County: Grant

Primary Resource Concern:

• Livestock production limitation - Feed and forage balance, Inadequate livestock water quantity, quality and distribution
• Degraded plant condition - Plant structure and composition, plant productivity and health
• Concentrated erosion - Bank erosion from streams, shorelines or water conveyance channels
• Source water depletion - Groundwater depletion, Surface water depletion
• Terrestrial habitat - Terrestrial habitat for wildlife and invertebrates

Project Description
The objectives of this project are to create a resilient, healthy watershed for agricultural producers, as well as fish, and wildlife, across all ownership boundaries. Providing financial assistance to private landowners to mirror restoration efforts occurring on all publicly managed lands in the watershed to increase beneficial habitat will include removal of Western Juniper, thinning overstocked forests, promoting native and beneficial vegetation over annual grasses and noxious weeds, protection & enhancement of Quaking Aspen through conifer removal, providing reliable off-channel upland water, strategic grazing rotations, and post-fire restoration re-planting grass and trees and clearing brush. The project also aims to increase long term economic stability of agricultural producers to improve the health and productivity of their range and forest lands by assisting in strategic planning of restoration actions, and comprehensive grazing planning.

Conservation Practices Offered

• Brush Management (314)
• Fence (382)
• Forest Stand Improvement (666)
• Herbaceous Weed Control (315)
• Prescribed Grazing (528)
• Pumping Plant (533)
• Range Planting (550)
• Spring Development (574)
• Watering Facility (614)
• Woody Residue Treatment (384)
• Upland Wildlife Habitat Management (645)
• Livestock Piping (516)

Collaborating Partners: 

• South Fork John Day Watershed Council
• Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife
• Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board
• Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs
• NRCS Oregon
• Private landowners

Application Questions
NRCS uses prioritization questions to evaluate applications for this initiative. See the list of workload prioritization questions on the Oregon EQIP page. Ranking questions below will also apply.

Ranking Criteria

1. Juniper/Forest Prioritization:
   1. Juniper units are predominantly scored high from the SFJDWC juniper prioritization map or forest stand density of trees per acre to remove is greater than 300 TPA (55 sq ft. BA) or more OR remove 200-300 TPA (30-55 sq. ft. BA), slope greater than 30% on at least 25% of the unit.
   2. Juniper units are predominantly scored medium priority from the SFJDWC juniper prioritization map or forest stand density of trees per acre to remove is 200-300 TPA (30-55 sq ft. BA), less than 30% slope OR remove 100-200 TPA (17-30 sq. ft. BA), slope greater than 30% on at least 25% of the unit.
   3. Juniper units are predominantly scored low priority from the SFJDWC juniper prioritization map or forest stand density of trees per acre to remove is 100-200 TPA (17-30 sq. ft. BA), less than 30% slope.
   4. Juniper units are predominantly scored NA priority from the SFJDWC juniper prioritization map or forest stand density of trees per acre to remove is less than 100 (17-30 sq. ft. BA).
2. What are the property conditions?
   1. Current property conditions include good to excellent native or introduced range conditions with little to no noxious weeds or a forest stand with little to no noxious weeds in the understory.
   2. Current property conditions include fair to good native or introduced range conditions with some noxious weeds but no monoculture pastures or a forest stand with some noxious weeds but mostly desirable understory species.
   3. Current property conditions in dominated by annual grasses with pastures that are a monoculture of undesirable plant or a forest stand with mostly undesirable and noxious weed species.
3. Is the pasture deferred from grazing for a full year at least once every five years and managed to promote rangeland health?
4. Livestock production limitation and concentrated erosion:
   1. There is currently no developed water in the pasture that can be used by livestock but there is potential to develop a system.
   2. There is currently developed water in the pasture that can support livestock throughout the year but distribution within the pasture is limited by size, topography or other barriers.
   3. There is currently developed water in the pasture that can be used by livestock but is dependable only during a portion of the year and is located away from the riparian zone, but additional sources or storage could be developed to extend the use period of the pasture.
   4. The resource concerns are currently being met.
5. Fencing Criteria:
   1. Currently the riparian areas are fenced off or will be fenced off before the completion of the RCPP contract and cross fencing will future enhance grazing management flexibility to improve pasture utilization?
   2. Cross fencing will reduce pasture size, limit access to unfenced riparian areas and promote pasture utilization.
   3. Cross fencing will improve grazing strategies flexibility both in season of use and duration of livestock in each pasture.
   4. Cross fencing is not considered under this application.