Walla Walla and Columbia Counties Implement VSP Plans

COLUMBIA/WALLA WALLA Counties—With Columbia and Walla Walla County’s Voluntary Stewardship Program (VSP) plans accepted by the state, implementation is underway.

The VSP provides an alternative approach for counties to meet Growth Management Act requirements for agricultural activities. The Washington State Conservation Commission administers funds for counties to designate work groups to develop their own, unique plans to protect critical areas while maintaining economically viable agriculture. Both Columbia and Walla Walla Counties opted in to the voluntary program.

Columbia County

The Columbia County Planning and Building Department is the lead agency for the Columbia County plan, which was approved last July.

The Department initially sent out surveys to local producers in hopes that agriculturalists would initiate individual projects but received little response. Now, the Department is dedicating VSP funds and partnering with the Columbia County Weed Board to address the ongoing problem of yellow starthistle management.

“Through this partnership with the Weed Board, we are dedicating $50,000 to a pre-existing and successful management program. By tying in with existing projects and partnering with the Weed Board, we have been able to nearly double the cost-share amount to producers and have high hopes to double the acreage sprayed for yellow starthistle,” said Columbia County Planning Director Meagan Bailey.

Bailey said pest management indirectly benefits four of the five critical areas addressed by the VSP. Critical areas include wetlands, fish and wildlife habitat, conservation areas, critical aquifer recharge areas and geologically hazardous areas.

“This program also promotes local agricultural viability by protecting natural soil function, reducing invasive and nuisance species and promoting topsoil quality and ongoing soil conservation efforts,” Bailey said.

“Working with the Weed Board has been an absolute success thus far and I very genuinely hope to work with the Board in the future on other potential VSP projects,” she added.

Bailey said she would like to see the VSP work group reconvene in April to evaluate the success of the starthistle program and discuss other possible implementation options as well as to define a quarterly meeting schedule.

Baily says critical area protection and agricultural viability go hand-in-hand.

“The better we protect, conserve and preserve our soils, rivers and other critical areas, the higher the chance we have to promote and ensure long-term agricultural viability. As Columbia County is predominantly farmland, with critical areas scattered throughout the county, this plan couldn’t make more sense,” Baily said.

“I welcome questions and interested landowners at all times,” she added.

Walla Walla County

The Walla Walla County Conservation District (WWCCD) is the lead agency for the Walla Walla County VSP plan which was approved in November of 2017.

District Manager Renee Hadley said the WWCCD identified and assessed projects that did not have other funding sources available and presented them to the VSP work group for consideration.

“We looked at about 30 projects and took out projects that had other funding available, that were too involved, or that had grants that could be applied for,” Hadley said.

The work group vetted the projects based on merits and other potential funding sources and narrowed the field to about a dozen projects that are currently underway, she said.

Examples of projects include critical area plantings, filter strips on streams (grass buffers), exclusion fencing, and raptor boxes, which were identified in the Walla Walla County plan as a concern for critical areas habitat.

Hadley said several of the projects are simply walking through the permitting process which can be intensive, with wetland permits taking from six months to a year-and-a-half to obtain.

Hadley said the work group took a hiatus after the VSP plan was completed, reconvened to choose the projects and will continue to meet as projects are completed.

“It’s very important that the work group says active. It’s a three-prong program with the county, the lead agency and the work group,” Hadley said. “There is a lot of reporting that still goes on and will be due after June.”

Hadley said the WWCCD welcomes all landowner interested in protecting critical areas.

“We are open to new projects and seeing how we can help get folks in the queue. VSP is not the only source of funding in the critical area/ag intersect. There are other resources available that are sometimes easier to access,” Hadley said.

Contact the WWCCD at 509-956-3777 or email Hadley at Renee.Haldey@wwccd.net

******

How to participate in the Col. Co. Yellow Starthistle Program

Applications to the Spring 2019 Yellow Starthistle Program will be accepted until March 25. Applications and program information, including chemical and aerial rates are available online at columibacountyweedboard@hotmail.com or via email at columbiacountyweedboard@hotmail.com or at the County Weed Board Office. Funding is available for private lands only and a VSP survey must be submitted with the application to be eligible for additional funding. Contact the Weed Board at 382-9760.