“We are really excited about the opportunity this grant from NRCS provides to us in developing this new program to help landowners while protecting the Lesser Prairie Chicken,” Pope said.  “By undertaking a program that gives a direct financial incentive for agriculture producers and other landowners to protect this species, it changes the nature of the game from one that costs landowners dollars to one that actually provides a financial benefit to those folks who practice good stewardship on their land.  This grant from NRCS will go a long way toward getting this program off the ground.”

Authorized by the 2008 farm bill, the Conservation Innovation Grant program (CIG) is a voluntary program intended to stimulate the development and adoption of innovative conservation approaches and technologies for agriculture production. CIG promotes sharing of skills, knowledge, technologies, and facilities among communities, governments, and other institutions to ensure that scientific and technological developments are accessible to a wider range of users.  Under CIG, Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) funds are used to award competitive grants to non-Federal governmental or non-governmental organizations, Tribes or individuals.  OACD will receive over $412,000 to develop a credit program to help mitigate the loss of the habitat of the Lesser Prairie Chicken under a program similar to their successful Carbon Credit Program.

“We have made great strides in this kind of work to encourage carbon sequestration on private lands and we feel we can have the same kind of success when it comes to helping protect the Lesser Prairie Chicken,” Pope said.

According to Dave White, Chief of the NRCS, this grant received by OACD is one among many nationwide that will help some of America’s top agricultural and conservation institutions, foundations and businesses develop unique approaches to enhancing and protecting natural resources on agricultural land.

“Conservation Innovation Grants allow our partners to demonstrate innovative approaches to address some of the nation’s most compelling natural resource concerns,” White said. ”Their creativity and problem-solving will benefit conservation-minded farmers and ranchers, and everyone who relies upon our nation’s natural resources for food and fiber.”

Under the terms envisioned for this new initiative, landowners who sign a contract to undertake a wildlife management plan including improvements such as improved pasture management, cross fence removal, invasive species control and native grass plantings and who also agree to forego activities for the term of their contract that significantly harm Prairie Chicken Habitat will qualify for this program.   According to Pope, this new influx of money by NRCS for this program builds off of a earlier agreement between the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation (ODWC ) and OACD.

“Last fall ODWC and OACD took the initial steps to build this program and get it started,” Pope said. “ODWC has already been working with other partners to sign landowners up to establish permanent easements for Prairie Chicken Habitat and they are working to secure refuge areas for this and other species through land purchases, but habitat management is a big issue that requires multiple solutions and many producers are uncomfortable with permanent easements. We feel this new approach will work well with those landowners who are interested in working on a multi-year agreement to protect and expand the habitat of this critical species through some form of contract that would reward them financially for good stewardship work while allowing them the a chance to review their options every few years.   We think this new agreement fits well into this niche and will allow more work to be done to keep the Lesser Prairie Chicken off the endangered species list.”

According to OACD President Joe Parker, this partnership is another way the Oklahoma Conservation Partnership of local Conservation Districts, OACD, the Conservation Commission and the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) are helping landowners conserve the state’s Natural Resources.

“This new initiative is a great way to promote conservation of our natural resources, reward good stewardship of the land and highlight the good work that is going on in Oklahoma,” Parker said.  “By creating this new market for Wildlife Credits, we are helping protect a critical species we all want kept off the endangered species list while rewarding the efforts farmers, ranchers and other landowners are doing to protect our environment.  This is a great program that helps wildlife while putting dollars in the pocket of those folks going the extra mile to protect our natural resources.  This is an exciting partnership and we are glad to be a part of it.”

By Clay Pope, Executive Director, Oklahoma Association of Conservation Districts

Oklahoma is once again facing a major drought.  Articles in news outlets throughout the Southern Plains have described the last four months as drier than any similar period since the dust bowl.  Every day it seems there’s another drought related story; wildfires, potential crop failures, no rain; everything except massive dust storms.  Why?

The answer:  the farmers and ranchers of Oklahoma and our surrounding states.

