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Monitoring Guide Comment Period Extended to March 17
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Two-Year VSP Status Report due Aug. 30: New Submission Form
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Save the date:
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March 9 - Monitoring Symposium, online only
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March 28 - Monitoring Guide Forum, online only
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May 4 - VSP 101 Training, Lacey and online
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May 11 - VSP Joint TP and SAC, Ellensburg and online
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Project Highlight: Pacific County
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Cost-Share Continues to be Available
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Subscribe to the VSP Calendar
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Ecology Accepting Proposals to Conserve Coastal Wetlands in WA
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Climate-Smart Mitigation Activity Funding through NRCS
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Monitoring Symposium
March 9, 2023, 9 a.m. - 12 p.m.
Online only. Please register for Zoom link.
Monitoring Guide Forum
March 28, 2023, 9 a.m. - 12 p.m.
Online only. Please register for Zoom link.
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An updated version of the "Watershed Project Monitoring Development Guide for the Voluntary Stewardship Program of Washington" is available now for review and comments. Submit comments until March 17 by 5 p.m.
This update to the guide includes the addition of a new section, Volume III: Developing a Monitoring Plan with Quality Assurance and Quality Control. The goal of this section is to provide guidance for practitioners to develop monitoring plans and data quality standards that will ensure monitoring activities are successful and informative for reporting and adaptive management.
Feedback and comments of the guide will be evaluated and incorporated into the document after the comment period closes with the expected adoption of the guide by the Commission in the Spring of 2023. A companion forum will be held March 28 to review the updated guidance.
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https://www.scc.wa.gov/vsp/directoryThe two-year status report required in RCW 36.70A.720 (1) (j) is due on Aug. 30, 2023. All work groups, county staff, conservation district staff, and other staff responsible for VSP implementation should review Policy Advisory 05-18 to ensure they understand the two-year status report and deadline.
All VSP counties have the same deadline for submitting the report.
The report will be posted on the Commission’s VSP County Directory web page. The report should also be sent to the county, as required by statute.
To see examples of past two-year forms for each county, please visit SCC's VSP County Directory. Under each county name in the directory is a link called “Reports.”
For details on what should be in the report and how to submit, please visit the new submission form.
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The next VSP Monitoring Symposium is scheduled for March 9, 9 a.m. – 12 p.m. and will be held virtually.
Staff from WSDA’s Natural Resources Assessment Section will share monitoring methods and data from across the state.
Topics will include surface water monitoring, ag land use—crop mapping, soil health, groundwater monitoring, and the Dairy Nutrient Management Program Monitoring. We will highlight how to access WSDA data and key ways to partner with WSDA in the future.
 Photo Credit: Lewis County CD
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This monitoring forum will be held virtually on March 28, 9 a.m. - 12 p.m. and will focus on updates to Version 2 of the "Watershed Project Monitoring Development Guide for the Voluntary Stewardship Program of Washington."
SCC is seeking review and comments. The comment process has been extended to March 17. Please submit comments here.
The primary change in Version 2 of this guide is the addition of “Volume III: Developing a Monitoring Plan with Quality Assurance and Quality Control.” This section provides an overview of quality assurance and quality control practices (e.g., approaches to achieve goals related to data representativeness, comparability, bias, accuracy, and precision) and provides guidance for developing monitoring plans that incorporate these essential components of monitoring activities.
Additionally, Volume III includes recommendations for developing monitoring schedules, chains of custody, and other logistical considerations important to ensure that monitoring activities are successful.
Please join us to further discuss updates to the guide.
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Are you a new VSP staff person responsible for tasks like implementation, contracts, processing expense vouchers, cost-share, monitoring, adaptive management, outreach, education, or reporting?
SCC will provide two training sessions for staff and work group members.
The first session is set for May 4, 2023, at 9 a.m., in Lacey and online. Location: Washington State Farm Bureau Building, 975 Carpenter Rd NE #101, Lacey, WA 98516.
A second session will be held later in the year in eastern WA, likely in Moses Lake. Details have not yet been finalized.
SCC is excited to offer a $500 stipend for county volunteer work group members to attend a VSP 101 Training in-person. For eligibility details, please visit the Request for Reimbursement form and submit request by April 27, 2023.
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In 2023, Joint VSP Technical Panel (TP) and Statewide Advisory Committee (SAC) Meetings will be online and in person at a central location for presenting counties. All county work groups, CDs, and interested stakeholders are welcome to attend.
