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About Capital press. (Salem, OR) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 5, 2016)
4 CapitalPress.com February 5, 2016 Agencies help farmers improve stream habitat By MITCH LIES For the Capital Press The stream running through Ralph Duyck’s Wash- ington County, Ore., farm is fully shaded, the ash trees and brush helping improve aquat- ic habitat by keeping the wa- ter cool. As recently as 10 years ago, that wasn’t the case. When Duyck irst signed a 15-year contract with the En- hanced Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program, or ECREP, the stream was fully exposed to sunlight, which threatened water quality and increased the water tempera- ture. The situation on Duyck’s farm has been repeated again and again by Washington County landowners working with project managers at the Tualatin Soil and Water Con- servation District. Through ECREP, a program unique to Washington County, extra funding assistance is avail- able from Clean Water Ser- vices, the Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board, Oregon Department of Forestry and the Freshwater Trust, provid- ing a boost to the inancial in- centives available in the fed- eral CREP. Statewide in Oregon, 1,683 projects involving 41,920 acres are participating in federal CREP, according to Taylor Murray, outreach coor- dinator for the Farm Service Agency in Oregon. In Wash- ington County, 46 projects in- volving 467 acres are enrolled in ECREP. The programs help land- owners improve water qual- ity by providing inancial and technical assistance that enhance the conservation performance of riparian ar- eas. ECREP brings additional dollars to the table from local sources to further reduce eco- nomic barriers, said Jennifer Nelson, a program manager for the Tualatin SWCD. Duyck, who was the sec- ond landowner to enter into an ECREP contract in Wash- ington County, said he was skeptical of the program until he met with representatives of the local and federal agencies that administer and imple- ment the program. PUMPS WELL DRILLING CONTROL SYSTEMS COMPLETE WATER SYSTEMS (503) 633-2666 Courtesy photo Washington County farmer Ralph Duyck, left, and Ken Bierly of the Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board take part in a 2005 dedication ceremony of a conservation project on Duyck’s farm. The ground today is lush with trees and shrubs. Duyck said ECREP of- fered several improvements over its sister packages, CREP and the Conservation Reserve Program, which is more suit- WHEEL TRACK FILLERS • • • • AGRICULTURAL INDUSTRIAL SEPTIC Call for Specials DRINKING WATER • RAIN WATER Serving all Oregon and Washington Emergency Service maintenance of contracted acreage. “With (ECREP), they upped the ante and they plant the trees and do all the work,” OTECO 21881 River Rd NE - 97137 ST. PAUL, OR 1902 Airport Way - 99354 RICHLAND, WA • Water Well Drilling • Pumps and water systems • VFDs & Controls • Water treatment & filtration • Well repair & rehabilitation • Flow tests & water quality testing • Complete pump repair ed to the east side of the state. It paid a higher rental fee and provided more technical as- sistance and more inancing for the purchase, planting and NEW LOCATION! 33935 Hwy 99E, Tangent, OR A half-mile north of Hwy 34 Authorized BANJO Dealer • Fills ruts properly and with the correct material. • Completely fills ruts with one pass. • 10 cubic yard (28,000 lbs.) total capacity. • One-man operation. • Off-season uses include filling ruts in roads and transporting grain. ALSO AVAILABLE! HYPRO Pumps and TeeJet spray system parts. See our full inventory at: www.jtisupply.com www.SchneiderWater.com W16-1/#7 Storage Solutions (541) 928-2937 1-800-982-1099 W16-4/#5 We Deliver Anywhere! “Serving the water needs of the Northwest since 1945” Duyck said. Duyck ielded several calls from neighbors after the word got out that he was signing an ECREP contract. “There were a lot of people that I talked to who were very skeptical,” he said. “I told them I was happy with it, and within two or three months, everyone I talked to signed up and went with it.” Despite the complications that can arise when sever- al agencies are involved in a project, Duyck said he found it easy to participate. “I never had any problem with it,” he said. “It was very relaxing and I enjoyed work- ing with the Tualatin SWCD very much. We went to work and put together a program, planted the trees and the veg- etation, and it is all growing.” The project involved plant- ing upward of 25,000 trees and shrubs on 29 acres. The rental fee generated by the project “isn’t going to make you rich,” Duyck said. “But it pays the bills.” In 2020, when the con- tract expires, Duyck will be required to leave standing the trees and shrubs nearest the stream, but will be allowed to harvest trees outside the buf- fer zone. THE ONLY SOLUTION All else is just another problem. (307) 331-0734 (307) 322-9415 www.otecomfg.com W16-4/#4x
