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CONSERVATION CONNECTIONAn occasional update on conservation activities in the Bay State February 2004 In this Connection:
State Conservationist's CornerWelcome to the inaugural issue of the Massachusetts Conservation Connection, an occasional update on conservation activities in the Bay State. I hope that you will find it informative and useful. We welcome contributions of conservation-related news for future updates. We are also still in the process of developing our e-mail list. Please feel free to forward this message to colleagues who might find it useful. If you have received this because someone forwarded it to you and you would like to be on the list, or if you wish to be removed from the list, please send your contact information to Diane.Petit@ma.usda.gov. 2004 promises to be an exciting and busy year for NRCS in Massachusetts. Our funding for Farm Bill programs has increased nearly 65 percent, so we will be able to accomplish much valuable conservation work in partnership with landowners, conservation districts and our many other partners. Please read on for details. CECIL B. CURRIN, State Conservationist Sign up for federal conservation programs in MassachusettsFunding for Mass. increases by 65 percent Massachusetts farmers and other landowners are encouraged to apply for nearly $12.5 million in federal funding for conservation programs recently released by the US Department of Agriculture for this fiscal year, a 65 percent increase over last year. The programs are administered by the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service. “These funds will help Massachusetts landowners work in partnership with local NRCS field staff in maintaining high environmental stewardship in communities across the commonwealth,” said State Conservationist Cecil B. Currin. “USDA remains committed to providing the conservation tools and resources to ensure that the land in the Bay State remains both healthy and productive.” With financial and technical assistance from NRCS, farmers and other landowners will continue to address resource concerns on farmland, promote environmental quality, address challenges in water quality and quantity, protect prime farmland, and protect valuable wetland ecosystems and wildlife habitat on private lands. Nationally, the FY 2004 allocations to states include $1.2 billion in financial assistance and $305 million for technical assistance for NRCS Farm Bill programs and other activities. “Now that these funds have been allocated, our field offices can begin writing contracts with local farmers,” said Currin. “These contracts will help ease the existing backlog in these popular programs improving soil, water, air and at-risk habitat on working lands.” Landowners are encouraged to sign up for these conservation programs by March 1. General information is available on the NRCS Massachusetts website at www.ma.nrcs.usda.gov. For more specific information, contact a local USDA Service Center (http://offices.usda.gov or in the phone book under Federal Government, U.S. Department of Agriculture). Comments sought on new Conservation Security ProgramMassachusetts farmers have until March 2 to comment on the proposed rule to implement the new federal Conservation Security Program (CSP). CSP, which will be administered by the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), is designed to reward the best conservation stewards of the most environmentally sensitive areas. Farmers can provide comments to NRCS officials in person at a New England listening session will be held on February 11, 10:00 am to 1:00 pm at the Civic Center, 76 Community Center Dr., Augusta, Maine. Written comments will also be accepted at the forums, by mail, or by e-mail. Comments must be received by March 2, 2004. Send comments by mail to Conservation Operations Division, Natural Resources Conservation Service, P.O. Box 2890, Washington, DC 20013-2890, or by e-mail to david.mckay@usda.gov; Attn: Conservation Security Program. Authorized by the 2002 Farm Bill, the intent of CSP is to complement existing conservation programs by supporting ongoing conservation stewardship of agricultural lands and enhancing America’s natural resources. Under the proposal, land in cropland, orchards, vineyards, pasture and range will be eligible for CSP, regardless of size, location or crops produced. Exceptions are forest land or land enrolled in the Conservation Reserve Program, Wetlands Reserve Program or Grassland Reserve Program. Applicants must address water quality and soil quality concerns as program eligibility criteria and enrollment will be targeted to those demonstrating the highest levels of stewardship. CSP payment limitations will be based on three “tiers” that represent increasing levels of resource treatment. Payments rise with increased levels of treatment. To ensure that CSP’s limited resources are focused first on the most pressing environmental concerns, the rule proposes to prioritize eligibility based on selected national priority watersheds, determined based on issues such as water quality vulnerability and excessive soil quality degradation. The proposed rule, as well as more information on CSP and other conservation programs, is available on the NRCS web site at www.nrcs.usda.gov. Farmers can also contact their local NRCS field office for more information. A list of field offices can be found on the NRCS Massachusetts web site at www.ma.nrcs.usda.gov. NRCS implements $6.5 million in Massachusetts conservation projects in 2003Massachusetts landowners, working in partnership with NRCS, implemented some $6.5 million worth of conservation projects in 2003 that will safeguard water quality, preserve farmland, improve wildlife habitat and protect wetlands across the Bay State. NRCS programs provided cost-share assistance for the projects. Plymouth County farmers – primarily cranberry growers – received the most federal cost-share assistance for conservation projects through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) at a total of more than $744,000. EQIP is a voluntary conservation program that supports production agriculture and environmental quality as compatible goals. Other areas of the Commonwealth that received significant EQIP funding were Worcester County at $489,000; Franklin County at $454,000; and Hampshire County at $327,000. Statewide, dairy and livestock producers received more than $1 million in conservation assistance through EQIP. Barnstable County received more than half of Massachusetts’ funding allocation for the Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program (WHIP) at $304,000 for projects such as coastal grassland and salt marsh restoration. The remaining $296,000 funded a variety of wetland, fish passage, grassland and woodland projects statewide. Some 1,600 acres of prime Massachusetts farmland will be protected from development