Initiative designed to protect habitat for sage grouse

By DAN WHEAT

Capital Press

WATERVILLE, Wash. -- The U.S. Department of Agriculture has allocated 38,000 acres in Douglas County for a new Conservation Reserve Program initiative called SAFE.

It's probably the single largest designation for the program in the country and was awarded to protect sage grouse and sharp-tailed grouse, said Rod Hamilton, Farm Service Agency chief in Spokane.

State Acres for Wildlife Enhancement -- called SAFE -- is new in the 2008 Farm Bill and is intended to protect and restore habitat for rare, threatened or endangered wildlife.

Douglas County has the largest population of sage grouse in Washington, estimated at about 650 birds, said Britt Dudek, manager of the Foster Creek Conservation District in Waterville.

A high amount of acreage, 186,000 acres, in general CRP has contributed to the sage grouse population, but that acreage is being reduced by 47,000 acres because FSA could no longer get waivers to exceed a limit, Dudek said.

U.S. Sens. Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell and Rep. Doc Hastings worked to get the SAFE allocation for Douglas County, Dudek said.

SAFE acres make up the loss in general CRP acres and protects the conservation district's effort to obtain a multi-species habitat conservation plan, Dudek said.

Michele Ruud, FSA executive director in Douglas and Chelan counties, said about 30 wheat farmers camped outside her office in recreational vehicles for four days to reserve places in line to apply for SAFE. Ruud began taking applications the morning of May 18 and said the process would take two days.

SAFE contracts are awarded on a first-come, first-served basis, unlike general CRP, which is awarded to bidders.

General CRP 10-year contracts average $50 per acre per year in Douglas County, and SAFE will pay $45 to $65 per acre per year for 10 to 15 years, Dudek said. SAFE payments are doubled in the first year to help farmers plant native grasses, he said.

SAFE and CRP payments are limited to $50,000 per qualifying Social Security number per year, Dudek said.

Previously, 8,000 acres were allocated in Washington for SAFE, mainly in Whitman, Lincoln, Adams, Grant and Franklin counties, Hamilton said.

The USDA awarded 24,300 SAFE acres for Idaho, 5,500 for Oregon and none for California which has very little CRP, he said.