We’ve all heard about the dust bowl; extreme drought; soil from the southern plains blowing all the way to the east coast, even coating ships in the Atlantic with dust; massive “dusters” turning mid-day to night.  Surely this year, now identified as one of the driest in Oklahoma history, we should again be seeing massive dust storms.  The difference is the changes in agriculture that grew out of the dust bowl. Changes resulting largely from the partnership between landowners, local Conservation Districts and the state and federal governments, especially the Oklahoma Conservation Commission and the USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS).

Back during the “dirty 30s,” the government decided that it would be better to work with producers instead of against them. Using the open hand of friendship in the form of free technical assistance and financial help in the form of cost-share dollars (helping pay part of the cost of making improvements to the land, the producer then pays the rest) instead of the iron fist of government regulation, the U.S. and state governments worked with producers to turn back the tide of dust.  Landowners responded by forming conservation districts and adopting new ways of managing the land including new tillage practices, experimenting with new crops and by planting marginal land to native or improved grasses. 

The results of this partnership?  Well, look outside. 

Oklahoma was drier in the four months following Thanksgiving than it has been in any similar time frame since 1921. We’re dust storm free.  Why?  Because of the work of done by agriculture producers in partnership with conservation districts and the state and federal governments.

We should be proud of these accomplishments, but there’s more to do.  We must stay vigilant and not repeat the mistakes of the past.  The state and federal governments must maintain their commitment to conserving our natural resources and properly fund conservation.  Cuts currently being proposed to USDA NRCS in Washington should be carefully examined to make sure that we aren’t setting ourselves up for a repeat of past problems during this time of tight federal budgets.  

We should also recognize that we have new challenges such as water quality concerns and the spread of invasive species like the eastern redcedar, challenges that can be addressed the same way we attacked the dust bowl, through voluntary, locally-led means.  By working together we can conserve our natural resources without new regulations.  Voluntary, locally-led conservation works.  If you don’t believe it, look outside.  Do you see a dust storm on the horizon? If not, thank an agriculture producer.

Farmers Royalty Company and OACD to Partner on State Conservation Youth Awards.

As part of their continuing commitment to the youth of Oklahoma and the Conservation of our state’s natural resources, Farmers Royalty Company and the Oklahoma Association of Conservation Districts (OACD) today announced that they will partner together in presenting the Farmers Royalty Company Conservation Youth Awards. These awards will go to the winners of the OACD poster, essay and speech contests at the district and state level. Last year over 1,000 students from throughout Oklahoma participated in these contests.

“We are honored to have Farmers Royalty Company as a partner in recognizing the outstanding achievements of our states youth,” Joe Parker, President of OACD said.  “These students work hard in preparing their speeches, posters and essays. The support of Farmers Royalty Company gives us a chance to better recognize their achievements.”

Open to students from all areas of Oklahoma, the Farmers Royalty Company/OACD Youth Conservation Contests include categories for both high school and grade school students.  These contestants research the conservation topic chosen each year and then write essays, develop speeches or create posters to expand on the conservation theme for that year.

Hal Clark, Chairman of the Board of Directors for Farmers Royalty Company and also a member of the Cimarron County Conservation District said, “It is a great pleasure for Farmers Royalty Company to partner with OACD to promote Education of Conservation of our natural resources with the youth of our state.  I am also excited to honor the legacy of Vernon McNally with this partnership.  Vernon was a great conservationist and also a promoter of education for our youth.”

Farmers Royalty Company was established in 1929 as an Oklahoma oil and gas cooperative company owning and managing minerals across the state.  The Company has continued to grow and owns mineral interests in 14 states.  The Company still retains the cooperative base in it by-laws and pays dividends to its shareholders.

 “This is a great partnership, Farmers Royalty Company and OACD,” Clay Pope, executive director of OACD said.  “By sponsoring these awards, Farmers Royalty Company is helping us recognize the youth of our state and encouraging our students to have a better appreciation for our natural resources.  Farmers Royalty Company is truly committed to helping the next generation of Oklahomans conserve and protect our soil, water, air and wildlife habitats.”

State Leaders announce recent EPA numbers showing Oklahoma ranked among the top five states in controlling nonpoint source pollution in water for second year in a row thanks to conservation programs; third year to be in the top ten.

