Projects: Ozaukee County's Buffer Initiative
Ozaukee County became a participant in the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) in 2001 to improve water quality through the establishment of vegetative buffers.
CREP, a federal, state and local partnership program, provides payments to landowners for establishing and maintaining buffers on agricultural lands along rivers, streams, lakes and wetlands. Landowners voluntarily enroll land into 15 year agreements or perpetual easements and receive attractive payments provided by the USDA Farm Service Agency and DATCP for the agricultural land planted and maintained as buffers.
Partnerships
CREP involves many accomplished partners:- Pheasants Forever was very helpful by funding retired NRCS District Conservationist, Dan Lynch, to contact landowners and promote CREP in Ozaukee County. Dan has been very successful in generating CREP interest.
- The DNR Office of the Great Lakes has to date contributed $50,000 of incentive payments to promote the installation of buffers on Lake Michigan tributaries. The county is presently requesting an additional $25,000 for new contracts. Those additional funds have proven to be very significant and influential in getting landowners to participate.
- The Milwaukee River Basin Partnership (MRBP) selected CREP as a rural project to support and promote in 2007. The MRBP was instrumental in promoting CREP through the news media. The Wisconsin State Farmer published 2 large articles about CREP in Ozaukee County.
- UWEX – Gail Epping Overholt, a MRBP member was very helpful by creating several attractive flyers that were mailed to all Ozaukee County landowners potentially eligible for CREP. Each flyer included a local CREP participant, along with their testimonial about why they participated in CREP and installed buffers.
Progress
Ozaukee County had 129.2 acres in CREP and another 7.3 acres in CREP Equivalent at the end of 2005. Since then Ozaukee County has contacted approximately 150 people, some several times.
In 2006, with the help of the DNR Greats Lakes incentive money, we had 144.1 acres in CREP, 13.8 acres in CREP Equivalent, and 23.6 acres seeded down to grasses for 15 years through the DNR Great Lakes Buffer incentive grant.
Below is a table showing landowners who signed up or are in the (process) of signing up for 2007 CREP or CREP Equivalent with the help of DNR Great Lakes Buffer incentive grant money.
Property Owner |
Estimated Acreage |
DNR Great Lakes Incentive Money ***** |
Township Where Buffer Will be Located |
Kevin Pieffer |
7.0 acres |
$5,950.00 |
Belgium |
Ken Riemer |
5.0 acres |
$4,250.00 |
Fredonia |
Paul Mueller |
3.4 acres |
$2,890.00 |
Fredonia |
Ron Bartelt |
2.7 acres |
$2,295.00 |
Saukville |
Larry Lanser |
3.0 acres |
$2,550.00 |
Fredonia |
William Clausing |
2.0 acres |
$1,700.00 |
Fredonia |
Ray Lapinski |
0.5 acres |
$425.00 |
Belgium |
Carol Liss Trust |
17.0 acres |
$14,450.00 |
Belgium |
Lemke Seed Farm |
1.3 acres |
$1,105.00 |
Mequon, city of |
Dan Large |
9.5 acres |
$8,075.00 |
Belgium |
Grand Total |
51.4 acres |
$43,690.00 |
|
***** Ozaukee County has received $50,000.00 from the DNR in Great Lakes Buffer Incentive grant money, which as you can see, has doubled our acreage signed up. Ozaukee County is asking for another $25,000.00.
With the help of a county intern and having Pheasants Forever provide a contact person for the summer, the program has showed increased landowner interest.
In Ozaukee County if you are eligible for CREP, the lowest payment you would receive over 15 years on an acre of buffer is $1,656.25. This averages to $110.42/acre/year in rent over 15 years. You would actually receive $482.50 in upfront incentive payment of the $1,656.25 total payment.
If you are eligible for CREP and want to do the maximum buffer, the payment received over 15 years on an acre of buffer is $3,141.50. This averages to $209.43/acre/year in rent over 15 years. Landowners would receive $1,097.00 in upfront incentive payment of the $3,141.50 total payment.
Milwaukee River Basin Partnership
1845 N. Farwell Avenue, Suite 100
Milwaukee, WI 53202
(414)763-6170