2006 WACD Policy Book

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2006 WACD Policy Book

ENVIRONMENT

Policy #1: SOIL SURVEYS
WACD strongly supports the Wyoming Department of Agriculture and the State of Wyoming in aggressively pursuing the soil survey program and recommends continued funding from local, state and federal sources for the completion of a progressive survey, soil research, digitalization and computerization of soil information. (Adopted – 82, Sunset - 2006)

Policy #2: AG EXPERIMENT AND EXTENSION SERVICE FUNDING
WACD supports federal budget request of the state Agricultural Experiment Station and Cooperative Extension Services at such levels as will enable them to support the conservation districts with research information and extension educational assistance. (Adopted – 90, Sunset 2010)

Policy #3: NRCS & DISTRICT TRAINING
WACD supports updating research and training needs to improve the knowledge of Conservation Districts and Natural Resources Conservation Service staff, who provides land user the most economically feasible Best Management Practices relating to soil, water, climate, and plants relationships for the conservation of Wyoming’s resources. (Adopted – 90, Sunset 2006)

Policy #4: GRAZING RESEARCH
WACD supports expanded research on grazing systems and condition trends. High priority research needs are for systems that reduce adverse impact on range resources while improving production efficiency and improved pasture and forage management practices. (Adopted – 90, Sunset - 2008)

Policy #5: PLANT MATERIALS RESEARCH
WACD supports broadened plant material research to develop management systems that optimize uses of soil and water resources for the production of warm and cool season plants, improve stand establishment techniques and provide good production with minimum soil loss. (Adopted - 90, Sunset 2007)

Policy #6: OUTDOOR RECREATION FACILITIES
WACD supports responsible programs for the expansion of outdoor recreational facilities on public and private lands. (Sunset – 2006)

Policy #7: RECREATION MANAGEMENT GUIDELINES
WACD supports the development of guidelines to assist private recreational managers in operating their enterprises. (Adopted – 90, Sunset 2006)

Policy #8: PRIVATE PROPERTY
WACD supports private property rights. (Adopted – 90, Sunset - 2010)

Policy #9: FARM BILL
WACD supports most provisions in the 1996 Farm Bill and encourages Conservation Districts and public participation in upcoming Farm Bills and/or amendments, which have a significant impact to Wyoming’s environment. (Sunset – 2006)

Policy #10: ARIAL PHOTOGRAPHY
WACD recommend that aerial photography utilized in USDA Service Center Offices be kept current with new flights at least every five years. (Sunset – 2007)

Policy #11: SOIL SURVEYS
WACD supports the following efforts to obtain the necessary resources to accelerate the completion of the soil survey in Wyoming:

1. Increased funding to the USDA-NRCS for soil survey mapping.

2. NRCS be charged to complete the soil survey on priority lands in Wyoming.

3. State support of the soil survey effort on state lands.

(Adopted - 2002, Sunset - 2010)

Policy #12: SOIL SURVEYS/ECOLOGICAL SITE DESCRIPTION - WACD recommends the prioritization of soil survey mapping and the uniform use of ecological site descriptions developed by NRCS as the foundation for the inventory, evaluation, setting of monitoring objectives, and management of rangelands and forestlands because ecological sites are the basic units of soils and associated plant communities and they provide the basis for setting vegetative management objectives, monitoring and extrapolations of management impacts to other areas. (Adopted - 2002, Sunset - 2010)

Policy #13: CARBON SEQUESTRATION - WACD will take an active role to support actions that may contribute scientific knowledge or result in the identification and enhancement of techniques for the sequestration of carbon on agricultural and forestry lands and marketing of carbon credits; and support of the Carbon Sequestration Advisory Committee and their efforts to promote field research that can advance knowledge of carbon sequestration and subsequent marketing of carbon credits. (Adopted - 03, Sunset 2007)

Policy #14: EMERGENCY WATERSHED PROTECTION - Conservation Districts and WACD will seek congressional support for the nationwide funding of the EWP program for FY2005 and future years. (Adopted - 03, Sunset 2007)