Oklahoma City— The dedicated work of farmers, ranchers and other landowners to control non-point source pollution in Oklahoma by using voluntary programs administered by the Oklahoma Conservation Commission and local conservation districts is paying off according to new water quality numbers recently released by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).  Recent analysis of nonpoint source pollution reduction numbers from across the nation shows that Oklahoma for the second year in a row ranks among the top five states in reducing nutrients from our streams and rivers and for the third year in a row ranks among the top ten states in nutrient reduction work according to Senator Ron Justice (R-Chickasha), Chair of the Oklahoma State Senate Natural Resources Appropriations Sub-Committee.

“We should all take pride in this accomplishment,” Justice said.  “This shows what can happen when we work together to solve problems.  When we respect folk’s private property rights and when the State and Federal Governments give them the financial and technical assistance they need to make changes, we can accomplish great things. ”

Representative Phil Richardson (R-Minco), Chairman of the House Agriculture, Wildlife and Environment Committee agreed, noting that this continued success in water quality improvement shows that the voluntary approach used by the State and utilizing the partnership of the Conservation Commission, local conservation districts and the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) is working well in Oklahoma. 

“By using the delivery system consisting of the Oklahoma Conservation Commission, local conservation districts and NRCS, we have been able to use Federal Clean Water Act dollars to partner with landowners in ways that are starting to turn the corner on some of our toughest water quality issues,” Richardson said.  “We’re not only controlling pollution, but we are also taking into consideration the financial situation of the landowner-something that the EPA seems to be reluctant to do.  Clearly we have a great model here in Oklahoma.”

Don Armes (R-Faxon), Chairman of the House Natural Resources Appropriations Sub-committee agreed.  “This approach shows that production agriculture and protecting the environment don’t have to be at cross purposes,” Armes said. “I can only hope that the federal government and other states will take notice of what we are doing here in Oklahoma.”

Water quality numbers released at the beginning of March show that nearly 440,000 pounds of nitrogen, 150,000 lbs of phosphorous and 6,000 tons of sediment were reduced from Oklahoma’s water last year.  When reviewing these numbers in comparison with the levels of non-point source pollution reduced by other states, Oklahoma was shown to be one of the top five states in the nation in nutrient reductions for the second year in a row.  This will be the third consecutive year that Oklahoma has ranked in the top ten among states in nonpoint source control while receiving less than two percent of all Federal EPA non-point source pollution funds.

According to Jim Reese, Oklahoma Secretary of Agriculture, this water quality success was achieved through voluntary cost-share efforts similar to those used by Conservation to address soil erosion since the dust bowl of the 1930’s.  Through funding from the EPA Clean Water Act section 319 program, the Farm Services Agency (FSA) Conservation Reserve Enhanced Program (CREP), farm bill conservation programs administered by the NRCS, state conservation programs administered by the Conservation Commission and with local leadership from conservation districts, Reese said farmers, ranchers and other landowners are working to protect our natural resources.

“In the past, the government learned that it was best to work cooperatively with landowners to address environmental concerns.” Reese said. “By helping individuals with technical and financial assistance, farmers, ranchers and other landowners are willing to put their own money out of their own pocket into cost-share projects designed to address concerns like water quality. This approach worked to tame the dust bowl and this recent recognition by the EPA shows it can also work to address non-point source pollution.”

Oklahoma Secretary of the Environment Gary Sherrer said the success of this voluntary, cooperative approach should serve as a model for other states and the federal government as they look at issues concerning water quality in other areas of the country.

“From the Chesapeake Bay to the Mississippi River Basin, water quality is a major issue throughout the country.” Sherrer said. “In Oklahoma I believe we have a model that can help point the way to addressing these serious concerns through programs that work to reduce nonpoint source pollution without driving agriculture producers out of business.  These numbers prove that we are moving in the right direction in Oklahoma when it comes to water quality and we hope the EPA and other states will recognize what can be done when landowners and the government work cooperatively to solve these kinds of problems.”  

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              Oklahoma Association of Conservation Districts

              (405) 699-2087 or claypope@pldi.net

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Blue-green algae blooms, bacteria spikes in Oklahoma lakes show need for increased water quality efforts and the danger of recent federal cuts, conservation leader says.  Grand Lake Water plan should be revisited by EPA.

