Little Manatee River Watershed

The Little Manatee River Watershed in western Florida has been selected as the Florida Conservation Security Program (CSP) priority watershed for fiscal year 2006.

Sign-up period - February 13 - March 31, 2006.

Description of the Watershed

The total estimated area in the watershed is 132,966 acres.  The land uses in this watershed consist of cropland, irrigated cropland, range and pastureland.  The dominant soils are sandy and are somewhat poorly drained to poorly drained.  The topography of the area is flat to slight sloping with numerous isolated wetlands and relatively few river systems.   The sandy soils overlay marl that includes several aquifers.  Many of these aquifers interact in a “leaky” aquifer system.

In the cropland areas of the watershed, there are about 482 farms covering about 51,000 acres of cropland. The average size farm is 133 acres.  Primary crops include strawberries, tomatoes, citrus, and blueberries.  Containerized and in ground nurseries as well as aquaculture are also major agricultural businesses in the watershed.

Pastureland and rangeland in the watershed comprises about 57,100 acres.  Much of this is improved pasture grass species such as Bahia and Bermuda grass.

Land Cover/Use

Where are the Little Manatee River Watershed?

Little Manatee River Watershed:
USGS Cataloging Unit: 03100203  Covering portions of Manatee and Hillsborough Counties.

Documents may require Adobe Acrobat.

Who is Eligible?

All producers in the Little Manatee River Watershed are eligible for the program, although not all may qualify.  You must meet a “high” level of conservation on your farm to qualify for the program.  You also must be in compliance with highly erodible and wetland compliance provisions, have an active interest in the agricultural operation, and have control of the land for the life of the contract.  NRCS will determine producer and land eligibility.  The following documents may help in determining if you might qualify.

How Do I Get Started?

  CSP Preliminary Questions

  CSP Application Steps

Natural Resources Conservation Service released a self-assessment workbook for potential CSP participants.  By going through the workbook, producers will get a good idea about whether they are eligible for CSP at this time.  Producers who may not be eligible can find out about programs that can help them achieve a higher level of conservation so that they may apply for CSP in the future.  All producers must complete a self-assessment to determine their eligibility.  Workbooks are available at the local NRCS offices in the watershed, and online at:  www.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/csp

The workbook will help you:

            1.  Determine if you meet the basic eligibility requirements,
            2.  Document your stewardship work--including conservation
                 practices, and
            3.  Prepare a benchmark inventory documenting conservation
                 treatments you have implemented.

Local outreach sessions will be held in the near future to address producer questions and provide updated information regarding CSP eligibility.  For more local information contact the District Conservationist from your county. 

Once you have completed the workbook and CSP application, submit it to the USDA Service Center during the sign-up period. 

The sign-up period for 2006 is February 13 - March 31, 2006.

Additional Information

Delineating an Agricultural Operation in Conservation Security Program

Enhancement Practice Cost List - Little Manatee Watershed 2006 New

Links:

Programa de Seguridad para la Conservación (Spanish Version)
For general information, visit the Florida NRCS web page or
National Conservation Security Program Information

Florida Program Contact

Jeffrey Woods, Assistant State Conservationist, 352-338-9515

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Last Modified 02/27/2006