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Harney County has an area of 10,180 square miles, or 6.5 million acres. The
county is approximately 25% privately owned and 75% publicly owned. The private
land in Harney County, about 1.6 million acres, is made up of 67% rangeland, 25%
pasture/hayland, and 8% forest. The NRCS office, located in Hines, offers
voluntary technical and financial assistance to private landowners interested in
natural resource conservation improvements. Historically the NRCS has focused on
rangeland and irrigation improvements to improve surface water quality and
conserve ground water. The NRCS completed a county-wide soil survey of Harney
County in 2006 which is available online.
NRCS Local Conservation Activities and Strategies
In 2010, NRCS developed a Natural Resources Long Range Strategy for Harney
County with input from the Local Work Group. The Long Range Strategy identifies
5 priority resource problems to be addressed over the next five years (2011 –
2015). These five priorities are:
- Invasive common carp
- Invasive weeds
- Riparian condition
- Ground water availability
- Juniper encroachment
One or more Conservation Implementation Strategies will be developed for each
of the priority resource problems. A Conservation Implementation Strategy is a
detailed plan for how NRCS and our partners will treat a specific resource
problem, including what conservation practices will be used, how the project
will be funded, what role each conservation partner will play, and how progress
will be monitored.
The following is a list of draft or final Conservation Implementation Strategies
that have been developed for Harney County:
- Invasive Common Carp
- Harney Basin Aquatic Health Improvement – Final
- Invasive Weeds
- Integrated Pest Management of Medusahead Rye in the Riley Focus Area
– Final
- Riparian Condition
- Harney Basin Aquatic Health Improvement – Final
- Ground Water Availability
- Juniper Encroachment
- Oregon Sage-Grouse Habitat Improvement Initiative – Final
- Development of a CCAA for Sage-Grouse in Harney County - Final
- Mule Deer Habitat Improvement in Harney County – Final
NRCS Programs Available
- Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP):
- Integrated Pest Management of Medusahead Rye in the Riley Focus
Area.
- Mule Deer Habitat Improvement - funding to remove juniper from
aspen, bitterbrush, and mountain mahogany stands to improve mule deer
habitat.
- Sage Grouse Initiative - funding to remove juniper in high priority
sage-grouse habitat
- Wildlife Habitat Incentives
Program (WHIP):
- Mule Deer Habitat Improvement – funding to remove juniper from aspen,
bitterbrush, and mountain mahogany stands to improve mule deer habitat.
- Sage Grouse Initiative – funding to remove juniper in high priority
sage-grouse habitat.
- Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP):
- Funding for conservation stewardship and additional enhancements.
Additional Conservation Resources Available
- Harney Soil and Water Conservation District
- Harney County Watershed Council
- Oregon Department of Forestry
- Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife
- US Fish and Wildlife Service Partners for Fish and Wildlife
- Harney County Sage-Grouse CCAA Steering Committee
- Eastern Oregon Agricultural Research Center
- Oregon State University Extension Service
Local Work Group Updates
The Harney County Local Work Group provides input to NRCS on resource
priorities for Farm Bill programs.
If you are interested in participating, please contact the NRCS District
Conservationist listed below.
For meeting information, please
click here.
Clickable Map of SNOTEL Sites
For Additional Assistance Contact
Hines Service Center
P O Box 848
530 Hwy 20 South
Hines Oregon 97738-0848
NRCS District Conservationist: Zola Ryan, (541) 573-6446 ext. 107
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