Oklahoma City—The recent rash of water quality alerts in Oklahoma, including blooms of blue-green algae and increased levels of E coli bacteria in certain lakes shows the need for additional resources dedicated to addressing nonpoint source pollution in water according to Joe Parker, President of the Oklahoma Association of Conservation Districts (OACD).  In addition, Parker said that these events also help highlight the folly of recent actions taken by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) including cuts made to federal funding to control nonpoint source pollution in water and the rejection in 2008 of a water quality management plan for the Grand Lake Watershed. It also shows the challenges that could be created by proposed cuts to Farm Bill Conservation programs.

“Events can speak louder than words,” Parker said.  “For months now we have been expressing our dismay at the cut by EPA to the Clean Water Act section 319 program (319), the primary fund that we use to control nonpoint source pollution in water.  We also were disappointed when the EPA rejected the watershed plan for the Grand Lake Watershed some time back and we are concerned about what could happen to our efforts if we see some of the cuts proposed to federal conservation funding become law.  We talk and talk about the water quality challenges we are facing and what these cuts could mean but I guess it takes headlines about lakes closing before the message hits home.”

In early July, a bloom of blue-green algae in Northeast Oklahoma’s Grand Lake resulted in warnings for visitors to avoid swimming in the lake over the 4^th of July weekend.  Later that same month an increase in E coli bacteria in parts of Lake Arcadia in Central Oklahoma was sighted as the reason for closing several beach areas on that water body.  This past week blue-green algae blooms were detected in Fort Gibson Lake and Keystone Lake with another possible bloom in Lake Tenkiller.  Parker said that these events show

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that while Oklahoma has made great strides in the area of water quality protection, now is not the time to abandon water quality work in the name of balancing the federal budget.

“In late May the Oklahoma Conservation Commission was notified that roughly 20% of the funds it receives through the 319 program would be cut,” Parker said. “These are the funds we use to partner with landowners to undertake best management practices on land in priority watersheds.  These cuts would also reduce the funds used by the Conservation Commission to monitor whether or not these practices are actually working and resulting in reductions of nutrients, bacteria and sediment.  Using these dollars in partnership with USDA Farm Bill Conservation programs including help from the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), Oklahoma has been able to show reductions of nutrients as high as 70% in some watersheds.  Now, both the 319 funds and USDA Conservation programs are on the chopping block.  These recent water quality events show why that’s a bad idea.”

In addition to funding, Parker also said that the EPA should re-examine the Watershed Management Plan that was developed by the Grand Lake Watershed Alliance Foundation in cooperation with Local Conservation Districts and the Oklahoma Conservation Commission to address water quality issues in the Grand Lake system which also includes Fort Gibson Lake.  This plan was advanced to EPA in 2008 and was rejected primarily due to concerns over the size of the Grand Lake Watershed, an issue that Parker said seems to be of little concern to EPA when talking about water in other areas of the country.

“While the Grand Lake Watershed is a big area, including parts of Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri and Arkansas EPA is working on the Mississippi River Watershed, which is about one-third of the country and the Chesapeake Bay Watershed, which is much bigger than the area we are talking about here,” Parker said. “It’s true that Oklahoma only makes up 10% of the watershed effecting Grand Lake, but that shouldn’t discount the work that went into this plan nor should it keep EPA from bringing the states together to follow through on the work we have started here in Oklahoma.”

Regardless of what the EPA does or what happens to federal dollars, Parker said that Oklahoma’s Conservation Partnership will continue the work it has started in this important watershed to address nonpoint source pollution.

“The local Conservation Districts, the Oklahoma Conservation Commission and our Federal Partners at USDA NRCS are already working with farmers, ranchers and other landowners to address agriculture’s contribution to the water quality challenges in Grand Lake,” Parker said.  “We will continue to do what we can with the resources at our disposal to partner with landowners to address nutrients, bacteria and sediment in this and other watersheds.  I just hope that these recent water quality events show our policy makers why conservation and water quality funding is so important.”

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Contact: Clay Pope, Executive Director

              Oklahoma Association of Conservation Districts

              (405) 699-2087 or claypope@pldi.net

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

POLITICIANS IN WASHINGTON PROPOSE KILLING UPSTREAM FLOOD CONTROL PROGRAM; LIVES AND PROPERTY OF OKLAHOMANS AND OTHER AMERICANS TO BE PUT AT RISK.

