Wasco County Soil and Water Conservation District 1 WASCO RIPARIAN BUFFER PROJECT Briefing for CBFWA Anadromous Fish Committee by Ron Graves Wasco County Soil and Water Conservation District Richland, WA 2:00 PM September 23, 2004

Wasco County Soil and Water Conservation District 2 Outline Local Setting Conservation District Function Local Program Watershed Approach Fifteenmile Watershed Example Ag Water Quality ESA Work Group Riparian Buffer Project Progress and Status

Wasco County Soil and Water Conservation District 3 Agricultural Production Fifteenmile Wasco Buffers

Wasco County Soil and Water Conservation District 4 Land Ownership Public Lands shown in dark blue 80% private lands (incl. Warm Springs Indian Reservation)

Wasco County Soil and Water Conservation District 5 Private Land Landowners (decision makers) Conservation Partnership Technical Resources Financial Assistance Educational Programs Getting Conservation on the Land

Wasco County Soil and Water Conservation District 6 Wasco Co. SWCD Program Administration(10%) Information, Education, Marketing (5%) General Conservation (25%) Oregon Plan Support(25%) Watershed Improvement Program (WSP)(35%)

Wasco County Soil and Water Conservation District 7 Current Year Work Plan Summary ADM GEN IEM ORP WSP

Wasco County Soil and Water Conservation District 8 Active Watershed Projects and Planning Areas (Year Started) Hood River Sherman Mosier (99) The Dalles (00) Fifteenmile (97) White River & Juniper Flat (99) Buck Hollow (90) Pine Hollow (96) Bakeoven(95) Trout Creek (99) ~ ~360 Wasco Watershed size 1,000 s acres Warm Springs Reservation

Wasco County Soil and Water Conservation District 9 Fifteenmile Watershed NoTill

Wasco County Soil and Water Conservation District 10 Fifteenmile Erosion Reduction As of 6/30/04 66% Wasco County cropland is in No-Till (county-wide).

Wasco County Soil and Water Conservation District 11 Ag Water Quality Mgt. Area Plans

Wasco County Soil and Water Conservation District 12 ESA Workgroup Non irrigated cropland and rangeland conservation Biological Opinions signed this year by NOAA Fisheries & USFWS.

Wasco County Soil and Water Conservation District 13 Riparian Buffer Systems June 2003 Tour celebrating 100 miles of Buffers In Wasco County August miles of buffers

Wasco County Soil and Water Conservation District 14 Mixed BLM & private

Wasco County Soil and Water Conservation District 15 Progress on Contracts

Wasco County Soil and Water Conservation District 16 Progress on Miles of Buffers

Wasco County Soil and Water Conservation District 17 Progress on Buffer Acreage

Wasco County Soil and Water Conservation District 18 Budget vs. Expenditures

Wasco County Soil and Water Conservation District 19 Leveraging BPA Funding

Wasco County Soil and Water Conservation District 20 Wasco County Buffer Contracts 119

Wasco County Soil and Water Conservation District 21 Miles of Buffers in Wasco Co

Wasco County Soil and Water Conservation District 22 Sign-ups in Progress / Pending