High Desert Basin - FY08 Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP)

Ranking Criteria and Practice Payment List by Funding Pool

Funding Pool:  High Desert - Basin - Wildfire)

Special Initiative for restoring grazing and/or forest lands damaged by wildfires. The intent is to accelerate vegetative recovery, reduce watershed erosion and sedimentation, and to reduce environmental degradation resulting from catastrophic wildfires.

High Desert - Basin - Wildfire) Practice Payment List

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Coming soon

Funding Pool:  High Desert - Basin - Wildlife Habitat

Creation, restoration, and enhancement of upland wildlife habitats (sage-steppe, aspen woodlands, grasslands, riparian areas, ponderosa pine) and corridors for species at risk, species of concern, and other terrestrial species.

Maximum Points:
Total Points:  150

High Desert - Basin - Wildlife Habitat Practice Payment List

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Coming soon

Funding Pool:  High Desert - Harney - Water Quality - Surface Water Contaminates

Due to of elevated temperatures, nutrient and sediment loads approximately 35% of the county streams are recognized by the Oregon DEQ as impaired water bodies (303d/TMDL listed). Changes in upland hydrology resulting from poor management, natural disasters and/or invasive plant species has led to erosion in both the uplands and active stream channels. As secondary impacts these changes are adversely affecting the profitability of livestock operations and fish and wildlife habitat. The USDA CREP and OR OWEB programs will be used to address restoration within the active channels. As the secondary resource concern for the Harney County LWG EQIP- Regular funds will be used to stabilize upland conditions and promote proper livestock management.

Maximum Points:
Total Points:  250

High Desert - Harney - Water Quality - Surface Water Contaminates Practice Payment List

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Coming soon

Funding Pool:  High Desert - Harney - Water Mgmt - Irrigated Land

The Harney/Malheur Lakes 8-Digit Hydrologic Unit Code (HUC) sub basin is 950,000 acres in size. Forty percent is private land, and the remainder is public land. Sixty-one percent of the sub basin is rangeland, and the rest is pastureland, hay land, water, wetland, and forestland. There are 178 farms and ranches in the sub basin. About 25 percent of the operations are less than 50 acres in size, about 50 percent are 50 to 1,000 acres in size, and the remaining 25 percent are more than 1,000 acres in size. Most of the farmers and ranchers rely on off-farm income. In recent years, more and more of the land has been bought by newcomers to the area and is under absentee and investor ownership or corporate ownership. The sub basin includes approximately 78,400 acres of irrigated cropland. The principal irrigated crops include alfalfa, grass hay and pasture. Irrigation systems include surface flood, and older center pivots or wheel lines which operating efficiencies below 55 percent. Sources of irrigation water include both groundwater and surface waters. Areas in which ground water serves as the primary source as experiencing overdraft of the aquifer(s). Most of the farmers and ranchers are aware of local resource concern and appreciate the effect conservation has on this concern; however, due to general enterprise budgets for the farm operations and or limited experience conservation has not been perceived to be economically feasible. On farm irrigation conservation is seen as a key element in addressing the restricted (over drafted) aquifers. As the primary resource concern for the Harney County LWG EQIP- Regular and EQIP-GSWC funds will be used to promote water conservation through cost share and incentive payments related to irrigation structural improvements and irrigation water management.

Maximum Points:
Total Points:   240

High Desert - Harney - Water Managemnet - Irrigated Land Practice Payment List

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Coming soon

Funding Pool:  High Desert - Klamath - Water Quality - Surface Water Contaminates

Due to of elevated temperatures, nutrient and sediment loads approximately 35% of the county streams are recognized by the Oregon DEQ as impaired water bodies (303d/TMDL listed). Changes in upland hydrology resulting from poor management, natural disasters and/or invasive plant species has led to erosion in both the uplands and active stream channels. As secondary impacts these changes are adversely affecting the profitability of livestock operations and fish and wildlife habitat. The USDA CREP and OR OWEB programs will be used to address restoration within the active channels. As the secondary resource concern for Klamath County EQIP funds will be used to stabilize upland conditions and promote proper livestock management.

Maximum Points:
Total Points:  250

High Desert - Klamath - Water Quality - Surface Water Contaminates Practice Payment List

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Coming soon

Funding Pool:  High Desert - Klamath - Water Quantity - Water Management Irrigation Land

Agricultural lands used for irrigated crops, hay and pasture. Irrigation systems include surface flood, and older center pivots or wheel lines which operating efficiencies below 55 percent. On farm irrigation conservation is seen as a key element in addressing improvements in the quantity and quality of surface waters. EQIP funds will be used to promote water conservation through cost share and incentive payments related to irrigation structural improvements and irrigation water management.

Maximum Points:  147
Total Points:  1264

High Desert - Klamath - Water Quantity - Water Management Irrigation Land Practice Payment List

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Coming soon

Funding Pool:  High Desert - Lake - Water Quality - Surface Water Contaminates

Due to of elevated temperatures, nutrient and sediment loads approximately 35% of the county streams are recognized by the Oregon DEQ as impaired water bodies (303d/TMDL listed). Changes in upland hydrology resulting from poor management, natural disasters and/or invasive plant species has led to erosion in both the uplands and active stream channels. As secondary impacts these changes are adversely affecting the profitability of livestock operations and fish and wildlife habitat. The USDA CREP and OR OWEB programs will be used to address restoration within the active channels. As the secondary resource concern for the Lake County LWG EQIP- Regular funds will be used to stabilize upland conditions and promote proper livestock management.

Maximum Points:
Total Points:  250

High Desert - Lake - Water Quality - Surface Water Contaminate Practice Payment List

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Coming soon

Funding Pool:  High Desert - Lake - Water Quantity - Water Management - Irrigated Lake

The Summer Lake 8-Digit Hydrologic Unit Code (HUC) sub basin (Fort Rock/Silver Lake Basins) is comprised of 2.6 million acres, mostly in Lake County. Sixty percent of the sub basin is shrub land and rangeland, twenty percent is forestland, and about ten percent is grassland, hay land, and pastureland. There are 167 farms and 278 operators in the sub basin. Many of the farms and ranches are only marginally profitable. Most of the farmers and ranchers are aware of local resource concerns and appreciate the effect conservation has on these concerns; however, due to general enterprise budgets for the farm operations conservation has not been perceived to be economically feasible. Approximately 60% of the sub basin is included within a ground water restricted area recognized by the State of Oregon. The majority of the sub basin’s 71,800 acres of irrigated cropland are located within this area. The principal irrigated crops include alfalfa, grass hay and pasture. Irrigation systems are typically comprised of older center pivots or wheel lines which operating efficiencies below 55 percent. On farm irrigation conservation is seen as a key element in addressing the restricted (over drafted) aquifers. As the primary resource concern for the Lake County LWG EQIP- Regular and EQIP-GSWC funds will be used to promote water conservation through cost share and incentive payments related to irrigation structural improvements and irrigation water management.

Maximum Points:
Total Points:  240

High Desert - Lake - Water Quantity - Water Management - Irrigated Lake Practice Payment List

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Coming soon

Local Contact:
Please contact the District Conservationist in the USDA Service Center nearest the location of your property.

Last Modified:  09/09/2008

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