Benton County

The Benton Stewardship Checklist serves as an individual stewardship plan for the Benton County Voluntary Stewardship Program (VSP). It outlines an incentive-based approach focused on protecting critical areas while promoting agricultural viability. The checklist categorizes conservation practices into water efficiencies and management, land management and habitat, and soil health and erosion control, aiming to help producers meet the VSP's goals and benchmarks.

The Workgroup Meeting covered several critical topics related to the Voluntary Stewardship Program (VSP) Work Plan, focusing on critical areas protection and agricultural viability. Key discussions included updated aquifer mapping, specifically the overlap percentages between agriculture types (dryland, irrigated, rangeland) and critical areas, and concerns regarding the overlay of alluvial soils and aquifer recharge. The group discussed agricultural viability, emphasizing the need to characterize undeveloped land and balance agricultural expansion against critical area conflicts. A framework was used to begin dialogue on potential goals for critical areas and agricultural viability. Specific goals drafted for rivers and streams addressed water quantity/flow (consistency with the Yakima Integrated Plan, irrigation efficiencies, and increasing instream flow) and water quality (reducing nutrient/sediment runoff and investigating groundwater recharge through field flooding).

This document outlines the participation objectives for the Benton County Voluntary Stewardship Program (VSP). It details goals and benchmarks for agricultural operator participation to protect critical areas while maintaining agricultural viability. Key strategies include fostering direct producer involvement in conservation projects and tracking indirect participation through standard industry practices. The plan emphasizes communication steps to engage producers and establishes metrics for measuring both active direct participation (e.g., outreach, technical assistance, conservation practice implementation) and passive indirect participation (e.g., mapping, surveys) over a 10-year timeframe.

This Voluntary Stewardship Program Work Plan for Benton County outlines a strategy to protect critical areas and enhance agricultural viability within the county's watersheds. The plan emphasizes three core elements: the protection of critical area functions and values, the maintenance and enhancement of agricultural viability, and the voluntary enhancement of critical areas through incentive-based measures. It addresses key critical areas such as fish and wildlife habitats, wetlands, frequently flooded areas, geologically hazardous areas, and critical aquifer recharge areas, aiming for long-term ecological and agricultural sustainability over a ten-year period.

This document outlines the participation objectives, goals, and benchmarks for the Benton County Voluntary Stewardship Program. Its central goal is to promote volunteerism and stewardship among agricultural operators for land and critical areas. The plan details both active and passive participation methods, including the implementation of conservation projects and standard industry practices, and establishes measurement indicators to track engagement and the effectiveness of stewardship efforts. The objective is to achieve protection and enhancement of critical area functions and values while maintaining agricultural viability in the watershed.