Wasco County Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) provides local leadership in implementation of conservation activities focused on improving watershed health. Working in close partnership with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) our team's strength is our ability to develop and implement scientifically sound, economically feasible resource management plans for private landowners.

This project covers all anadromous streams in Wasco County and associated tributaries with a critical connection to supporting anadromous species.

The goal is to establish nine (3 new; 6 renewals) Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) buffer agreements (on anadromous fish supporting streams) and begin work on five (5) contract renewals. The agreements will be signed by landowners annually, committing desired property to CREP rules, i.e. shrub/tree/grass planting, weed control, livestock exclusion. Wasco SWCD staff will track contracts to ensure a smooth process between landowners and partner agencies. This tracking entails monitoring the approval process on completed plans through SWCD, NRCS, and FSA County Committee sign-off and Farm Service Agency (FSA) contracting. Work elements reflecting this quantity of agreements include establishing three (3) new contracts and completing six (6) contract renewals (to be completed by 9/30/2023), as well as beginning work on additional five (5) renewals (to be completed by 9/30/2024). It is assumed that all expiring contracts will be renewed, although the decision rests with each individual landowner. Buffer contracts are eligible to be renewed for an additional 15 years, resulting in continued riparian protections. The process includes assessment of the existing buffer status, updating the conservation plan and CREP agreement, and providing technical assistance to landowners. The landowner is responsible for all implementation activities.

CREP is a popular program in Wasco County. Over 330 miles of stream are enrolled in the CREP program, protecting nearly 10,000 acres. Not all of the enrolled segments are anadromous; however, CREP buffers provide positive impacts on downstream water quality, benefiting anadromous species. In the Fifteenmile drainage, approximately 81% of perennial anadromous streams are enrolled in the program.  
SWCD Technicians coordinate with the ODFW projects as appropriate.

This project fills a critical staffing need to conduct assessments and develop plans to address the growing backlog of potential projects. Plans developed under this project 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 problems and opportunities, (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 plan (monitor).

BPA funding is utilized only to cover CREP technician time for conducting outreach, preparing the conservation plan, and providing technical assistance prior to and during implementation. Fencing installation and other management actions are funded by the FSA through a contract with the landowner. The landowner is responsible for all implementation.

New CREP projects have to meet certain criteria for FSA to enroll them, including degradation by agriculture use which may include farming practices within a healthy riparian buffer zone or livestock grazing. The CREP Technician will determine on the ground conditions and eligibility. Land with trees already established and functioning as a riparian buffer is not eligible for enrollment. All stream segments proposed for new enrollment will benefit from expanding and enhancing the riparian areas and use exclusion (restrictions on agricultural farm use and grazing). All new enrollments will have some level of planting prescription to establish or enhance the buffer.

Vegetation, especially trees, in the riparian buffer improve fish habitat by limiting how much solar radiation can reach the stream surface. As a result, stream water temperatures are lower, and they fluctuate less during the day compared to non-shaded portions of the stream. Trees also provide woody debris for the stream, an important component of fish habitat. Continuous riparian buffers provide the most cumulative benefit, thus it is important to enroll as many properties into the CREP program as possible.

Notes:
Operation and Maintenance (O&M) are not required in this project:
Actual O&M is a funded item in the CREP contracts whereby the landowner receives a small fee per acre to cover maintenance costs. The landowner is responsible under the contract for the maintenance. O&M is a contractual requirement and is funded by USDA.
Monitoring is accomplished through visual inspections. Additionally, records of stream miles, acreage and number of plans completed will be tracked for reporting purposes:

Farm Service Agency (FSA) has programmatic 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.

Contract renewals are important because they protect the prior investments made by BPA and partners. CREP contracts can span 10-15 years depending on landowner objectives. The majority of contracts are 15 year commitments and this CREP contract is expected to renew for an additional 15 years.

The CREP program provides Wasco County SWCD staff with an opportunity to leverage landowner contacts to promote more active in-stream process-based restoration activities to compliment both new CREP contracts and renewal contracts.  Private landowners are often provided with technical assistance to cultivate interest in process-based restoration activities, ultimately providing greater benefits to fish & wildlife.

Staff will promote more comprehensive 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, 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 Wasco County. 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 comprehensive 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 of process based restoration techniques.