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2008 Conservation Security Program

Updated 04/15/2008

A sign-up for the Conservation Security Program (CSP) will be held April 18 to May 16, 2008 for producers in the Lower Snake-Tucannon watershed in southeast Washington, USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service announced today. NRCS estimates some 500 farms, covering more than 600,000 acres are within that watershed, which covers parts of Walla Walla, Asotin, Garfield, Columbia and Whitman counties.

CSP is a voluntary conservation program that supports ongoing stewardship of private, agricultural working lands and rewards those producers who are meeting the highest standards of conservation and environmental management on their operations.

The sign-up announcement and specific program requirements are being published in the Federal Register. In addition, NRCS will be conducting meetings in the watershed to provide additional information and answer questions about the program. The times, dates and locations of meetings will be posted, on this webpage, as soon as those meetings are scheduled, and producers can check their local NRCS offices for meeting information, as well.

Payments can include three components: 1) an annual stewardship component for the base level of conservation treatment; 2) an annual component for maintenance of existing conservation practices; and 3) an enhancement component for exceptional conservation effort. Enhancement activities could include limited pesticide applications, renewable energy generation, and widening existing riparian forest buffers for restoring critical stream habitat.

 

Lower Snake- -Tucannon Watershed CSP Sign-up Information

Thumbprint location map of Lower Snake-Tucannon CSP Watershed boundary.

 Adobe Acrobat DocumentDetailed map outlining Lower Snake -Tucannon watershed boundary.   (224 KB)

  General information and descriptions of the Lower Snake-Tucannon watershed.

   CSP public meeting dates, times, and locations.

 


 

To apply for CSP, NRCS asks potential participants to complete a CSP self-assessment workbook – available on the web or from local NRCS offices – to find out if their operation meets the requirements of the program and qualifies for program participation. The self-assessment process is completed using a self-screening questionnaire for each land use to be enrolled. When this process is completed, the producer submits the CSP workbook to the local NRCS office during the sign-up period and meets with NRCS personnel to go over any additional needed documentation. NRCS will then determine if eligibility requirements are met and provide options for the producer’s decision on enrollment category placement.


Washington State 2008 CSP Materials Available for Downloading  

USDA Service Center offices in the selected watershed have CSP Self-Assessment Workbooks available for your use.  These workbooks will also be available at the local informational meetings. Producers should complete workbook(s) for each landuse in their operation prior to the initial eligibility interview.  These workbooks should be completed with as much information as possible. The information you provide in the workbooks will be used to determine program eligibility.

Adobe Acrobat DocumentThese documents require Adobe Acrobat.  These documents require Excel. Follow link provided for free download.

All publications have been make available in a .PDF format.  Alternative text is not available for these publications as they can not be depicted in a narrative format. We apologize for any inconvenience.

Many of these files 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.


Self-Assessment Workbooks

    Adobe Acrobat DocumentCSP Self-Assessment Workbook    2.71 MB
    Adobe Acrobat DocumentFarmstead, Headquarters or Livestock Feeding Self-Assessment and Recordkeeping Workbook    3.2 MB

     Optional
    Adobe Acrobat DocumentRecord Keeping Workbook    7.0 MB
   
  
Forms and Application Guidance Documents   

    Adobe Acrobat DocumentControl of Land Certification by Owner    254 KB
    Adobe Acrobat DocumentDelineating an Agricultural Operation    623 KB


 "Enhancement Activities" refer to actions that provide resource benefits beyond the level prescribed by NRCS Conservation Practice Standards.  Once implemented, enhancement activities should result in an observable or measurable improvement to the condition of one or more of the soil, water, air, plant, or animal resources, or provide for more efficient resource utilization and/or energy conservation.

    Air Quality
    Adobe Acrobat DocumentAgricultural Odor Activity Sheet   59 KB
    Adobe Acrobat DocumentParticulate Matter Activity Sheet   49 KB
    Adobe Acrobat DocumentOzone Precursors Activity Sheet   62 KB

    Energy
    Adobe Acrobat DocumentEnergy Audit of Agricultural Operations Activity Sheet  33 KB
    Adobe Acrobat DocumentRecycle 100% of Waste Lubricants On Farm Activity Sheet  34 KB
    Adobe Acrobat DocumentRenewable Energy Generation Activity Sheet  34 KB

    Grazing Lands
    Adobe Acrobat DocumentGrazing Management Activity   57 KB
    Adobe Acrobat DocumentMonitoring Activity   394 KB     

    Plants
    Adobe Acrobat DocumentCropped Woodland Improvement Activity  25 KB

    Soil Quality
    Adobe Acrobat DocumentCompaction Avoidance Through Controlled Traffic Activity    70 KB 
    Adobe Acrobat DocumentSoil Conditioning Thresholds Activity    38 KB  

    Water Management
    Adobe Acrobat DocumentDrainage Water Management Activity   33 KB 
    Adobe Acrobat DocumentField Poly Tubing and Drip Tape Recycling Activity   25 KB
    Adobe Acrobat DocumentIrrigation Management Activity   40 KB
    Adobe Acrobat DocumentReduction of Evaporative Losses Activity   32 KB
    Adobe Acrobat DocumentRemote Monitoring of Irrigation Pumping Plant Activity   23 KB
    Adobe Acrobat DocumentSalinity Management Activity   35 KB

    Water Quality
     Adobe Acrobat DocumentNutrient Management Activity   105 KB
     Adobe Acrobat DocumentPesticide Management Activity   68 KB

    Wildlife
     Adobe Acrobat DocumentPollinators Areas Activity   31 KB
     Adobe Acrobat DocumentRiparian Zones Management Activity   35 KB
     Adobe Acrobat DocumentShallow Water Habitat Management Activity   38 KB
     Adobe Acrobat DocumentWildlife-Water Quality, Widen Buffers Activity   40 KB
     Adobe Acrobat DocumentWildlife Friendly Haying Management Activity   22 KB

    Certification sheets for companion enhancement activities listed above.



Additional information on CSP, including eligible watersheds and a CSP self-assessment workbook is available at http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/csp.

 

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.
Adobe Acrobat DocumentGet Ready. Get Set. & Get in CSP!  (491 KB)

CSP Information available in Spanish

Programa de Seguridad para la Conservación
(CSP en inglés)
CSP es un programa voluntario de conservación que apoya el buen manejo, mantenimiento y mejoramiento de los recursos naturales en tierras privadas.


 Adobe Acrobat DocumentPrograma de Seguridad para la Conservación (CSP en inglés) (379 KB)
Link for additional Spanish program information at NRCS.
 2002 Farm Bill Programas de Conservación (en español)

    


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


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