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Kansas Technical Committee Minutes - January 2009
Kansas Technical Committee (KTC) Teleconference
Jeffrey L. Gross, Assistant State Conservationist for Water Resources, NRCS, welcomed the KTC participants and opened the teleconference by reviewing the agenda items as listed in the January 12, 2009, e-mail notification. Wetlands Reserve Program (WRP)Lynn E. Thurlow, Soil Conservationist, reviewed the requirements for establishing geographic area rate caps (GARCs) for the WRP each fiscal year (FY). Today's discussion would focus on establishing FY 2009 GARCs, but FY 2010 GARCs would need developed by late summer. GARCs are to encourage enrollment while keeping acquisition costs at reasonable levels. A WRP easement offer to landowners is the lesser of a market analysis or an appraisal based on Uniform Standards for Professional Appraisal Practices (USPAP); established GARCs; or a landowner offer. GARCs should be set at a level to encourage enrollment near historic rates, but does not encourage 100 percent acceptance of offers. The intent of the GARCs is not to exceed the market analysis. It was pointed out that playa wetlands in western Kansas were as likely to be on irrigated cropland as non-irrigated cropland. With that in mind, the draft GARCs for those counties west of a line from the eastern side of Norton County extending south to the eastern side of Clark County were proposed at a higher rate to reflect irrigated land. It was also emphasized that the draft GARCs were established on a county basis where as the market analysis was completed utilizing five areas to cover the state. It was also noted that the final GARCs will need to be lowered for several counties so as not to exceed the values established by the market analysis. Documents on this page require
Acrobat Reader. The recommendation to the NRCS state conservationist is to continue the county level GARCs utilizing the Kansas State University Department of Agricultural Economics information with adjustment for the area in western Kansas as discussed above for 2009 GARCs. Another WRP item centered around the lack of adequate buffers on playa and depression wetlands in central and western Kansas. A draft bulletin was discussed in which the state conservationist would grant a waiver for the 50 percent adjacent lands limitation for WRP eligibility. Having the opportunity for increasing the buffer (adjacent lands) around restored wetlands will provide long-term protection to the wetland and watershed hydrology that supports the wetland. Several committee members expressed that the 2:1 ratio of uplands to wetlands should be a minimum with options to go up from there. However, the committee considered this a positive change and good step in protecting the ecological values of the restored wetlands. Draft Kansas bulletin (PDF; 23 KB) Farm and Ranch Lands Protection Program (FRPP)The last item on the agenda was to consider the expansion of eligible counties for the FRPP. Currently, the Kansas FRPP Plan limits participation to only those counties in the Flint Hills and counties subject to increased urban expansion (Attachment 4). Changing the Kansas FRPP Plan to include all counties allows non-government organizations (NGOs) to work with interested landowners in submitting requests for funding. Lands offered for FRPP would still be required to meet the 50 percent prime or soils of statewide importance or contain sites of archeological or historical significance. Ranking of eligible applications would determine applications approved for funding. This change will allow other areas in Kansas that are experiencing non-agriculture development pressures to work with NGOs to protect agriculture lands with conservation easements funded through the FRPP. The committee fully supports this change and recommends the state conservationist make this change to the Kansas FRPP Plan. Kansas FRPP Plan (PDF; 70 KB) (text version) Teleconference participants
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