Text Box: CONSERVATION RESERVE ENHANCEMENT PROGRAM PROMOTIONAL TOURS— Text Box: The RC&D Council partnered with local Soil & Water Conservation District’s and other groups to promote riparian buffers through the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP). The RC&D Council highlighted the economic and ecological benefits of the CREP program through tours and educational programs. The RC&D Council recognized the need to increase the amount of riparian buffers to protect water quality. The CREP program provides landowners an excellent opportunity to create riparian buffers along their streams. Given the positive impacts riparian buffers have on water quality, wildlife and forests the RC&D Council encourages all landowners to participate in the CREP program. Text Box: Completed RC&D Projects: Text Box: The RC&D Council held their annual Earthday and Earthteam celebration on April 19th in Wytheville. Six volunteers assisted the local conservation team by planting 6 pine seedlings at the Wytheville USDA Service Center and 25 seedlings into pots. These trees will be housed at the service center for the next year then used next spring for conservation practices. Groups represented at the Earthteam event included Big Walker Soil & Water Conservation District, New River Valley Planning District Commission, Wythe County, Smyth County, Montgomery County, Mount Rogers Planning District Commission and Natural Resources Conservation Service. The volunteers were treated to lunch upon completion of the tree planting Text Box: RC&D COUNCIL EARTHDAY/ EARTHTEAM CELEBRATION— Text Box: This project developed Total Maximum Daily Load Studies for free flowing and shellfish waters for fecal coliform. Total Maximum Daily Loads were developed for one area within the Potomac River Basin and four areas within the James River Basin. Text Box: FREE FLOWING & SHELLFISH WATERS TOTAL MAXIMUM DAILY LOAD STUDY— Text Box: The RC&D Council joined in a collaborative effort with MapTech, Inc. and the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality to support Virginia’s efforts to develop Bacterial Total Maximum Daily Load Studies. This project conducted bacterial source tracking analysis on samples collected from impaired waters. The project provided an analysis for 1,200 samples for 62 free flowing surface water stations and 60 shellfish water stations. Text Box: BACTERIAL SOURCE TRACKING FOR TOTAL MAXIMUM DAILY LOAD STUDIES PHASE II— Text Box: New River-Highlands Resource Conservation and Development Council’s 2007 Annual Report

NEW RIVER HIGHLANDS RC&D | RC&D MAPS | ANNUAL PLAN OF WORK | Annual Report

 | VA ASSOCIATION RC&D | RC&D SUCCESS STORIES | CALENDAR | EVENTS | COUNCIL MEMBERS & SPONSORS | DIRECTORY OF RELATED LINKS
Text Box: NATURAL RESOURCES CONSERVATION SERVICE— Text Box: USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) provides technical assistance to the RC&D Council. This technical assistance comes in the form of the services of a coordinator, secretary and office support. NRCS provides $129,476 for this technical assistance. In addition to the RC&D office staff, NRCS provides project support through the six field offices and the area office to assist in the implementation of projects. NRCS provided technical assistance to plan, survey, design and install conservation practices such as streambank restoration, livestock direct marketing workshop, Back Creek Environmental Protection Agency Implementation Plan, Mill, Dodd, Little and Beaver Creek Total Maximum Daily Load Plans and other projects. NRCS field staff participates in RC&D Council meetings and the planning and implementation of projects. Their technical assistance is a very important part of the USDA RC&D partnership.

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