In conjunction with the Otter Creek Watershed Grant being implemented by the Ouabache Land Conservancy, the Clay and Vigo SWCDs were awarded a Clean Water Indiana Grant (CWI) to offer cost share funds to the medium priority/non-critical areas of the Otter Creek Watershed.

The program will provide 75% of the actual cost of the conservation practice implementation in the medium priority/non – critical areas of the Otter Creek Watershed. The purpose of this Otter Creek Watershed grant is to supplement conservation practice cost-share funds for the recently approved 319 Implementation Grant sponsored by the Ouabache Land Conservancy (OLC). Funds from this CWI grant will be focused on the medium priority/ non-critical areas of the Otter Creek Watershed.

This program will offer conservation practices geared toward improving water quality, sediment and nutrient reduction, increasing carbon sequestration, controlling soil erosion, improving pasture productivity, improving soil quality, and providing wildlife habitat. The cost share funds requested will be to implement conservation practices on pastureland for livestock producers. These practices will include a number of livestock best management practices such as: forage/pasture planting, fence exclusion, livestock access control, heavy use area protection, livestock stream crossing, and waterline/watering facility. These practices will furthermore be referenced as “Livestock BMP’s (Best Management Practices).

The remaining of funds will be used to assist producers in adopting vegetative practices which will address Water, Soil, Air, Plant and Animal resource concern categories while improving farm productivity.

These conservation practices include: Field Borders, Filter Strip, Riparian Forest/Herbaceous Buffer, Conservation Cover, Cover Crops, Tree/Shrub Establishment and Wildlife Habitat Planting. All Vegetative Practices (Field Borders, Filter Strips, Wildlife Habitat Plantings, Cover Crops, Conservation Cover, Forage and Biomass Plantings).

This is a voluntary program  intended to provide landowners and agricultural producers the technical and financial assistance to install conservation practices. The program will provide 75% of the actual cost of the conservation practice implementation in the medium priority/non—critical areas of the Otter Creek Watershed. These BMPs will provide lasting benefits for soil health, water quality by reducing sedimentation and nutrients as well as get new landowners in the mindset of implementing conservation well after the grant as ended.  Applications will be taken and ranked based on the greatest environmental benefit

Point scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being the maximum number of points ,

2 points new applicant livestock producers

2 points new applicant to USDA

2 points Conservation cover for nutrient and sediment reduction

2 points conservation cover tree plantings and wildlife plantings

1 point cover crops only

1 point land located within the general Otter Creek watershed

Cover crops will be capped at 150 acres per applicant and covered at $20 per acre.

The Clay and Vigo County SWCD staff worked together to submit for this CWI grant. Being awarded this grant gives us the opportunity to help with the struggle of sedimentation and nutrients entering into the Otter Creek.  If you own  a small farm or a large farm, give us a call so we can verify what part of the watershed your farm is in and to get the application and information to you.

To understand more about the Ouabache Land Conservancy and the IDEM 319 Otter Creek grant  visit:

https://ouabachelandconservancy.org/otter-creek/

Otter Creek cost share app_