August 2024 VSP newsletter

Washington State Conservation Commission sent this bulletin at 08/07/2024 12:00 PM PDT

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August 2024 VSP newsletter

In this issue:

Upcoming events/dates:

Aug. 13: VSP Joint Meeting, Walla Walla and online - NEW ZOOM REGISTRATION
Oct. 10: Thurston and Chelan 10-Year Report Review Meeting with SAC and TP

Program updates:

Capital funding round this fall? Do you have unused funds or projects ready?
Monthly District Implemented Project (DIP) vouchering
10-year report review process this summer and fall

Additional resources:

Check out VSP resources:
https://www.vsp.wa.gov/

Upcoming events/dates:

Aug. 13: VSP Joint Meeting

Aug. 13, 2024 from 9 a.m. - 3 p.m. Walla Walla and online

AGENDA

Please join us for a Joint Technical Panel and Statewide Advisory Committee meeting.

We will cover program updates from SCC staff and have presentations and discussions with counties about their implementation efforts, including monitoring, adaptive management, and preparation of their 10-year report.

This meeting will feature time on the agenda for the following counties: Pend Oreille, Benton, Franklin, Whitman, Walla Walla, Columbia, Garfield, Asotin. New: Roundtable time for all to share about projects, ideas, and what's working.

Physical location: Walla Walla Community College -- Water and Environmental Center, 500 Tausick Way, Walla Walla, WA 99362. If attending in person, please RSVP for lunch.

NEW Zoom registration: Please register ahead to get full Zoom details -https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZcqceqsqT0rGNHbqkZoftUfTR5NY34SXuCw

Meeting webpage

Oct. 10: Thurston and Chelan 10-Year Report Review Meeting with SAC and TP

Oct. 10, 2024 from 9 a.m. - 2 p.m. Lacey and online

This is a Joint meeting of the Statewide Advisory Committee (SAC) and the Technical Panel (TP) to review VSP 10-year reports (5-year reporting intervals) from Thurston and Chelan counties. Learn more about reporting here.

The meeting will be held in person in Lacey, WA, and online. Agenda and details will be shared in the VSP newsletter and website. Lunch will be provided to those who attend in person. Please RSVP for lunch here.‍

In-person location: Washington State Department of Ecology, 300 Desmond Dr. SE, Lacey, WA 98503, in R1S-16/17 on the main floor of the ECY building near the cafeteria.

‍Online Zoom registration link: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZIqde-vrjwoGdWBr9wC0yFdwp8nrC93nLFu

Meeting webpage

Program updates:

Capital funding round this fall? Do you have unused funds or projects ready?

SCC staff are working to determine if there are additional VSP capital funds available for additional project awards this fall.

Please submit all returned funds forms for any cancelled projects and completed projects with unused funds so that SCC staff can determine funding availability for additional awards. We want to get funding back out to be used if possible.

If you have potential VSP cost-share projects or District Implemented Projects (DIPs) ready, please be sure to enter them into CPDS and SCC staff will announce in a future newsletter if/when additional application reviews and awards will occur.

Questions? Contact Nicole

District Implemented Project (DIP) vouchering

County and conservation district staff must charge monthly for work on DIP installation/construction work. Before vouchering for expenses, please ensure that you submit the signed landowner agreement, and completed cultural resources form along with first invoice.

Conservation district staff may conduct DIP installation/construction work on the project, but are prohibited from charging the same hours worked to multiple grants/contracts. These staff hours to construct a DIP can be charged to the installation/construction portion of an SCC grant/contract and must be vouchered for monthly.

Questions? Contact Nicole

10-year report review process underway

The Voluntary Stewardship Program (VSP) requires each county watershed work group to report to the Executive Director of the Conservation Commission and the county on whether it has met its work plan's protection and enhancement goals and benchmarks.

These reports happen every five years from when the county received funding, hence being called 5-year reports. This next round of reporting kicks off the 10-year reporting interval. (Confusing? Yes. Check out this schedule.)

As pilot counties, Chelan and Thurston submitted their 10-year report on July 20, 2024. This kicked off a review process with SCC, the Technical Panel, and the Statewide Advisory Committee, leading up to a public meeting on Oct. 10, 2024, in Lacey and online.

To learn more about the process or see when your next report will be due, view the County Work Plan Five-Year Reporting Guidance.

VSP Reporting webpage

Additional resources:

Help spread the word about the AFT survey: Farmer Perspectives on Agricultural Viability in Puget Sound

Farmers support their communities by producing fresh food, supporting ecosystem services, and contributing to the local economy. However, the viability of agriculture is a deep challenge, as reflected in the most recent Census of Agriculture.

To address these challenges, American Farmland Trust (AFT) is conducting a survey of current, former, and aspiring farmers in the Puget Sound region to understand the needs and challenges they are facing. This survey will inform the development of a roadmap and action plan to address Puget Sound agricultural viability, along with a toolkit for county governments to better plan for and serve farmers in their communities.

TAKE THE SURVEY

AFT is offering farmers a chance to win a $100 VISA gift card or “No Farms No Food” cap for their participation. The survey is available in English and Spanish.

Share the survey!

AFT is reaching out to encourage distributing the survey to the farmers you serve. The anonymous data, sortable by county, will be made available to support other work taking place to advance the viability of agriculture. They ask that you help by:

Sending the survey directly to Puget Sound farmers in your network – this is the most effective option! We’ve provided sample language in English and Spanish below.
Promoting the survey on social media or in a newsletter.
Forwarding this email to other organizations that support agriculture in the region.

AFT Agricultural Viability website

2024 Annual Report for the Washington Soil Health Initiative

The 2024 Annual Report for the Washington Soil Health Initiative has been published, outlining recent work of the tri-agency partnership that makes up the Initiative conducted in partnership between SCC, WSDA, and WSU.

See the report!