based restoration, GSWCD staff will use non-BPA capacity funding to seek restoration funding from NRCS or the Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board (OWEB).

Currently, process-based restoration is a priority restoration activity for Gilliam County that often accompanies CREP. To complement CREP practices, there will be a solid emphasis to promote process-based restoration where applicable to encourage floodplain reconnection, create pool habitat, extend perennial flow, and expand planting zones. Specifically, each contract up for renewal will be evaluated for possible process-based restoration actions, such as beaver dam analogs (BDAs) or post-assisted log structures (PALS). If the landowner is interested in a more aggressive restoration approach, the technician will inform the District Manager. The District manager will then direct other staff to follow up with the landowner and pursue funding opportunities for design and implementation. GSWCD has been using
a similar approach but more opportunistic approach for the past four years.

Notes:
Gilliam SWCD will continue to provide vehicle liability and collision insurance for the length of this agreement. Operation and Maintenance (O&M) of the riparian exclusion fence are not required in this project. O&M is a funded through the CREP contract whereby the landowner receives an additional payment to cover maintenance costs. The landowner is responsible under the contract for maintenance.
Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) is included as a cost item. This is accomplished through visual inspections. Additionally, records of stream miles, acreage and number of plans completed will be tracked for reporting purposes. A project priority list will be developed using the Atlas prioritization framework developed by the John Day Partnership with assistance from BPA. This program meets a critical need in conducting assessments and developing plans to address riparian health for the Lower John Day River Sub-basin.

Farm Service Agency (FSA) has fiscal and administrative responsibility for managing CREP contracts to ensure contract terms are being met. Natural Resource Conservation Service (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.

As there is uncertainty with federal funding and securing a new Farm Bill, FSA has not been authorized for executing any CREP 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.”