Oklahoma City—Citizens throughout Oklahoma and other states will be put at risk if proposals to kill the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) upstream flood control program pass as part of the budget agreement currently working its way through Congress, according to Joe Parker, President of the Oklahoma Association of Conservation Districts (OACD).

“There is no other way to put it-our elected officials in Washington are on the verge of putting thousands of Americans at risk of losing not only their property but their very lives in a future dam breach,” Parker said.  “It’s not just disappointing that they would do this—it’s outright irresponsible.”

According to Parker, current proposals being considered by Congress would eliminate funding for repair and rehabilitation of America’s over 11 thousands upstream flood control dams, over 2,100 of which are in Oklahoma.  These proposals run the gambit from those floated by the Obama administration to eliminate future rehabilitation work to ideas being forwarded in the U.S. Senate to have all rehabilitation jobs now under construction stop immediately.

“It is hard to believe that the representatives of the American people would be willing to put this kind of gun to the head of their own citizens,” Parker said. “We are all in favor of balancing the budget, but it should not be done in a way that put people at risk.”   

Under language proposed by the Obama Administration, all future watershed repair funding would be eliminated as well as any funding for any federal assistance in designing these projects.  In addition to this proposal, the continuing resolution for funding the Federal Government that recently passed the U.S. House of Representatives eliminated the funding for federal engineering, better known as operations assistance, while retaining at least some funding for rehabilitation due to the leadership of Congressman Frank Lucas, Chairman of the House Agriculture Committee.  Now, proposals being brought forth by the U.S. Senate would not only eliminate funding for future watershed work, but would mandate that all ongoing work nationwide come to an immediate halt.  Regardless of what language you look at or which proposal you chose, according to Clay Pope, Executive Director of OACD, it all adds up to a dangerous situation for anyone below a flood control dam.

“The first responsibility of the Government, whether local, federal or state is to protect the lives and property of its citizens;  that’s why the government built these flood control dams to begin with–to protect life and property.  Now, in the name of balancing the budget, we are willing to turn our back on this critical part of our public infrastructure,” Pope said. “Without the help of the Federal Government in the form of matching funds to repair these dams and without the engineering help of NRCS, most states will be unable to address the need to repair these dams.  In Oklahoma alone, we will have over 1,000 dams in the next ten years that will be past their design life and be in need of repair—we understand that this creates a ticking time bomb for anyone who lives under one of these structures and it’s why Chairman Lucas fought to have at least some rehabilitation funding in the House Bill.  All I can say to the people of Oklahoma is that I hope in the final agreement on the budget, Congress and the Administration come to their senses, either that or I hope you don’t live below a dam.”

Contact: Clay Pope, Executive Director
Oklahoma Association of Conservation Districts
(405) 699-2087 or claypope@pldi.net
Lindsay Vidrine, Oklahoma Tourism & Recreation Dept.
Lindsay@TravelOK.com 405-230-8414

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Oklahoma Tourism and Recreation Department, Oklahoma Association of
Conservation Districts announce partnership to reduce the environmental footprint
of Sooner State visitors

Oklahoma City-People coming to visit Oklahoma will soon have a method to lower
the environmental footprint of their trip while promoting natural resource conservation
through a new initiative announced today by the Oklahoma Tourism and Recreation
Department (OTRD) and the Oklahoma Association of Conservation Districts (OACD).

“We are extremely excited about this new partnership with Tourism,” said Sarah Pope,
Director of OACD’s Carbon Initiative. “By working together we can help folks offset
their carbon emissions and other environmental impacts produced from traveling by
offering them credits generated by conservation practices that sequester carbon while
protecting our soil, water, air and wildlife habitats. This is a great program and a big win
for the environment.”

Under the terms of the agreement, the Oklahoma Tourism and Recreation Department will
sell an ECOpass through the webstore on www.TravelOK.com. The ECOpass is available
in $5, $15, and $30 denominations which equates to different levels of carbon credits
that are created by practices such as no-till farming and strip-till farming, grass plantings,
tree plantings and improved pasture management. All of these practices are encouraged
by the Conservation Districts of Oklahoma, the Oklahoma Conservation Commission
and the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) to reduce non-point
source pollution in water, conserve soil, improve wildlife habitat and sequester carbon.

