conservation planning: what’s new?. topics for today’s webinar revised npph proposed nrcs land...
TRANSCRIPT
Conservation Planning:
What’s New?
Topics for Today’s Webinar
Revised NPPH
Proposed NRCS Land Uses
Resource Concerns
Planning criteria
Conservation Delivery Streamlining Initiative (CDSI)• Simplify conservation delivery: Easier for employees and customers• Increase staff time in the field with clients• Streamline business processes• Ensure science-based conservation assistance• Enhance financial management and accountability More Conservation on the
ground!
NPPH Amendment 5
The conservation planning process has not changed!
CDSI Land Use Changes
Unclear or competing land use designations have been removed.
Introduces Land Use “modifiers” to more accurately define the land’s actual use and management. (adverbs)
CDSI Land Use changes
SLIDE 8
ModifiersModifiers provide a level of specificity and
help describe how the land is actually managed.
Irrigated – applied when an operational system is present and managed to supply water
Wildlife – applied when the client is actively managing for wildlife, and management is reflected in the conservation plan through the application of practices beneficial to wildlife
Grazed – applied when grazing animals impact how land is managed and influence the conservation plan
CDSI Change: Resource
Concerns and Planning Criteria
What are Resource Concerns?
“An expected degradation of the soil, water, air,
plant, or animal resource base to the extent that the
sustainability or intended use the resource is
impaired”
Note: human and energy resources are components
of the resource base
NRCS’ National Planning Procedures Handbook
(NPPH)
Why Revise the NRCS Resource Concerns List?
Enhance the technical credibility of NRCS conservation planning
Support the more integrated delivery of technical and financial assistance
Facilitate a more efficient, streamlined conservation assistance business model.
Each of the resource concerns are described in the NPPH
What are Quality Criteria?
“ a descriptive statement of desired
resource condition and management,
representing a level of use that is
sustainable over the long term”
NRCS’ National Planning Procedures
Handbook (NPPH)
Why are we not using QC?
• Resource concerns and associated quality
criteria do not meet the needs of NRCS
planners in the field, and do not facilitate the
desired science-based planning process as
intended.
• Planners cannot objectively determine when
quality criteria are met.
• The establishment of quality criteria for all
resource concerns is an elusive goal
15
Planning Criteria
“A quantitative or qualitative statement
of a treatment level required to achieve
a minimum level of treatment for a
given resource concern”
• 2 Levels – Screening & Assessment
16
Simple true-false statements of easily
observable conditions planners can use
to identify sites that have little or no
probability of needing additional
treatment.
Screening
17
• The assessment criteria are used when a site
does not pass the screening question(s), or
when no screening criteria are defined.
• Where possible, assessment tools are provided
• In some cases Screening/Assessment of
designated Resource Concerns will be required.
Assessment
Assessment MethodsProcedural: planners use well-defined procedures to acquire data used to determine the resource condition (Pasture Condition Score)
Predictive: planners use models to predict the probability of an outcome. (RUSLE2 or WEPS)
Observation: planners rely on direct observation or information provided by the client through an interview (Classic gully)
Deduction: planners rely on reason to deduce the status of a resource. The deductive approach is often related to treatment standards. (Dissolved nutrients in ground water: If a client utilizes all reasonable nutrient management techniques and has significantly modified the rate, timing, or both of nutrients applied to a field, the planner may deduce that the field in question is no longer a significant source of nutrients entering the groundwater.)
Resource Concern Checklists
Checklists available for:CroplandPastureRangeFarmstead/OtherForestLandscape
Cropland
Wildlife, Air Quality and Energy: Use Landscape Checklist
Questions?email me!