April 5th Meeting Agenda

Transcription

1 Pend Oreille County Voluntary Stewardship Program

2 April 5th Meeting Agenda Welcome and Meeting Overview Follow up from last Work Group meeting Review details in Sections 2 and 3 prepared since last meeting Discuss VSP Draft Section 3.2 Ag Viability Baseline Conditions Discuss Work Plan Draft Chapter 4 Next Steps

3 3/6 Workgroup meeting follow up

4 Follow-up from March 6th Meeting CD and NRCS conservation practices used since 2011 GIS data summaries in work plan tables (being added) pictures of wildlife, ag or critical areas VSP Information on the County website Status of review comments

5 Work Plan Updates Chapters 2 and 3 REVIEW WORK PLAN

6 Section 2: Regional Setting Describe County s profile Water resources, precipitation, soil, and land cover and ownership Describe agricultural activities in County Define critical areas and associated functions and value Discuss analysis units and County agricultural conditions

7 Baseline (2011) and Existing Describes critical areas intersection with agriculture Why is this important? Conditions Protection of critical areas on agricultural lands is crucial to protecting critical areas functions and values on a watershed-scale Provides baseline conditions for adaptive management indicators Describes the intersections of critical areas with agriculture to determine functions and guide selection of key stewardship practices

8 Land Ownership 64.6% of the County is publicly owned 34.7% private ownership.7% tribal ownership

9 Annual Precipitation Precipitation ranges from 15 to 65 inches

10 Watershed Planning 5 watersheds WRIAs 55, 57, 59, 61 and 62 Per last meeting: Spokane rivers (55 and 57) Rest of County (59, 61 and 62)

11 General Soils

12 Agricultural Landcover Map (north county)

13 Agricultural Landcover Map (south county)

14 Wetlands & Streams 19,143 acres 11,641 rangeland 7,215 dryland 287 irrigated 6% of agricultural land in wetlands Mainly emergent and forested/shrub wetlands 1,693 stream miles 402 miles of perennial or fish use documented 1,291 of no fish use or unknown/intermittent

15 PHS 53% of agricultural land PHS non-game species 31,034 acres (10% of private ag lands) Includes: Common Loon, Lynx, oldgrowth/mature forest, riparian zones and waterfowl concentrations PHS game species 135,854 acres (44% of private ag lands) Includes: ducks, elk, moose, mountain goat, Mule deer, Northwest White-tailed deer, and Rocky Mountain elk Mostly in rangeland

16 CARA (North County) Primarily rangeland 2,501 acres 1% of agricultural lands

17 CARA (South County) Primarily rangeland 2,501 acres 1% of agricultural lands Newport WHPP area not depicted

18 GHA Water Erosion Higher portion in rangelands 63% of agricultural land (193,533 acres)

19 GHA Wind Erosion Mostly Rangeland 76% of agricultural lands (234,286 acres)

20 Frequently Flooded Areas Total 19,633 acres Concentrated in range and dryland areas along Pend Oreille river Intersects with 6% of total agricultural lands

21 Section 3.2 Focus on Ag Viability

22 Balancing Stewardship Activities with Agricultural Viability Agricultural Viability

23 Agriculture in Pend Oreille County: 2012 Census of Agriculture Summary Pend Oreille County agricultural products (market value): Approximately $3.9 million total annual value 59% was crops 41% was livestock There were approximately 288 farms 34% of farms have less than $1,000 in sales 51% of farms have $1,000 to $10,000 in sales 15% of farms have greater than $10,000 in sales Census of Agriculture 2012

24 SWOT Analysis Preliminary Results Strengths Excellent product (grass fed beef) Strength of family farms Strong demand for product Opportunities Regional market for grass fed beef New technologies and crops Increased irrigation efficiency Agricultural tourism Limited urbanization pressures compare to other areas Multiple smaller operations/integrated farming operations where producers sell to each other, with shared values and commitment to work together Weaknesses Reliance on public lands leases to support ranching Fluctuating price of hay and fertilizers Cost of electricity Short growing season Limited options for crop diversity - wheat and cattle are the primary agricultural products, and subject to commodity prices Limited opportunity to vertically integrate Smaller farms/operations often mean less economic buying power Threats New regulations Predation of livestock Loss of land base to development Wildfires and landslides Land ownership changes and changes from working agricultural lands to recreation lands can change underlying land economics and affordability of lands to continue agriculture Public land management (or lack of it) puts more game pressures on surrounding lands - grazing, trespassing, game population densities - on private lands Equipment costs, input costs, and labor increases from minimum wage makes it challenging to find and retain qualified labor Younger generations not interested in working lands as they seek other career opportunities

25 Review Work Plan Updates and Chapter 4 REVIEW WORK PLAN

26 Critical Areas FWHCA Wetlands Geologic Hazards (Erosion) CARA FFA

27 Direct and Indirect Effects

28 Critical Area Functions Ecosystem Functions Water Quality Hydrology Soil Health Habitat and Values Critical Areas Wetlands Fish and Wildlife Habitat Conservation Areas Critical Aquifer Recharge Areas Geologically Hazardous Areas Frequently Flooded Areas

29 Key Conservation Practices Example Practice Fencing Streambank and Shoreline Protection Forest Understory Management Restoration and Management of Rare and Declining Habitats Ag Type Rangeland Rangeland Dryland Irrigated Rangeland Rangeland Dryland Irrigated Description Managing livestock access to areas with the construction of a barrier fence Protecting and stabilizing streambanks to prevent erosion and enhance fish and wildlife habitat Managing forest composition and understory vegetation to reduce wildfire risk and maintain grazing conditions Reestablishing and/or renovating unique or diminishing native terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems Water Quality Critical Areas Function Hydrology Soil Health Habitat Agricultural Viability Prevent soil loss Weed management Pollinator/beneficial organisms Increased yield and fertility Prevent soil loss Weed management Pollinator/beneficial organisms Prevent soil loss Weed management Pollinator/beneficial organisms Weed management Pollinator/beneficial organisms

30 VSP Checklist Discuss content - show on screen

31 Next Steps Upcoming meeting schedule: May 1st and June 5 th Upcoming Meeting topics: Chapters 5 and 6 Goals & Benchmarks Adaptive Management Discuss implementation & outreach