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About Heppner gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1925-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 26, 1997)
■ Page 4-MSWCD Supplemental to the Heppner Gazette-Times. February 26.1997 fits per dollar expended. The highest ranked applications will be approved for a contract. and state level know their natural Approved applicants are re Taken from a presentation by resource problems and the best sponsible for developing and Jeffery Loser of the NRCS. approaches to solve those pro submitting a conservation plan blems. There will be national encompassing the producer's The Environmental Quality guidance and direction, as farming or ranching unit of Incentives Program (EQIP) always, but most of the actual concern. The conservation plan provides in a single volimtary decisions will be made at the will describe conservation prac program flexible, technical, edu local and state level. For this to tices to protect the soil, water, air cational, and financial assistance occur, people need to make or related natural resources. This to fanners and ranchers who face decisions in a collaborative plan will use the conservation senous threats to soil, water, air manner using a consensus treatments of the NRCS field and related natural resources on process. NRCS, FSA, FSA state office technical guide and is agricultural land and other land, and county committees, conser generally developed with NRCS including grazing lands, wet vation districts and many other and other technical assistance. lands, forest land, and wildlife agencies and people will have The plan is used to establish an habitat. significant roles and responsibili EQIP contract. EQIP replaces ACP, WQIP, ties in the program. The contract provides for cost CRSCP and GPCP. Assistance The program has been de sharing and incentive payments will be provided in a manner that signed to take advantage of what to the producer for applying the maximizes environmental bene each agency does best, and will needed conservation practices fits per dollar expended and will primarily be available in priority and land use adjustments within help producers comply with areas throughout the nation. The a specified time schedule. Pay federal and state environmental priority areas will be watersheds, ments are made to the producer laws. regions or areas of special en when the conservation practices Funds of the Commodity vironmental sensitivity or having specified in the contract are Credit Corporation (CCC) will be significant soil, water, air or satisfactorily established. The used to fund the assistance pro related natural resource concerns. contracts are 5-10 years in vided under EQIP. For fiscal year The process for selecting these length. 1996, $130 million was made priority areas begins at the local In summary , these are key available to administer an interim level. EQIP will also be available differences in EQIP from prior program; $200 million is to be outside of the priority area where programs. EQIP is primarily led made available for each fiscal there are natural resource priority by local decision making; in year 1997 through 2002. Fifty concerns that have been identi stead of decisions being made percent of the funding available fied at the state level. and handed down from the for the program will be targeted Program participation is national level, most decisions are at practices relating to natural voluntary and initiated by the made at the local or state levels. resource concerns due to producer who applies for a con Because of locally-led efforts, livestock production. tract. Applications will be the program will require partner The program has been evaluated and ranked based on ing, collaboration, and coordina designed to be locally led, under how well the producer plans on tion among agencies and organi the belief that people at the local maximizing environmental bene- zations. EQIP is not an annual program for the producer. Pro ducers must submit a conserva tion plan which becomes the basis for a 5-10 year contract. Agricultural jobs 'Ä Unlike some other programs in the past, EQIP is not a single are our specialty ) purpose program. It will not only address soil and water, but also air, plant and animal resources. While EQIP does not focus on - 7y Smith - any one natural resource concern, 587-7278 mobile 379-3739 it does focus on geographic areas Licensed • Bonded • Insured CC8« 10477« for the majority of its emphasis. EQIP Overview TNT E xcavating 1 FARMERS! RANCHERS! Need that extra wrench, socket or tool? Don't want to buy an expensive new set? TRY US! Lots of folks do and are glad. So are we when we help you out! There Have Been Now There are MSWCD Supplemental to the Heppner Gazette-Times. February 26, 1997-Page 5 These geographic areas-called priority areas-can be