U.S. and Michigan lawmakers will be cleaning up the state’s watersheds.
The Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program, which will be administered by the Michigan Department of Agriculture, will be announced today as part of Gov. John Engler’s 2002 budget.
The main focus of the program will be to clean up the water in the Saginaw Bay watershed, Raisin River watershed and Lake Macatawa watershed. The program will convert 80,000 acres back to natural vegetation or wetlands by the time the program expires in 2002.
Farmers who turn some of their crop land into watershed practices, by planting trees and grass along the watershed for at least 15 years, will be paid rent on the space and be reimbursed for the materials and maintaining the area.
“What it becomes is a strip of land that would intercept water that is flowing over the surface and filter out the pesticides in the soil so it is just clean water,” said Alan Herceg, assistant state conservationist for the natural resource conversation services for the U.S. Department of Agriculture. “The buffer is left as permanent vegetation where wildlife can live.”
The program is a part of the Farm Bill, which was signed by Engler in September 2000.
Vicki Pontz-Teachout, director of the environmental stewardship division for the Michigan Department of Agriculture, said the state has budgeted $5.4 million dollars to be used by the program this year.
The program is a partnership with state government agencies as well as the federal government. The federal government will supply four dollars for every dollar the state gives to the program. The state will be providing $25 million dollars and the Federal government will be providing $150 million, Pontz-Teachout said.
The three watersheds being used were chosen because of the high amount of agricultural land around the water, the amount of pollutants going into the water and the high opportunity for improvement, Herceg said.
According to Stephen Shine, program manager for the Michigan Department of Agriculture, the project is exceeding expectations.
“We have a tremendous amount of interest so far,” Shine said. “We have the opportunity to develop plans with landowners in the winter so we can get going in spring with conservation practices on the land.”
