Here is the latest edition of the Klickitat Conservation newsletter   Spring, 2012 newsletter

The May meeting of the Central Klickitat CD Board of Supervisors will be held on TUESDAY, MAY 17th at 5:00 PM, at the district office in Goldendale.  This is a public meeting.

WSU Extension has just launched their new “Forest Stewardship University” a series of 20 on-line educational modules for family forest owners. More topics will be added as time progresses. Go to: http://extension.wsu.edu/forestry/fsu/Pages/default.aspx
(Alternatively, go to forestry.wsu.edu and type “Forest Stewardship University” in the search box).
For a small fee, you’ll be able to access the modules of your choice for a 30-day period. Modules are available individually or in topical groups. The modules include many of the topics presented at the highly popular Forest Stewardship Coached Planning Shortcourses which are conducted at locations across the state each spring and fall.

For Immediate Release: January 30, 2012

Cantwell Announces Emergency Support for WA Farmers After 2011 Losses. 15 counties given federal USDA disaster designation; farmers eligible for assistance for losses suffered from extreme weather.

WASHINGTON, D.C – Today, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) announced that farmers in 15 Washington state counties are now eligible to apply for emergency weather assistance and ongoing disaster assistance programs for losses suffered as a result of extreme weather conditions during the first seven months of 2011.

Cantwell, along with Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), wrote Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack last August supporting Governor Chris Gregoire’s August 2nd request for immediate disaster designations stemming from the weather-related losses.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) designated Clallam, Clark, Franklin, Island, Jefferson, King, Kitsap, Klickitat, San Juan, Skagit, Snohomish, Stevens, Wahkiakum, Whatcom, and Yakima counties as primary natural disaster areas. Farmers and producers in these areas are eligible to apply for USDA emergency assistance or aid.

“Many Washington state farmers suffered severe losses due to last year’s spring weather,” Senator Cantwell said. “This disaster designation will help farmers recover and rebuild after last year’s losses. I encourage eligible farmers to take advantage of this disaster designation and apply for emergency assistance.”

The losses in these counties were caused by the combined effects of excessive rain, flooding, below normal temperatures, high winds, frosts, and freezes that occurred during the period of January 1, 2011 through July 31, 2011. Tree fruits, vegetables, grapes, hay, and wheat were particularly impacted.
In addition to the 15 counties that have been designated as primary natural disaster areas, 20 counties have been named contiguous disaster counties: Adams, Benton, Chelan, Columbia, Cowlitz, Ferry, Grant, Grays Harbor, Kittitas, Lewis, Lincoln, Mason, Okanogan, Pacific, Pend Oreille, Pierce, Skamania, Spokane, Walla Walla, and Whitman. Farmers in both the primary and contiguous counties are eligible to be considered for assistance from the Farm Service Agency (FSA), as well as the Supplemental Revenue Assistance Payments (SURE) Program. Farmers in eligible counties have eight months from the date of the Secretarial disaster declaration to apply for emergency loan assistance. Residents seeking more information should contact their local FSA offices.

View the press release here: 013012_USDA disaster_declaration

Do you own and care for farm or forest land? If so, you probably have strong feelings about leaving your land in good condition for the future. Succession Planning—the human side of Estate Planning—focuses on ways to maintain family ties to the land from generation to generation, building awareness of key challenges facing family businesses, and motivating families to address those challenges. Working as a family, you will receive information about legal and economic aspects of transferring forest lands from one generation to the next. This all-day workshop is a mix of presentations and practical exercises to help families develop techniques needed to address tough issues. Registration Fee is $45 per family or ownership. This includes “Ties to the Land” an award-winning curriculum developed by leading estate planning experts at Oregon State University Extension and the Austin Family Business Program. The workbook and companion DVD are designed to help families continue to improve and direct their communications and planning at home. For more information and to view all upcoming events, please visit http://ext.wsu.edu/forestry or contact Andy Perleberg, WSU Extension Forester, (509) 667-6540; andyp@wsu.edu . Dates and locations are still to be determined. Locations of the workshop will likely be in the vicinity of Bremerton, Port Angeles, Chehalis, Vancouver, Olympia, Willapa or Gray’s Harbor, Everett, Mt. Vernon, Deming, Issaquah, Usk, Dayton, Asotin, Leavenworth, Spokane, Kettle Falls, Tonasket, Okanogan, Ellensburg, White Salmon, and Chewelah or Deer Park. The workshops are sponsored by WSU Extension, the DNR Forest Stewardship Program, and the US Forest Service State and Private Programs. Steve Stinson from the Family Forest Foundation is facilitating the event.

2012 Eastern Washington Forest Landowner Cost Share Information and Application

Created by the Washington State Legislature in the Local Farms-Healthy Kids Act of 2008, the Washington State Department of Agriculture’s Farm-to-School Program is dedicated to fostering relationships between schools and agricultural producers in the state. Their goal is to support expanding economic opportunities for farmers while educating students about the connections between food, farming, health, and the environment. The program provides information, inspiration, assistance, and policy solutions for those working to supply healthy, Washington-grown food and related education to youth in our state. Partners include the Small Farm & Direct Marketing Program, the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction, WSU Small Farms Team, and various commodity commissions.
For more information on the Farm-to-School Program, phone (206)256-6151, visit www.agr.wa.gov/farmtoschool, or e-mail FarmtoSchool@agr.wa.gov.

Here’s something fun -

Check out the National Tree Benefit Calculator web site to get an estimation of the environmental and economic benefits provided by the trees on your property.   Six different values are assessed,  including storm water interception, property value, and CO2 reduction.