Latest Headlines
- Century’s Small Town Christmas Parade Turns Out Small With Four Entries, No Santa
- Sunny, Cool Sunday
- Acres Of Christmas Lights, Hayride, Goats In Pajamas At Run-a-muck Ranch In Bratt
- Home for the Paw-lidays Free Dog, Cat Adoptions At Escambia Shelter
- FDOT Completes $7.5 Million Highway 90 Resurfacing Project
- Going Shopping? A Watchful ECSO Eye Has Your Back
- Tate Aggies Soccer And Basketball Earn Friday Night Wins
- No Serious Injuries In Bratt Rollover Crash
- Escambia County’s First Wawa Store Now Open; Four More Planned
- Atmore Man Charged With Fleeing, Striking Officer With Four-Wheeler
Portion Of $50 Million Gulf Restoration Funds Now Available For North Escambia Area
January 6, 2012
Details have been released on exactly how a portion of a $50 million Gulf Coast restoration initiative will be funneled into the North Escambia area to improve water quality in the Escambia River and the Gulf of Mexico.
The $50 million will spent over three years in conservation assistance to farmers and ranchers in priority areas along seven major rivers in five states that drain into the Gulf.
In both Escambia counties in both Florida and Alabama, funds will be focused on the Canoe Creek watershed and the Sandy Hollow-Pine Barren Creek watershed in the Escambia River basin. Also, in North Escambia, funds will provide conservation assistance in the Little Pine Barren Creek Watershed in the Escambia River Basin. (Click map to enlarge.)
“This locally-led effort to improve the health of the Gulf Coast region will benefit Florida citizens by producing cleaner water, more abundant wildlife, and healthier fisheries,” said Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) State Conservationist Carlos Suarez.
Financial assistance is available to help producers apply sustainable agricultural and wildlife habitat management systems that will focus on reducing soil erosion, improving water quality, and improving wildlife habitat on cropland, pastureland, and forestland.
Practices may include:
- Installing grade control structures to stabilize eroding gullies
- Implementing precision agriculture to reduce chemical application overlap and protect sensitive environmental areas
- Increasing adoption of residue and tillage management, cover crops, and conservation crop rotations to reduce sheet and rill erosion and improve soil organic matter, which will result in cleaner runoff and improved water quality
- Planting grass and trees to stabilize eroding areas
- Installing cross-fences and watering facilities to facilitate grazing distribution
- Controlling cattle access to streams to improve water quality and stream bank stability
- Planting and managing native plant species to improve wildlife habitat and to assist with restoration of a multitude of declining species
- Promoting energy conservation by eliminating the need for annual mechanical removal of sediment from split ditches
- Implementing grazing management
- Installing heavy-use area protection pads
The $50 million Gulf Coast restoration initiative was announced by the Obama administration.
For information on how to apply for the funding, contact the NRCS Molino Service Center at (850) 587-5345 or the Brewton NRCS Service Center at (251) 867-3185.
Pictured: This map shows the areas eligible for a portion of $50 million in Gulf Coast restoration funding, click to enlarge.
Comments
8 Responses to “Portion Of $50 Million Gulf Restoration Funds Now Available For North Escambia Area”
REGARDING:
“I’m sure they’re all doing the very best they can ….there is just never enough money, no matter how much we give them in taxes.”
That’s what makes it so irritating. The Board of County Commissioners admitted over a decade ago that they had already raised — we had already paid — enough designated taxes to properly pave every last inch of dirt roads in the county.
They refused to do the paving unless enough right of way on both sides of the roads was given to construct proper, two lane paved roads with proper shoulders and ditches. I can see that, really I can. (I gave mine and McBride Road is paved. Bluff Springs Road was already paved.) The thing is, erosion would be greatly reduced if they spent a fraction of the money we raised over ten years ago and paved the existing roads from one side to the other. Something’s better than nothing and many are getting nothing.
And I can’t forget how they “borrowed” from that fund to buy the ice making machinery to freeze the Civic Center, the one they want to sell for about twice what the “loan” came to, I think it was. Ice hockey was going to make the county rich somehow. It was far more important than safer roads for emergency vehicles and for taxpayers.
It’s almost enough to make you doubt their integrity.
David pouting
Get ready farmers for the state to tell you how to farm YOUR land — THEIR WAY!
More costly – which means food prices go up, up, up for the consumers.
CONTROL CONTROL CONTROL
LEAVE ME ALONE. LET ME FARM MY WAY AS LONG AS I DON’T HARM ANYONE ELSE PROPERTY.!
LOOK OUT!!!! Here comes the septic tank inspection issue again.
This is how this inspection came about,it was voted in so we would have clean streams going into our rivers.
SO GET READY TO HAVE YOUR SEPTIC SYSTEM INSPECTED,AND IT WILL FAIL
why would we want to improve habitat on crop land,and pasture land ?, pasture land is for grazing, and crop land is for harvesting,., . .
why not clean the log jams out , where did the fema money go?, how much money is allocated for the sediment from the land clearing for the nuke plant,,, how many wood ducks have been released on the esc,river ,,., how much of this has the paper mill and the power plant contributed to already/, , to keep the cows out of the creek comes under agriculture, meaning one could apply to build a water hole, and that money is not wasted from the fifty mill,., implementing grazing management ,is under agriculture,,,..,, why do we need agriculture department , if restoration funds are available,,,., . we got this money , and if we dont spend it we lose it?, c mon,.
DHG
I’m sure their all doing the very best they can ….there is just never enough money,
no matter how much we give them in taxes.
It takes a lot of work to keep getting money for their wonderful projects.
You, I, people with Asthma, and the Children can just keep choking on
the dust and the dirt, besides everytime they get more run off, they can
get more money for projects.
They love spending, wish we could do that.
S-O-C-I-A-L-I-S-M!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
CONSIDERING:
“Promoting energy conservation by eliminating the need for annual mechanical removal of sediment from split ditches ”
Here’s a novel thought: pave the dirt roads to reduce erosion and siltation — SOME sort of paving, at least enough to keep the roads from washing away and the dust blowing away.
Oh, if only we had a fund set up to do that very thing. Oh wait, we do, it’s called the Local Options Sales Tax.
David still holding breath
for those less fortunate