|
| |
2006 Conservation Security Program
Updated
03/26/2008
The Natural Resources Conservation Service's Conservation Security Program
(CSP) is a voluntary program that provides financial and technical assistance
to promote the conservation and improvement of soil, water, air, energy, plant
and animal life, and other conservation purposes on Tribal and private working
lands. Working lands include cropland, grassland, prairie land, improved
pasture, and range land, as well as forested land that is an incidental part of
an agriculture operation. The program is available in all 50 States, the
Caribbean Area and the Pacific Basin area. The program provides equitable access
to benefits to all producers, regardless of size of operation, crops produced,
or geographic location.
USDA selects 60 watersheds for 2006 CSP
USDA announced preliminary selection of 110 watersheds for fiscal year 2006
based on the President’s budget request. Based on available funding, CSP will be
offered in 60 watersheds across all 50 states, the Caribbean and Guam.
The Naches watershed has been selected for
Washington's 2006 CSP sign-up.
To be eligible for CSP, most of an applicant’s
agricultural operation must fall within the boundaries of a selected watershed.
Applications which meet CSP’s minimum requirements as set forth in the amendment
to the Interim Final Rule published in the Federal Register March 25, 2005, will
be placed in enrollment categories. Categories will be funded in alphabetical
order until funds are exhausted. The CSP amendment to the Interim Final Rule is
available at:
http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/csp.
Implementation of CSP in
Washington State for 2006
|
|
 |
Washington State was awarded
one watershed to participate in the 2006 Conservation Security Program. The 2006 priority
CSP watershed selected in Washington
is the Naches.
CSP watershed sign-up period is February 13 to March
31, 2006.
“This priority watershed has been selected because it represented a balance
of resource needs, historic stewardship, potential producer eligibility, and the
technology and adequate staff needed to successfully implement the program,”
NRCS State Conservationist Gus Hughbanks said.
To help
producers learn more about the program, the Natural Resources Conservation
Service (NRCS) and the local Conservation Districts have scheduled CSP informational meetings
in the Naches watershed.
As the first
step in the sign-up process, Hughbanks recommends that producers should
determine if they have a majority of their land within the Naches watershed
boundary. Hughbanks
said that in addition to their availability on the NRCS web site, maps of the
watershed boundaries will be posted at USDA Service Centers within
the Naches watershed.
|
Map of Washington's 2006 Conservation Security Program
Watershed
For watershed specific information, select
the watershed above or use the following link:
Producers begin the CSP application process by attending at least one watershed
information and assessment workbook public meeting. Self-assessment workbooks will be
provided at
those meetings and will need to be completed, in their entirety, to
determine if basic eligibility requirements for CSP are met. The Applicant
Eligibility self-assessment workbook will focus on producer and land eligibility
requirements and the second, Record Keeping workbook, will provide the
applicant an opportunity to document their benchmark conservation activities.
After completing both self-assessment workbooks, applicants should schedule an
appointment with the local NRCS staff to discuss their application. Both
self-assessment workbooks will be available in hard copy at USDA Service
Centers within the Naches watershed.
Washington State CSP Materials Available
for Downloading
USDA Service Center offices in the
Naches watershed
will have
Applicant Eligibility and Record Keeping Self Assessment Workbooks
available for your use.
Producers need to complete both of these workbooks
which will document their benchmark conservation activities on their identified
agricultural operation prior to the
initial eligibility interview. The information provided in the workbooks will be used to
determine program eligibility.
 These documents require
Adobe Acrobat. Follow this link for free
download.
All publications have been make available in a .PDF format. Alternative text
may not be available in all cases for these publications as they can not be depicted in a narrative format. We apologize for any inconvenience.
These are relatively large files and
may take a while to download. The best way to view them is to right mouse
click on the file name and select “Save Target As” to copy the file to your
computer before trying to open it.
CSP Workbooks for Washington Naches Watershed
National Updates
General Information Brochures outlining CSP
 |
Get Ready.
Get Set. & Get in CSP!
Conservation Security Program (CSP) brochure
Tips to help
Washington’s agricultural producers...
The
Conservation Security Program is the first program to reward farmers who
have adopted good conservation practices, and it provides substantial
incentives to expand or enhance current conservation efforts.
Get
Ready. Get Set. & Get in CSP! (491 KB)
|
CSP Information
available in Spanish
Contact:
csphelp@wa.usda.gov for
questions regarding the Washington State Conservation Security Program or:
Dave Brown
Asst. State Conservationist for Programs
USDA - Natural Resources Conservation Service
316 W. Boone Ave Suite 450
Spokane, WA 99201
509.323.2971
< < Back to ... Programs | |
|
About Us
Back to Top