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| OWEB funds unique agreement to protect Luckiamute River farm land and fish habitat | ||
| 04/13/2006 | ||
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15-year reserve agreement extended permanently 05-06 News media contact: Melissa Leoni, OWEB, 503-986-0179 Karlene McCabe, Greenbelt Land Trust, 541-752-9609 Land bordering a mile of the Luckiamute River and a half-mile of Price Creek in Benton County will continue to provide a healthy stream and fish habitat forever through a unique permanent agreement recently completed by the Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board. The board approved up to $210,000 to fund a portion of the costs for the land protection agreement on farm land near Kings Valley School at a meeting earlier this year. The agreement, known legally as a conservation easement, was recorded recently. The property lies along one mile of riverside and floodplain habitat of the main stem of the Luckiamute River and a half-mile of the lower reach of a tributary, Price Creek. Both streams serve as migration and rearing habitat for winter steelhead and cutthroat trout. The area serves as an elk migration route and is home to many deer. The agreement covers 145 acres of which 74 acres are currently enrolled in the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program administered by the USDA’s Farm Service Agency for a 15-year period. CREP is a voluntary land retirement program that helps farmers and landownersprotect environmentally sensitive land, decrease erosion, restore wildlife habitat, and safeguard ground and surface water. “This is the first time OWEB funding has been used to continue the resource protection of land in a CREP agreement for posterity,” said Melissa Leoni, OWEB policy coordinator. As part of the CREP agreement, some areas along the waterways are being restored to more natural conditions using funds provided by the landowner, OWEB and the Farm Service Agency. “Obtaining a permanent easement is a logical extension of this work to make sure that it has lasting benefits,” Leoni said. “The agreement allows us to obtain permanent benefits for water and fish while maintaining agricultural use of productive agricultural lands on the farm,” she added. The Greenbelt Land Trust will be the holder of the land preservation agreement. The trust is a non-profit organization whose mission is to protect and enhance native habitats in the Mid-Willamette Valley. The trust will monitor and enforce terms of the easement over time, as will OWEB. Leoni said that OWEB awards grants for purchase of land conservation easements to maintain or restore watersheds, water quality, habitat and native salmon species. Since 2000, the board has awarded 27 grants for such purposes, including nine purchases of conservation easements. During the most recent two-year budget period, the board awarded approximately $2.4 million for land and conservation easement purchases, which accounted for less than 10 percent of all capital funds awarded as grants. Eric Schwartz has owned the 183-acre farm since 1989 and specializes in organic fruit and chestnut production. Why would a vegetarian farmer go to such lengths to improve fish habitat? Schwartz quipped that “you don’t have to eat something in order to care about it.” Besides, he has several other motivating factors. “Protection has always been a desire since I picked up the acres,” Schwartz said. Besides creating a buffer to control erosion, restoration efforts satisfy many other goals for Schwartz. “It’s a special piece of land that just called out for extra protection and preservation,” he said. “I’ve managed many properties, but never felt this way about the land before,” he added. Protection efforts have included fencing cattle away from the streams, planting of trees and shrubs, and installing pumps to provide livestock water outside the buffer area. “It’s something I’ve always wanted to do, but didn’t have the money,” he said. “The CREP and easement payments have made the work possible,” he said. For information about OWEB programs, visit www.oregon.gov/OWEB or call OWEB in Salem at 503-986-0178. For information about the Greenbelt Land Trust, visit www.greenbeltlandtrust.org or call 541-752-9609. For information about CREP, visit www.fsa.usda.gov or call your local Farm Service Agency office. The Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board is a state agency led by a policy oversight board. The agency provides grants and services to citizen groups, organizations and agencies working to restore healthy watersheds in Oregon. OWEB actions support the Oregon Plan for Salmon and Watersheds, created in 1997. Funding comes from the Oregon Lottery as a result of a citizen initiative in 1998, sales of salmon license plates, federal salmon funds and other sources. - 30 -
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