Resource Priority Program Concerns

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Resource Priority Program Concerns
Resource Priority Program Concerns

• Upper Arkansas Watershed

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• Rapid Watershed Assessments
• NRCS Field Office Natural Resource Current
  Condition Survey
• State Technical Committee
• Watershed Workgroups and the know your watershed
  meeting.
• Colorado State Government Partnerships
• National Resources Inventory (NRI)

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Resource Priority/ Program Concerns

• Natural Resource Priority 1 Water Quality
• Natural Resource Concerns
• Harmful levels of pesticides, pathogens heavy
  metals in ground and surface water
• Excessive nutrients organics in ground
  surface water
• Excessive salinity
• Suspended sediments in the water
• Decreased crop production
• Causes
• Coal-bed methane (CBM) waters affecting
  irrigated crop and hay land
• Mining activities
• Water application
• Water delivery systems
• Deep percolation
• Sedimentation
• Animal agricultural facilities

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Resource Priority/ Program Concerns

• Natural Resource Priority 1 Water Quality
• Needs to address concerns
• Conversion of inefficient systems to more
  efficient water delivery systems
• Apply pesticides according to label requirements
• Salts, materials containing heavy metals
  harbor pathogens, petroleum products,
  pesticides, nutrients are stored, handled and
  disposed of, applied and managed so surface
  groundwater is not adversely affected
• Irrigation water management
• Mobile irrigation lab
• Education
• Current Barriers

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Resource Priority/ Program Concerns

• Natural Resource Priority 2 Invasive Plants
• Natural Resource Concerns
• Degradation of range, forestland, riparian areas
  and crop land
• Reduced production
• Old and new infestations of noxious weeds
• Causes
• Rangeland health
• Limited crop rotations
• Drought
• Land use and land ownership changes
• Pests
• Tree density

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Resource Priority/ Program Concerns

• Natural Resource Priority 2 Invasive Plants
• Needs to address concerns
• Prescribed grazing systems
• Grazing lands
• Structural improvements (water facilities,
  fencing, etc.)
• Integrated pest management plans and
  implementation
• Brush control
• Funding for technical workshops
• Technical assistance
• Early detection
• Awareness education
• Cooperative weed control efforts on a watershed
  basis
• State, County and local noxious weed lists
• Pest Management plans
• Current Barriers

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Resource Priority/ Program Concerns

• Natural Resource Priority 3 Water Quantity
• Natural Resource Concerns
• Runoff
• Flooding
• Ponding
• Excessive seepage
• Drought
• Sediment deposition
• Causes
• Rangeland health
• Crop residue management
• Water utilization on irrigated land
• Ditch delivery systems maintenance/repair
• Water delivery systems

• Aquifer overdraft
• Drifted snow
• Excessive subsurface water
• Insufficient flows in watercourses
• Impacts to return flow

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Resource Priority/ Program Concerns

• Natural Resource Priority 3 Water Quantity
• Needs to address concerns
• Conversion of irrigation systems to improve
  efficiency
• Irrigation water management
• Mobile irrigation labs
• Decrease compaction
• Education
• Improvement consistent with compact compliance
• Current Barriers

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Resource Priority/ Program Concerns

• Natural Resource Priority 4 Range Quality
  (Health)
• Natural Resource Concerns
• Forage quality and palatability
• Productivity
• Health and vigor
• Undesirable air movement
• Plants not adapted to site
• Causes
• Invasion/increases of non-desirable species
• Over utilization of rangeland
• Decreased production
• Land use and land ownership change
• Drought
• Inadequate water
• Inadequate fencing

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Resource Priority/ Program Concerns

• Natural Resource Priority 4 Range Quality
  (Health)
• Needs to address concerns
• Prescribed grazing systems
• Structural improvements (watering facilities,
  fencing, etc.)
• Brush management
• Increase plant diversity planting or
  inter-seeding adapted species
• Monitoring activities
• Livestock nutrition planning utilizing
  decision support systems
• Managed prescribed burns
• Increased plant cover and litter accumulation by
  improving livestock distribution
• Managing access to water bodies/courses
• Off-stream drinking facilities
• Stream crossings
• Current Barriers

