Washington Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) (CREP)

Washington's CREP pays farmers to plant native trees and shrubs along salmon-bearing streams instead of crops, on renewable 10-15 year FSA contracts. Landowners get annual rental payments, a one-time signing bonus, full coverage of planting costs and five years of maintenance, and livestock operators are reimbursed for exclusion fencing and new water facilities. Enrollment runs through the local conservation district and the USDA Farm Service Agency.

• "Landowners and operators who meet USDA FSA CRP/CREP eligibility and enroll riparian lands under an FSA contract; participants must meet FSA cropping history or marginal pasture requirements and have an approved riparian plan and contract with FSA."

• Fact sheet: "You must have owned and/or operated your land for at least 12 months before enrollment."

• "Land must be either cropland or marginal pastureland; be able to support the required vegetation; and have required cropping history."

• "Property must border eligible stream segments."

Renewable 10-15 year contracts; buffers maintained for the contract term. Fact sheet: "Entire cost of project installation is covered"; "Project maintenance cost is reimbursed for the first five years"; "Livestock operators are reimbursed for fencing that excludes cattle from the buffer and for new water facilities."

Published amounts: "The program covers all project costs, from site planning and planting to five years of maintenance"; "landowners receive annual rental payments for the acres they restore and a one-time signing bonus for enrolling." Funding matrix: "FSA pays 50% of implementation costs plus 40% PIP; SCC adds 10% implementation cost share and up to 2,700 dollars per acre maintenance".

"Contact your local conservation district"; a local CREP technician designs the buffer plan and the landowner signs up with the USDA Farm Service Agency. See the map of eligible stream segments.

Deadline text on the page: Rolling. Funding matrix: "Ongoing as long as funds are available". Grant-programs index shows CREP as accepting applications (the 'Not currently accepting' label is hidden for CREP).