Conservation Security Program 2008 (CSP)

Narragansett Bay Watershed

Description of Watershed

In 2008 the Rhode Island and Massachusetts Natural Resources Conservation Service will be offering the Conservation Security Program jointly in the portions of the Narragansett Bay Watershed.

The Narragansett Bay Watershed is the largest watershed in Rhode Island, and includes the Taunton River sub-basin in Massachusetts, which is the second largest watershed in MA. In total, the Narragansett Bay watershed includes 1,366 square miles. The area selected for 2008 is a portion of the Narragansett Bay Watershed that equals 212,000 acres (~331 square miles), of which 105,000 acres are in Rhode Island and 107,000 acres are in Massachusetts.

In RI, the selected portions of the watershed are located in parts of Central Falls, Providence, East Providence, Barrington, Warren, Bristol, Tiverton, Little Compton, Cranston, Warwick, East Greenwich, West Warwick, North Kingstown, and Narragansett. In MA, the watershed is located in parts of the towns of Fall River, Freetown, Attleboro, Seekonk, Foxboro, Westport, Wrentham, Mansfield, Plainville, North Attleboro, , Rehoboth, Dighton, Swansea, and Somerset (highlighted towns are largely urban and have few to no farms). The population of the watershed area is approximately 398,700 according to 2000 census data.

National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) census data shows that within the proposed watershed there are approximately 320 farms. This represents approximately 5% of the total farm operations in both RI and MA.

Physical Description of area selected for FY 2008

The land uses in this watershed consist of high density residential, commercial and industrial areas of the Cities of Providence and Fall River and surrounding suburbs, as well as rural residential development and small commercial development, forestland, nurseries and other specialized crops, small vegetable farms, a few dairies, and small livestock operations with pasture and hayland. See the Land Use table below:

Though some areas in the watershed are highly developed (urbanized), small farms and nurseries still persist. A huge market for locally produced food provides a great outlet for small farms to persist with direct sales to consumers. Many Farmer’s markets in the cities keep this local agricultural economy running (Rhode Island ranks second in the nation for farm gate sales.
 

Counties in Watershed

• Providence County
• Kent County
• Washington County
• Bristol County
• Newport County
   

Sign-Up and Eligibility Information

CSP Self-Assessment Workbook

By going through the CSP Self-Assessment Workbook, potential CSP participants will get a good idea about whether they are eligible for CSP at this time. Producers who may not be eligible can find out about programs that can help them achieve a higher level of conservation so that they may apply for CSP in the future.
 

2008 Self Assessment Workbook (1 MB & 839 KB)

Enhancement Activities:

The Conservation Steward Plan will be used to document "Enhancement Activities" that are eligible for payments.  An Enhancement Activity is an action other than a conservation practice that is included as a part of a conservation stewardship contract; such as a measure, incremental movement on a conservation index or scale, or an on-farm demonstration, pilot, or assessment.  Enhancement Activities can include actions such as Nutrient Management using Geographic Positioning Systems, decreasing ozone emissions, use and production of alternative energy and providing habitat for fish and wildlife. For a detailed list and Enhancement Activities descriptions please click here.

Program Contacts - Rhode Island

Contact:  Joseph Bachand
Title:  CSP Program Manager
Email:  joseph.bachand@ri.usda.gov
Phone:  401-822-8818

Contact:  Michael Merrill
Title:  District Conservation for the Northern RI Conservation District
Email:  michael.merrill@ri.usda.gov
Phone:  401-822-8841

Contact:  Mike Kenyon
Title:  District Conservation for the Southern RI Conservation District
Phone:  401-822-8821
Email:  michael.kenyon@ri.usda.gov

CSP National Web Site

Last Modified: 04/09/2008