Research shows that these improvements to the land can store or ‘sequester’ anywhere
from .5 to 1.2 metric tons of carbon in soil per acre, per year, helping reduce overall
carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere while addressing other natural resource concerns.
Landowners who undertake these practices have the ability to sell these carbon credits
through the OACD Oklahoma Carbon Initiative with verification provide by the
Oklahoma Conservation Commission Carbon Program. This new partnership between
OTRD and OACD will allow those coming to Oklahoma who wish to reduce their
environmental impact to purchase these credits.

“The Tourism Department works to offer more sustainable choices for visitors traveling in
and to Oklahoma,” said Hardy Watkins, Executive Director of the Oklahoma Tourism and
Recreation Department. “The ECOpass is a meaningful way to both reduce a traveler’s
environmental impact while also benefitting Oklahoma farmers and ranchers who are
implementing sustainable practices.”

OACD President Trey Lam said that this partnership is another way conservation districts
and the Oklahoma Conservation Partnership are helping landowners conserve the state’s
Natural Resources.

“This new initiative with Tourism is a great way to promote conservation of our natural
resources, reward good stewardship of the land and highlight the good work that is going
on in Oklahoma,” Lam said. “By facilitating the sale of these credits to folks who are
coming to Oklahoma we are helping promote sustainable tourism while showcasing the
ongoing efforts to protect our environment. This is a great program that helps showcase
Oklahoma nationally and puts dollars in the pocket of those folks going the extra mile to
protect our natural resources. This is a great program and we are excited to be a part of
it.”

Oklahoma City-40 years after the first Earth Day a new and revolutionary Federal Farm Program will reward farmers and ranchers based on their efforts to protect soil, water, air and wildlife habitat.  This new federal initiative, known as the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) represents a new and exciting area for Federal Farm Programs said Trey Lam, President of the Oklahoma Association of Conservation Districts (OACD) 

“CSP is a new and exciting alternative in the area of farm programs,” Lam said.  “Instead of paying producers when commodity prices are low or paying producers based on production history, CSP will pay farmers and ranchers based on how they care for the environment.  This represents a new direction in farm programs and it’s something we need to talk more about, especially on Earth Day. 

Created by the 2008 Farm Bill and administered by the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), the CSP builds on the concepts of previous stewardship programs that were limited to specific watersheds.  This new program, however, is open to every producer across the country.  

“CSP changed dramatically in the last Farm Bill”, Lam said. “NRCS took the time to develop a program that would appeal to producers across the nation and offer them an equal chance to participate.” 

Initial sign-up for CSP began in the fall of 2009.   After the closing of this first sign-up period, producers in Oklahoma had applied to NRCS to enroll over 1 million acres into the program. Of these acres, 625,000 were determined to be eligible.  Due to funding constraints, only 552,865 acres state wide could be enrolled in the program.  Those producers who were successful in enrolling their land in CSP will receive an annual payment of on average $14 per acre per year for a period of five years.  These producers will be required to maintain certain improvements on their land that address critical natural resource issues and undertake additional work to improve the level of stewardship of their farming, ranching or forestry operation.

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Under the rules of the program, eligibility is based on how a producer addresses natural resource issues on their entire operation and on improvements designed to meet goals determined by NRCS.   

According to Lam, this level of interest during the initial sign-up period for CSP shows that the farmers and ranchers in Oklahoma are interested in this new stewardship program. 

“The agriculture producers of Oklahoma have always shown a strong interest in conserving our natural resources,” Lam said. “Whenever we undertake a federal Clean Water Act program in Oklahoma we always run out of money for the program before we run out of producers who want to help protect our environment.  This level of interest in CSP just confirms this desire on the part of Oklahoma agriculture producers to help the environment.” 

Matt Gard, Chairman of the Oklahoma Conservation Commission, said that this interest in CSP will help the state build on ongoing efforts to address natural resource concerns. 