in the coming year with more than $2.8 million in federal funding through the federal Farm and Ranchlands Protection Program (FRPP). Cranberry growers in Plymouth and Nantucket counties received more than $766,000 through the Wetlands Reserve Program (WRP) to take cranberry bogs out of commercial production and restore them to natural wetlands. “I’m pleased with the conservation work that we have accomplished in the commonwealth this year,” said State Conservationist Cecil B. Currin. “Although limited resources may have prevented us from providing cost-share assistance to some applicants, I hope that we can do even more this year and encourage farmers to take advantage of the wealth of technical expertise available from their local NRCS office.” Resource Conservation & Development UpdateAgricultural commissions a growing trend in Mass. townsPilgrim Resource Conservation & Development Area Council offers Ag Commission Toolkit on CD-ROM The Pilgrim Resource Conservation and Development (RC&D) Area Council has developed a unique resource for farmers, residents and town officials concerned about maintaining farms and farming in their community. “A Toolkit for Organizing a Town Agricultural Commission” is a package of materials on CD-ROM that will guide the user through the process of organizing an agricultural commission. Town agricultural commissions are appointed town standing committees that encourage the pursuit of agriculture, and sustain the community’s farm businesses and farmlands. Ag commissions are addressing local priorities such as agricultural business development, increasing public awareness of the many benefits that agriculture provides, leadership development, outreach and education to increase the visibility of farms as businesses, and farmland protection. Ag commissions also help farmers network with service providers, resolve potential problems in the early stages, and encourage political activity Agricultural commissions are being organized throughout southeastern Massachusetts as a result of the Pilgrim RC&D Area Council’s and existing agricultural commission’s efforts, as well as financial support from the Massachusetts Society for Promoting Agriculture and in-kind support from the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources. "This partnership is empowering farmers and town residents to organize town agricultural commissions by providing them with much needed coordination assistance, information and planning tools,” said Pilgrim RC&D President Bill Napolitano. The CD-ROM contains 17 sample documents that can be customized by the user. These documents include preparations for exploratory meetings, agendas, talking points, town meeting warrant articles, meeting guidelines, support flyers, agricultural commission work plans and a brochure. The CD also contains a PowerPoint presentation that can be used when speaking to local groups about organizing an Agricultural Commission. The CD-ROM is available for $10 from the Pilgrim RC&D Area Council. Contact the Pilgrim RC&D Office at 508-295-1317, x131, to request a copy of this informative and useful CD. The RC&D program is administered by NRCS and promotes conservation, development, and wise use of natural resources to improve economic activity, and to enhance the environment and standard of living in communities. The program is based on the assumption that local citizens, working through non-profit RC&D Councils, and with help provided by the USDA, can develop a plan for the economic, social and environmental enrichment of their communities. News from the FieldConservation Partners Protect Farmland to Honor John OgonowskiFederal and state agricultural officials and the Dracut Land Trust have announced the permanent protection of 33 acres of farmland in Dracut as a living memorial to former American Airlines pilot John Ogonowski. At a November ceremony at the Ogonowski family farm, federal, state and local officials and others paid tribute to Ogonowski and his contributions to agriculture. Ogonowski died on September 11, 2001 when terrorists commandeered his plane and crashed it into the World Trade Center’s North Tower. Before his death, Ogonowski, a Dracut farmer, was a founder of the Dracut Land Trust, designed to save farmland in the town. The parcel will be preserved in perpetuity through Massachusetts’ Agricultural Preservation Restriction Program with $690,000 in funding from NRCS. NRCS contributed funding toward this project through its Farm and Ranch Lands Protection Program (FRPP). Senator Edward M. Kennedy and Congressman Marty Meehan were instrumental in adding a provision in the 2002 Farm Bill that directed USDA to work with the Dracut Land Trust to preserve the land. “We are not only preserving the land to John’s memory, but preserving a piece of our rural and agricultural heritage,” said R. Mack Gray, Deputy Under Secretary for Natural Resources and the Environment. “This is truly an impressive accomplishment by the Dracut Land Trust and the State of Massachusetts’ Agricultural Preservation Restriction Program to make this happen. USDA is proud to have played such an important role through FRPP.” FRPP, a voluntary program, helps landowners keep their land in agriculture. It provides matching funds to purchase conservation easements on prime agricultural land. Participating landowners agree not to convert their land to non-agricultural uses and to develop and implement conservation plans for any highly erodible land covered by an easement. In Massachusetts FRPP works in conjunction with the state's Agricultural Preservation Restriction (APR) program. “I heard John say it many times: when you plant a building in a field, it’s the last crop you’ll ever grow there,” recalled John’s brother, James Ogonowski. Ogonowski’s agricultural accomplishments extended beyond farmland protection. He worked to preserve a tradition of opportunity for immigrant farmers through the USDA Farm Service Agency’s New Entry Sustainable Farming Project. Ogonowski, the son of Polish immigrant farmers, made land available to about a dozen Cambodian immigrant families because he wanted to offer an opportunity to farmers from overseas who loved agriculture as much as he did. “Even when he was seven miles in the air, he was always a man of the earth,” said Captain William Bronson, Chief Pilot for American Airlines in Boston, of John Ogonowski. CALENDAR
The Natural Resources Conservation Service provides leadership in a partnership effort to help people conserve, maintain and improve our natural resources and environment. NRCS Massachusetts State Office: 451 West Street, Amherst, MA 01002 | 413-253-4350 | fax 413-253-4395 | www.ma.nrcs.usda.gov Cecil Currin, State Conservationist NRCS field offices are located at USDA Service Centers in
Barnstable, Greenfield, Hadley, Holden, Pittsfield, Westford and West Wareham.
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