watersheds, regions, or areas with common problems. Maximizing environ mental benefits per dollar ex pended is a term used frequently in the program, and there are numerous ways in which this will be accomplished. EQIP may also be used to assist a producer in complying with environmental laws. Producers with large confined livestock operations will not be eligible for cost-share assistance to construct an animal waste storage or treatment facility, but they may be eligible for assis tance on other conservation practices. Payment limitations per person are $10,000 in a fiscal year and $50,000 for any multi-year contract. Congress also indicated that no payments may be made to a person in the same fiscal year of entering a contract. The first payments must be made in the subsequent fiscal year. Notes from the Chair... By Chairman Chris Rauch Lately, I have been hearing a new buzz phrase-"locally-led conservation". What does lo cally-led conservation mean? It means local people, with the leadership of local conservation districts, assessing their natural resource conditions and needs. It means local people setting goals, identifying programs and other resources to solve those needs. It means local people developing proposals and recommendations to implement solutions and mea suring their success. Locally-led conservation is voluntary. It means neighbors rural and urban-working togeth er as the foundation for effective conservation; providing a plat form for effective communica tion, achieving mutual under standing, and forging partner ships. Locally-led conservation al lows local people, who know the problems best, to deal with those problems. It is based on shared responsibility—neighbors, farm ers, ranchers, rural and urban residents taking responsibility for their share of conservation. Local means a county, a portion of a county, a watershed, or a multi-county region. The local people are those with a shared stake in the health of natural resources in the local area. This "new" phrase isn't new at all. In fact, the phrase is at least 60 years old. In 1935, the Soil Erosion Service established a 25,000 acre project in south Morrow County to help restore eroded creek channels and de pleted rangeland. In 1937, the Lexington Blow Control District was formed. The Heppner Soil Conservation District was form ed by local farmers, in 1941, recognizing the importance of local, voluntary conservation efforts on private lands. The Heppner Water Control District was formed by local people to address the problems that caused Oregon's worst natural disaster. Unfortunately, this commit ment to locally led conservation was derailed a few years ago, but with the steadfast persistence of conservation districts and their partners, we are seeing a recommitment to our roots. I invite all private landowners, individuals and communities in Morrow County to join the Morrow Soil & Water Conserva tion District and our partnership. If we pull together our local resources, we can make fantastic progress in the name of conser vation. in Agriculture Over the Past Few Years: in Communication for Agriculture ctopby our office Prices for Cellular Phones and Pagers are lower. laree selection of celular phones Cellular Phones have more features as standard equipment. LOTS OF TOOLS IN STOCKI COLUMBIA OUTDOOR & SURPLUS, INC MAIN STREET. HERMISTON • 567-2080 The Morrow Soil & Water Conservation District has initiat ed an educational partnership with county schools. The intent is to provide an opportunity for area youth to learn more about natural resources. The District will provide the necessary information, technical, and ad ministrative assistance. Partici pating instructors will design a curriculum around various projects and the students will carry out the field work. A fair and uncontroversial data use policy will be implemented in order to protect the non-political position of the educational pro gram. When data is gathered for a cooperating individual, busi ness, or agency, an agreement as to the intended use of the data will be established before the data collection begins. In April, representatives from the SWCD and county teachers traveled to Monument for a field day to learn about the Monument High School's natural resources program, Student Watershed Enhancement Team (SWET), which has been featured on the Public Broadcasting Station pro gram, "Oregon Field Guide". In November, Morrow SWCD sponsored Dale Holland, lone science teacher, to attend the Governor's Watershed Enhance ment Board's convention in Seaside. He will share ideas he picked up on curriculum devel opment with other partnership teachers in the county. We have also been working with the Umatilla-Morrow Edu cational Service District (ESD) and the Umatilla Basin Water shed Council (UBWC). The Watershed Council is initiating a similar education partnership in