GILLESPIE COUNTY SOIL & WATER
CONSERVATION
DISTRICT #220
Gillespie County, Texas
Brush Clearing Programs
SUMMARY OF ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY INCENTIVES PROGRAM (EQIP)
The Conservation District works with USDA NRCS staff
and local landowners in Gillespie County to increase water quantity and water
quality though EQIP, a federal cost-shared program. Part of EQIP is concerned with brush
management; clearing cedar and mesquite are ranked high priority, prickly
pear is medium, and persimmon is low priority. Contract amounts paid per acre
depend on brush density and type, and on what method is used to clear the
brush.
NRCS staff works with landowners to decide which
areas they want to clear. EQIP doesn't require extreme clearing, and
buffer areas can be left where agreed to.
Areas that would be too dangerous or costly to clear, like cliff edges
or along creek beds, can also be left.
EQIP requires deferring land one growing season
following brush clearing. Brush
re-growth on land cleared through EQIP contracts needs to be controlled for
10 years. The Gillespie Chapter of the
Edwards Plateau Prescribed Burn Association (GPBA/EPPBA) helps members
control brush re-growth through prescribed burning. Our chapter has over 100 members, mostly
from Gillespie County.
All other practices in the NRCS payment schedule are
also eligible for cost share; i.e., fencing and water development. Landowners/operators must be engaged in
livestock or agricultural production to be eligible for EQIP. At least one contract item must be finished
within the contract's first year.
Participants must hire their own contractor once their EQIP contract
is signed & approved. We have a
contractor’s list at our office to help EQIP participants find contractors to
do the work.
EQIP has a continuous sign-up, so you can apply now for the next round
of funding. You should also verify
with Farm Service Agency that your records are current. For more information on how the process
works and how to apply, you can visit the NRCS office in Fredericksburg at
1906 North Llano, #106; call NRCS at 830-997-3349 ext. 3; or consult the
NRCS web-site about EQIP.
Also, our District newsletter have more detailed articles about the
EQIP program in Texas. Copies are
available at our office.
PEDERNALES WATER
ENHANCEMENT PROJECT
In 2002, the Texas State Soil & Water Conservation Board implemented
this brush clearing program in the Pedernales
River Watershed, working through
SWCDs in Blanco, Gillespie, Kerr, Kendall, & Travis Counties. The program’s overall goal is to enhance
the stream flow and water availability of the Pedernales
River which flows into Lake Travis, through selective removal of brush.
Applications are being accepted now for
the Pedernales Water Enhancement (Brush Control) Program. More funding is expected in September 2010. This is a state sponsored
cost-share incentive program to help landowners remove Cedar (Ashe Juniper)
and/or Mesquite from their property.
Persons owning or operating land in Gillespie County, and interested in
participating in the program, should call Melissa Grote at 830-868-7237 ext.
3.
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The Gillespie County
SWCD #220 prohibits discrimination in its programs and activities on the
basis of race, color, national origin, sex, religion, age, disability,
political beliefs, and marital or familial status. (Not all prohibited
bases apply in all programs.) "An Equal Opportunity Provider and
Employer"
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