2016 - 08

CTD Newsletter - August 2016

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Training Event

The first session of the Riparian and Instream Considerations in Conservation Planning Course is quickly approaching. This session is August 8 – 12 and will be held in Olympia, WA. This is a five day advanced training event that focuses on contributing factors associated with watershed processes, riparian inventory techniques, stream inventory techniques, livestock and animal waste management techniques and writing comprehensive riparian vegetation specifications. There are still spots open for this course. Cannot make the first session? There are spots available for the second session September 19 – 23 in Spokane, WA.

For more information contact: James Weatherford | JWeatherford@thurstoncd.com | (360) 754-3588

To register: Please print the application form (specific by class) located HERE, fill out, scan, and email to: Jess Davenport | jdavenport@scc.wa.gov

Training Needs Inventory

Thank you to all who have taken the time to fill out the Training Needs Inventory. Responses to the survey will help us select the top training needs and provide those in the coming 2016-17 year. If you have not filled out the survey yet, please do so by August 12 so we can start getting new training events on the calendar. Thanks!

Access survey HERE.

Notes from the field

Greetings Friends and Colleagues,

The training season is well underway. We have been busy during the month of July with the following:

- The Comprehensive Nutrient Management Plan Development (CNMP) Course will be wrapping up in August after students submit their plans for review. This course was for advanced Nutrient Management Planners and was designed to address specific areas.

- The Basic Conservation Planning Course (Basic Conservation Planner 3) is currently underway. In May there were two sessions for this course in Ellensburg, WA. Students have been paired with a mentor and are working with their mentor to develop their final plans which are due in September.

- Preparation for the Riparian and Instream Considerations in Conservation Planning courses which will be held August 8-12 in Olympia and September 19-23 in Spokane. If you work in the stream/riparian field you don’t to miss this opportunity. This is an advanced conservation planning course for certified planners and the only prerequisite is completion of the Basic Conservation Planning course. There are still spots available for each course. Don’t miss this opportunity!

I hope everyone is having a productive and fun summer!

Planner Certifications Are Here!

The CTD announced last month that Certifications for Dairy, Riparian, and Farm Planner are here! We will begin taking applications for Certification on September 1st, 2016. Contact Jess Davenport | jdavenport@scc.wa.gov | to get your name placed on the email notification list for when this goes live. Find all the detailed information for each HERE.

New Ecology CAFO Permit Update

The new Washington CAFO permit (http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/wq/permits/cafo/publicinvolvement.html) developed by the Department of Ecology is under review at this time and will affect many of the dairy and beef producers in the State. This matters to you if you are in an area with livestock operations classified as CAFOs that will end up falling under the permit and its requirements for planning and recordkeeping. The primary triggers for the permit are a facility designated as a CAFO with greater than 200 dairy animals or 300 beef animals (see permit for numbers for other livestock species), and/or a facility with a manure storage lagoon.

The permit comes with many stipulations that are different from the current planning paradigm under the Dairy Nutrient Management Plan and/or general conservation planning. Under the permit’s new “Manure Pollution Prevention Plan (MPPP)”, a facility may need to have 100 foot setbacks from all waterways, collect ALL water including roofs and silage leachate all year round, take soil samples in the early spring in addition to fall soil samples, have lagoons re-certified by an engineer, submit annual nutrient use reports, and more. While the permit does have a few positive aspects, the majority of the changes may not have any positive effect on water quality, but rather just incur costs and onerous recordkeeping requirements. Likewise, smaller facilities are going to need assistance in understanding the additional recordkeeping requirements and time commitment they will need to devote to this new process.

If you work in an area of Washington in which your local facilities will be effected by the new CAFO permit, it is highly encouraged that you read the current draft and submit comments to Ecology by their August 17 deadline. Conservation District staff have a lot of practical working knowledge that can help guide positive changes to the permit and its outcome. This is said to be the last draft before the final is released, so please consider submitting comments through your District.

Lastly, when the permit is released in its final form, area training events will be sponsored by the CTD to help planners understand the new requirements of the CAFO MPPP and how they coexist with our current planning paradigm. This is to ensure that CD staff have the most current training and information to be effective and skilled planners. News of CAFO compliance training events will be released in our newsletter and website (www.wactd.org).

For more information, and to access the current draft permit for comments, go to: http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/wq/permits/cafo/publicinvolvement.html

Getting to Know You: District Highlight