The next Joint Meeting will be held on May 11, 2023, 8 a.m. - 4 p.m. in Ellensburg and online, focusing on presentations from Okanogan, Chelan, Douglas, Kittitas, Yakima, Adams, and Grant counties.
The format for each meeting is:
- Presentations from the specific list of counties.
- Time on the agenda for each presenting county will serve as a check-in with the TP and SAC as the county prepares for their next 5-yr report.
- A presenting county is invited to participate however they prefer, including, but not limited to:
- a conversation with the TP and SAC,
- a presentation by the county (with or without PowerPoint),
- a virtual tour of county VSP projects.
Time set aside on the agenda for specific counties is not the only time that a county can attend or communicate with the TP and SAC. Subject to availability, any county may present any issue at the Joint Meeting. Counties are welcome to inquire about time on the agenda.
Upcoming 2023 Joint Meetings:
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July 13, 2023: Spokane & online Counties presenting: Ferry, Stevens, Pend Oreille, Lincoln, and Spokane
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Oct. 12, 2023: Pullman & online Counties presenting: Benton, Franklin, Whitman, Walla Walla, Columbia, Garfield, and Asotin
Please check the Technical Panel meeting web page and Statewide Advisory Committee meeting web pages for updates.
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Pacific Conservation District (PCD) recently worked with a landowner who completed an exclusion fence for their cattle operation. The landowner installed approximately 1,400 feet of exclusion fence along a salmon-bearing waterway. This project will help to decrease sediment input into the river, as well as help decrease potential risks from runoff and protect the riparian area. Approved by the Pacific County VSP Work Group, this project was funded through PCD.
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 Photo Credit: Lorenzo Churape - Pacific CD
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Additional project proposals are welcomed and reviewed on the first Tuesday of the month by the committee.
Projects must be completed by June 30, 2023.
This opportunity provides funding for on-the-ground conservation projects that protect the five critical areas (including salmon habitat) while maintaining agricultural viability.
Examples of funded proposals have included projects such as: waste transfer, pumping plant, fencing, heavy-use areas, waste storage facility, riparian forest buffer, trails and walkways, roof runoff structure, sprinkler system, access control, irrigation system/micro irrigation, livestock pipeline, tree/shrub site preparation, wetland enhancement, livestock water facility, drainage ditch covering, etc.
Complete details are available in the VSP Guidelines and tips for successful VSP project proposals - Oct. 2022.
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SCC is excited to offer a VSP calendar tool to share meetings and events.
Add event to calendar
     
Depending on your software, you may need to "turn on calendar" or drag/copy meetings over to your calendar.
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NRCS funding is available for counties to meet VSP critical areas protection goals and provide climate change mitigation through Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) Programs.
See the most recent notices from NRCS WA about IRA-CPS and IRA-EQIP.
These are voluntary, technical, and financial assistance programs designed to help farmers, ranchers, forestland owners, and Tribes with the application of conservation measures that focus on carbon sequestration, greenhouse gas emissions, reduced energy, and soil health. The program focuses strongly on conservation planning, conservation implementation, and solving natural resource concerns related to climate change. There are specific limitations for each program.
All eligible applications received by March 31, 2023 will be batched and then ranked for consideration of FY23 funding.
If you have questions, please reach out to your local NRCS staff or if you have specific ideas for how this could fit with VSP, please contact Bill Eller.
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The National Coastal Wetlands Conservation (NCWC) Grant Program is a nationally competitive grant program administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). The program provides eligible state agencies with grants for long-term conservation projects that protect and restore valuable coastal wetland resources.
Only state agencies are eligible applicants; however, Ecology may work in partnership with other local or tribal governments, state and federal agencies, and nonprofit organizations. Partner organizations are considered subrecipients for any successfully awarded projects, and funding would be made available to partners through subaward agreements with Ecology.
Projects can include:
- Acquisition of a real property interest (e.g., conservation easement or fee title) in coastal lands or waters (coastal wetlands ecosystems) from willing sellers or partners for long‐term conservation.
- Restoration, enhancement, or management of coastal wetlands ecosystems.
Pre-proposal process begins in March!
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Not a newsletter subscriber?
Sign up here and choose the subscription for the “Voluntary Stewardship Program (VSP)” under the Programs and Policy tab.
If you have any questions please contact Bill Eller or Sarah Wilcox.
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Copyright 2023 - Washington State Conservation Commission |
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