Florida Conservation Security Program 2008 - Lower Choctawhatchee Watershed

The Lower Choctawhatchee Watershed, USGS Cataloging Unit: 03140203, in northern Florida has been selected as the Florida Conservation Security Program (CSP) priority watershed for fiscal year 2008.

Sign-up period extended through May 30, 2008

Click on map for larger view

Description of the Watershed

The Lower Choctawhatchee Watershed is shared with Alabama.  In Florida it includes parts of Holmes, Washington, Bay, Walton, and Jackson counties.

The watershed encompasses almost 988,000 acres. The majority of the basin, about 77 percent, lies in Florida with the remaining 23 percent, occurring in Alabama.  The system terminates into Choctawhatchee Bay and the Gulf of Mexico and encompasses freshwater and brackish, estuarine and marine habitats.

The Choctawhatchee River crosses the Alabama/Florida state line just south of the city of Geneva, Alabama, where the rivers largest tributary, the Pea River converges.

Land Cover/Use

The estimated number of farms in the Lower Choctawhatchee watershed is 1,219, which cover approximately 155,529 acres.

Who is Eligible?

All producers in the Lower Choctawhatchee Watershed are eligible to apply 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.

The 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 your local USDA Service Center during the sign-up period.  The sign-up period for 2008 is April 18 - May 30, 2008.

Documents on this page may require Acrobat

Additional Information

Florida 2008 CSP Payment Schedule (PDF 322 KB)  REV 5/27/08
Delineating an Agricultural Operation in Conservation Security Program (PDF)
2008 Activity Sheets
2008 Certification Sheets
National Conservation Security Program Information

Links:

Programa de Seguridad para la Conservación (Spanish Version)

For general information, visit the Florida NRCS web page or

Florida Program Contact

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

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Last Modified 05/28/2008