About Us
Updated:
10/10/2008
The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) does its work through a mutual
agreement with 62 Soil and Water Conservation Districts (SWCD) in New York.
Conservation Districts are political subdivisions of State government where
activities are governed by a locally appointed board of directors.
Technical experts are located in 47 field offices. They provide assistance to private landowners and local governmental units in
all aspects of natural resource protection including soil erosion control,
wetland restoration, grazing management, wildlife habitat restoration,
water quality improvement, livestock manure management, nutrient management
and flood protection. They use nationally recognized conservation practice
standards to guide this work.
They deliver conservation programs to local landowners including:
-
Environmental Quality Incentives Program
(EQIP)
-
Wetlands Reserve Program (WRP)
-
Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program
(WHIP)
-
Small Watershed Program
They
provide technical support to other State, Federal and Local agencies
in the delivery of the following programs:
-
Conservation Reserve Program
(CRP)
-
Conservation Reserve
Enhancement Program (CREP)
-
State Environmental Bond Act
-
New York City and Skaneateles
Lake Watershed Projects
Strategic Issues
In New York there are four strategic issues that drive technical
assistance and program activities.
The strategy is to maximize the use of all the program tools that are
available to address these issues through voluntary conservation. The issues
are:
-
Non-point source pollution with respect to livestock agriculture
-
Wetlands preservation and restoration
-
Protection of natural resources on small family farms
-
Wildlife habitat preservation
-
Urban conservation
Non-Point Source Pollution
Projects for the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP)
have been implemented throughout the state since its inception in 1997.
Almost 130 contracts were written for the program during Fiscal Year 2000. Most
of these contracts were established for practices focusing on nutrient
management (59,921 acres applied) and erosion control measures. About $2.7
million in Federal dollars were brought into the State through this program
last year.
Once the implementation dollars have been spent, New York will
see an additional $5.6 million in economic activity and 25 more jobs statewide.
These benefits to the economy of New York State are secondary to the widespread
environmental and recreational benefits that are accruing due to EQIP.
The number two industries in New York is tourism, aided in part by the
state’s abundant series of clean lakes and streams. In addition to maintaining
agricultural viability, implementation of agricultural conservation practices
enhances recreational opportunities and tourism as well by helping to maintain
the purity of the state’s valuable water resources
In 2000, 1,964 acres of buffers and 498 waste management systems
were installed to improve water quality, in the state.
Wetlands Preservation and Restoration
The Wetlands Reserve Program (WRP) is one of the larger programs in New
York. During Fiscal Year 2000 alone, $4,102,000 were spent on easement
acquisitions and restoration cost-share agreements for the program, 95
contracts were approved and 5,517 acres of agricultural wetlands were committed
to wetland restoration. The impact of these activities translates into
44 jobs created by the program within NRCS and the private sector combined.
There was six million dollars in increased sales of locally purchased goods
and services across the state. Restoration measures (including low berms,
ditch plugs, potholes, level ditches, and plantings) also lead to improvements
in water quality, ecological support of threatened and endangered species,
fisheries, aesthetics, and recreation including hunting and wildlife observation. A recent survey reported that over 600,000 people hunt in New York and
over three million participate in wildlife observation activities on an
annual basis. Expenditures per person average $1,150 for hunters and $340
for wildlife observers. The WRP enhances these activities by providing additional
recreational opportunities. A second study suggests that these recreational
activities constitute a value of $21 per acre of wetland translating into
an annual benefit of $151,000 statewide due to restoration activities.
Protection of Natural Resources on Family Farms
New York is a national leader in the Grazing Land Conservation Initiative
(GLCI)
with 125 new grazing systems and 5,300 acres installed. This initiative
is keeping family dairies in business by helping farmers go back to pasturing
their livestock on permanent grass instead of purchasing feed. Since the animal
is harvesting the vegetation, costs to the farmer are dramatically reduced
and the farmer’s profitability enhanced. The environmental benefits are
dramatic since permanent vegetative cover prevents soil erosion and does not require
the use pesticides.
Wildlife Habitat Preservation and Restoration
The focus for the Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program
(WHIP) in New York
is to restore and establish grassland habitat for songbirds. It has been
documented that New York has lost thousands of acres of this habitat in
the last 15 to 20 years. This change in land use has resulted in
a decline in song birds enjoyed by both urban and rural residents.
Furthermore, the decline in certain species of song birds has led to a
corresponding decline in wildlife diversity, which can have long term adverse
impacts on the survival of other species of wildlife. Given this focus
for the program, the primary practices funded are the planting and management
of warm and cool season grasses. During Fiscal
Year 1999, 82 new contracts
were signed obligating nearly $298,000 in implementation costs and technical
assistance supporting 1,600 acres of wildlife habitat. In Fiscal Year 2000,
Congress
did not fund the WHIP, however, New York has continued to accept applications
which now amount to 29 valid applications totaling almost $101,000.
Urban Conservation
New York is one of only two
states nationally to have two approved Urban Resource Partnerships. They
are located in New York City and the City of Buffalo. Natural Resources
Conservation Service partners with five additional Federal agencies and
one State agency to assist underserved communities of New York City with
environmental education issues. The New York City project has been highly
successful in engaging local community organizations and leveraging non-federal
sources of funds to improve the urban environment. Many projects include
restoring abandoned property to parks and gardens. In June of this year
Urban Program Manager assisted in the removal of debris including a decaying
vehicle and restoring stream banks along the Bronx River.
|