Kansas State Technical Committee Minutes - June 2004

Kansas State Technical Committee (KTC) Meeting
Friday, June 18, 2004
10:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
NRCS Conference Center
747 Duvall - Salina, Kansas

Harold L. Klaege, State Conservationist, Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) gave the welcome and opening remarks. Introductions were made.  The attendance list is filed with the official copy of the KTC minutes.

Grassland Reserve Program (GRP)

The Fiscal Year (FY) 2004 GRP Interim Final Rule was released on May 12, 2004.

Paul Gallagher, GRP Coordinator, NRCS, reviewed major provisions of the Interim Final Rule with the KTC and as well as proposed changes to the GRP ranking worksheet as recommended by a subcommittee of KTC and guidance from NRCS national headquarters. The subcommittee of the KTC had met on May 27, 2004. The proposed FY Kansas GRP Ranking Worksheet, guidance, and maps were handed out. This information is located on the Kansas NRCS web site.

The following are the KTC’s recommendations on the primary issues discussed:

Recommendation of KTC:  Established pools of funds for easements and rental agreements. The pool of funds for rental agreements should be limited. Concerning rental agreements, priority should be given offers for 20-year and 30-year agreements. However, do not fund any rental agreements in areas of Exurban (ranchette) development. Those areas are illustrated in the Exurban (ranchette) map, which was used for the FY 03 program and will be used again this year. Exurban (ranchette) development has been defined as areas where houses (and other structures) are being built on 5, 10, 15, and 20-acre (and larger) parcels. 

Recommendation of KTC:  Do not give priority status to grassland located immediately near urban areas.

Recommendation of KTC:  Increase ranking points for offers in Exurban (ranchette) development areas to 100 points (from 60 points). Also, add 5-mile buffer around federal reservoirs to designated areas (buffer should start at reservoir or public land, if possible).

Recommendation of KTC:  Favor offers with class I-III soils over offers with only class IV soils. This will be done by giving 40 additional ranking points with offers that have class I-III soils. No points will be awarded to offers with greater than class IV soils.

Recommendation of KTC:  Revise "Industrial Wind Harvesting" using map provided by NRCS. Reduce ranking points from 100 to 60.

Recommendation of KTC:  Give priority to offers with native sod of greater than 90 percent.

Recommendation of KTC:  Keep the bonus question which awards additional points to offers that are contiguous with offers from other applicants.

Recommendation of KTC:  Adjust "Region of Grassland Concern" question by giving priority to offers in all areas of the state, but awarding points to those offers in the designated region of grassland concern.

Conservation Security Program (CSP)

Harold Klaege, State Conservationist, NRCS, briefed the committee on the CSP, and the two Kansas watersheds that have been chosen to participate in the program this year.  He discussed the purpose of the program and why certain watersheds were selected.  He also informed the committee of the timeline for CSP public meetings, producer signups, etc.  He handed out material on the CSP and the two Kansas watersheds.  This information is available on the NRCS web site.

Emergency Grazing on Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) Land

Bill Fuller, State Executive Director, Farm Service Agency (FSA), discussed the proposed early release of CRP land for emergency grazing in drought stricken counties.  Counties impacted will be those with "D3" drought designation.  There are 21 counties that have that designation.  Mr. Fuller also discussed the process of designating drought counties.  The KTC supported the FSA proposal to release CRP land for early emergency grazing.

CRP Training/Workshop

Troy Schroeder, Region 1 Supervisor, Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks, discussed his attendance at a CRP workshop, "CRP:  Planting for the Future" held in Fort Collins, Colorado.  Discussion included the benefits of CRP to wildlife, as well as issues the program will be facing in the near future, such as increasing pressure to shrink the program and expiration of contracts in 2007 and 2008.  He handed out material from the workshop.

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Conservation Reserve Program Overview (2.5 MB)

State of Kansas Watershed Planning Activities

Kerry Wedel, Kansas Water Office, briefed the committee on the state’s effort to streamline and consolidate the state’s watershed planning activities.  He focused on the newly developed Watershed Restoration and Protection Strategy (WRAPS), which will be a locally driven process coordinated among state agencies.  He discussed the goals and objectives of WRAPS and how it will work.  He handed out information on the Kansas Water Plan Initiative.

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Kansas Water Plan Projects Initiative (793 KB)

Kansas Pheasants Forever

A notice on the organization’s annual meeting was handed out.

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Agenda for Kansas State Pheasants Forever Annual Meeting (779 KB)

Meeting adjourned at 3:00 p.m.

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