Umatilla County. The Umatilla- Morrow ESD received a $39,800 technical literacy grant and plans to target the teachers involved with natural resource education projects in two counties. A committee has been formed to coordinate our efforts and to get teachers together to share ideas. We have received contri butions from interested citizens and various companies for equipment purchases in the amount of $1,175.00. We are pleased with the response and encouraged by the inquiries. Following is a list of current contributors: Jim McElligott; West Extension Irrigation Dis trict; Potlach Corp.; Finley Buttes; Pacific Telecom, Inc.; Wheatland Insurance; Bank of The annual, post-season deer composition counts have been completed for the Heppner area. The counts are conducted to determine the post-season buck to doe ratios and the fawn to doe ratios. The counts are conducted by vehicle throughout the different management units. Each group of deer observed is classified by sex and age and all bucks are separated by antler class. All counts in the Heppner, Fossil, Columbia Basin and East Biggs BGMUs were completed by Thanksgiving. In total, 2,229 deer were classified in the Heppner area. The following table lists the number and classification of deer observed in their respective Big Game Management Units. BGMU Doe 8 Bucks Heppner 357 Fawns 234 567-7655 1-800-808-7655 256 E. Hurlburt Ave.. #116 • Hermiston Our Two-yeor fYofessionol/Technicol Programs Include: ♦ Rdto Body Repair Technology O Rutomotive Technology O Business Rgnculture O Civil engineering Technology O Diesel ond Heavy equipment P Drafting Technology O electronic engineering Technology P Industrial Maintenance Technology ♦ Industrial Technology P Production Rgnculture — Crops ond Livestock 409 232 53 (9-sp, 24-2pt, 12-3pt, 8-4pt) Col Basin 317 173 41 (9-8P, 21-2pt, 8-3pt, 3-4pt) 106 221 These ond our other professronottechnxol programs ore generoHy noatronsfer able However. students interested m transferring to o four geor college or ureverstv mone of these oreos con uiortr closely uxth the« ocodemc odvrsor to ensure their courses uiill transfer For the 'full-time' farm or ranch manager we also hove the Form Business Monogement Bagram. This program features the newest finonciol management techniques, on-the-form/ranch conferences ond consultations, and much morel ♦ UJe offer the 'Oregon Block Transfer Degree'for students interested the Liberol Rrts or Sciences mho wish to transfer to o four yeor school m Oregon 47 (8-Bp, 19-2pt, 9-3pt, ll-4pt) Fossil E Biggs computer dedicated to project. The Morrow SWCD is very excited about the Ed Partnership program and we welcome any suggestions or donations. Blue Mountain Community College ODFW fall deer counts listed Blue Mountain Community College or write: P.O. Boa 100 Pendleton. OR «TOO I 39 (6-sp, 18-2pt, 6-3pt, 9-4pt) H9RRQHCOVNIX SOIL AMP.HATER CONSERVATION. DISTRICT Combined Btateaent of Revenu»«. Expenditure». _and Chnngoa_ln fund Balancea — All Governmental Fund Tvpan (Ariainq trow Caah Tramactlom 1 Governmental Serving area Farms and Ranches for more than 37 years. Special REVENUES : Grant revenue Morrow County funds Interest income Contract services Miscellaneous General__ Soil and Hater_ ___ Revenue__ Weed Control.. $ $ Total revenues 15,454 39,179 550 3,000 1.794 - - - - 51x521 EXPENDITURES: Personal services Materials and services 47,673 11.641 633 23.1B5 Total expenditures 59.314 23.81B FJJNP BALANCE, DEGINNINGOF_XEAR __ 22JU2 __21,.810 EUBP. BALANCE, ENP OF XEAR $ 23,506 • Aviation Oils • Diesel Fuel • Off Road • On Road • Lubricating Oils • Bulk Gas • Heating Oils • Solvents & Kero • Lube Oils in Bulk Quantities - _ I PHILLIPS • CHEVRON SHELL • TEXACO MOBILE Heller & Sons Distributing, Inc. 615 N S 1st Hermiston 1-800-698-6582 in Heppner Contact us about Health Insurance and Medicare Supplements DVANCED MOBILE OMMUNICATIONS stream flow velocity meter; waders (various sizes); eight Hobo water temperature gauges; one data collection device for Hobos; weather station; and a PLOYHAR INSURANCE Cellular service Is even more convenient to use. LAYAWAY • VISA/MC • OPEN 7DAYS A WEEK Eastern Oregon; Morrow County Grain Growers; and Cascade Specialties. The Willow Creek Watershed monitoring project which has been headed up by Dale Holland will be our first project in Morrow County because it will furnish students in Heppner, lone and Boardman with an oppor tunity to evaluate the same stream at varying points while developing valuable skills. Following is equipment needed for the project in lone: 100 ft. cloth measuring tape; Morrow SWCD Education Partnership We represent 5 top companies You. Deserve Service and Savings 676-5818 127 N Main Experienced in Farm Equipment Repair LEXINGTON MACHINE WORKS 405 W. Main Street Lexington. Oregon 97839 (503) 989-8505 or after hours (503) 9IM132 - • • a * . V •*' MW