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Resource Priority/ Program Concerns

• Natural Resource Priority 5 Small Acreage
  Management
• Natural Resource Concerns
• Noxious and Invasive Plants
• Wildfire Hazard
• Water Quality (Nutrients, Organics,
  Pathogens)
• Excessive Runoff Flooding
• Causes
• Livestock on small acreage properties
• Forest management, forest health and wildfire
  mitigation
• Invasive species are not adequately managed
• Poor land management
• Small acreages in fragile environments
  susceptible to disturbance
• Rural subdivisions roads concentrate runoff and
  result in erosion
• Varied zoning
• Sedimentation

• Soil Erosion
• Stream Bank Erosion
• Habitat Fragmentation

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Resource Priority/ Program Concerns

• Natural Resource Priority 5 Small Acreage
  Management
• Needs to address concerns
• Education of small acreage landowners and
  homeowners
• Better and more affordable access to equipment
  to implement conservation measures
• Prescribed grazing
• Seeding adapted species
• Livestock management
• Current Barriers

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Resource Priority/ Program Concerns

• Natural Resource Priority 6 Forest Health
• Natural Resource Concerns
• Lack of defensible space
• Lack of fire mitigation
• Declining forest health
• Insect infestation
• Erosion
• Flooding
• Causes
• Insect kill
• Grazing on forest land
• Land use and land ownership changes
• Timber management

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Resource Priority/ Program Concerns

• Natural Resource Priority 6 Forest Health
• Needs to address concerns
• Increase maintenance
• Upgrades and/or closure of roads
• Install, improve water bars on skid trails and
  landings
• Establish native vegetation on bare mineral soil
  including burned areas
• Eradication/control of invasive plants on roads
• Skid trails
• Landing
• Watershed demonstration projects that encourage
  forest health
• Forest management plans
• Current Barriers

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Resource Priority/ Program Concerns

• Natural Resource Priority 7 Wildlife
• Natural Resource Concerns
• Decline of habitat
• Declining species
• Species of concern
• Threatened or endangered species
• Inadequate food, cover/shelter and water
• Habitat fragmentation
• Causes
• Land use and land ownership changes
• Rural/urban interface
• Decrease in plant diversity
• Imbalance among and within populations
• Riparian health

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Resource Priority/ Program Concerns

• Natural Resource Priority 7 Wildlife
• Needs to address concerns
• Prescribed grazing systems nesting
  fawning considerations
• Brush management nesting fawning
  considerations
• Wildlife friendly watering facilities
• Modify fences to allow wildlife movement
• Patch burning burning in mosaic patterns
• Residue management
• Current Barriers

• Manage riparian zones for fish wildlife
• Pollinator areas
• Widen buffers
• Shallow water habitat
• Wildlife friendly haying management
• Habitat enhancement restoration

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Resource Priority/ Program Concerns

• Natural Resource Priority 8 Erosion
• Natural Resource Concerns
• Sheet rill
• Wind
• Ephemeral gully
• Classic gully
• Streambank
• Irrigation induced
• Causes
• Improper water application and equipment
  operation
• Detachment and transportation of soil particles
  caused by rainfall and runoff
• Residue management
• Grazing practices
• Agricultural land conversions

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Resource Priority/ Program Concerns

• Natural Resource Priority 8 Erosion
• Needs to address concerns
• No-till
• Crop diversity with high residue crops
• Resource conserving crop rotations
• Prescribed grazing systems
• Streambank stabilization
• Brush management
• Buffer initiatives
• Continuous cover crops
• Reseeding
• Erosion control considerations in urban planning
  
• Current Barriers

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NRCS Administered Program Specific Comments
Areas for Improvement

• Environmental Quality Incentives Program EQIP
• Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program WHIP
• Wetland Reserve Program WRP
• Farm and Ranchland Protection Program FRPP
• Grasslands Reserve Program GRP

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