“Along with NRCS, the Conservation Commission and local Conservation Districts work every day to help landowners address issues from soil erosion to water quality concerns, to wildlife habitat,” Gard said. “We provide cost-share dollars and technical assistance to help reduce the cost of making these kinds of improvements, but with CSP, there is now a program that will actually put dollars in producers’ pockets for good stewardship.  This is a huge change that will really help reward those good stewards of the land.” 

Clay Pope, OACD Executive Director said that this new program points the way to new thinking about agriculture and environmental policy. 

“Too often those of us in production agriculture have looked at any attempt to do additional environmental work on our land as just another cost to our bottom line,” Pope said.  “With CSP, however, the federal government is saying ‘everyone gets a benefit when you conserve soil, reduce non-point source pollution, sequester carbon or improve wildlife habitat.  Since society as a whole is benefitting from your good stewardship, we are going to pay you on average $14 an acre for your good work. You can still farm and ranch, you still qualify for other Farm Bill programs, but if you are a good conservationist, we will reward you for your protection of the natural resources.’ Farmers, ranchers and foresters make their living off the land and understand what can happen if you don’t care for the environment.  It’s good to see a program like this that rewards the efforts of those who realize that every day is Earth Day.” 

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of Natural Resources Conservation

NRCS Chief Dave White Marks Agency’s 75^th Anniversary at State Capitol

OKLAHOMA CITY, April 19, 2010 – Dave White, Chief of USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), today praised the people of Oklahoma for their “deep and unique understanding of the importance of conservation.” White spoke at the Oklahoma State Capitol at a special event commemorating NRCS’ 75^th anniversary.  

“I am honored to be in Oklahoma to kick off the anniversary celebration of the NRCS,” said White.  “The partnerships that NRCS has with Oklahoma’s conservation districts, the Oklahoma Conservation Commission and the state’s farmers and ranchers continue to set examples for the entire nation.”

NRCS, formerly the Soil Erosion Service, then the Soil Conservation Service, was created in response to the Dust Bowl, a disaster that ravaged land in Oklahoma and surrounding states and impacted the entire nation during the 1930s.  President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the bill creating the agency on April 27, 1935.

Acknowledging the invaluable service NRCS has provided to Oklahoma since the Dust Bowl, Gov. Brad Henry issued a Governor’s Proclamation designating April 19, 2010, as Natural Resources Conservation Service Day in Oklahoma.

“I want to thank Gov. Henry for this proclamation,” White said.  “Oklahoma has a special place in the heart of all of us at NRCS.  We’ve done a lot of pioneering work here over the years that’s benefited folks all over the country.” 

Chief White will attend a dedication ceremony for the Turkey Creek Site 3 Upstream Flood Control Dam in Garfield County, near Enid — the first new dam completed through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, a conservation first for Oklahoma.

“We are pleased that Chief White has come to Oklahoma to dedicate the first upstream flood control dam built with federal stimulus funds,” said Trey Lam, president of the Oklahoma Association of Conservation Districts. “Oklahoma has been the leader in building upstream flood control dams, having more than any other state,” Lam said. “We are also excited that stimulus funds are being directed to the repair and rehabilitation of many of our dams. This is critical if we are to keep our flood control infrastructure properly maintained,” he said.

In addition to new dam construction, other ARRA projects being administered by NRCS in Oklahoma include repair and rehabilitation of existing dams and a floodplain easement program.

“NRCS plays a major role in the economic and environmental life of our state,” said Matt Gard, chairman of the Oklahoma Conservation Commission. “The agency, working through conservation districts and the Commission, delivered record amounts of federal conservation dollars this past year, providing important economic benefits to rural Oklahoma while having a positive impact on our environment,” Gard said.

NRCS delivered nearly $100 million in financial and technical assistance in Oklahoma during the past year.  A study last year by Oklahoma State University found that each dollar spent on conservation in local areas can multiply as much as two-and-a-half times as it is spent and circulated through the local economy.

Contacts:

Gary O’Neill, Assistant State Conservationist
USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service

(405) 742-1220 or gary.oneill@ok.usda.gov

Clay Pope, Executive Director             

Oklahoma Association of Conservation Districts

(405) 699-2087 or claypope@pldi.net

Mark Harrison, Information Officer

Oklahoma Conservation Commission

(405) 521-6787 or Mark.Harrison@conservation.ok.gov 

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