State Technical Committee Meeting Minutes

**February 7, 2002**

Ken Leiting opened the meeting, those present were:

  ----------------- --------------- ------------------- -----------------
  Ken Leiting       Mike Sporcic    Shannon Mann        Bill Hays

  Scotty Abbott     Richard Armijo  Don Diego Gonzalez  Richard Becker

  David Seery       Andy Rosenau    Wayne Lindsey       Denise Smith

  Mike Neubeiser    Maria Borges    Dennis Garcia       Greg Schmitt

  John Tunberg      James Bostwick  Ken Schein          Fidel Lorenzo

  Linda Scheffe     Terrell Baker   Ron Proctor         George Douds

  Cindy Nycz        Eddie Vigil     Al Pasteris         
  ----------------- --------------- ------------------- -----------------

Ken Leiting passed out handouts on proposed changes to the new Farm Bill
on the following programs:

-   Environmental Quality Incentives Program

-   Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program

-   Wetland Reserve Program

-   Farmland Protection Program

> **New Programs included:**

-   Grassland Reserve Program

-   Water Conservation on High Plains

-   Water Conservation (purchase of water rights)

-   Conservation Security Program

-   Forestry Program

Greg Schmidt from New Mexico Game and Fish presented a report about
prairie dogs. There are five species of prairie dogs two in New Mexico.
The two species of prairie dogs in New Mexico are Black --tailed and
Gunnison.

-   1998 petitioned to list the Black-tailed as endangered

-   Spring of 1999 a state working group made up of six federal agency
    four state agency and seven non-governmental, was formed.

-   Fall of 1999 group meet to develop a draft conservation plan

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-   Nine out of eleven states signed MOU

-   Fish and Wildlife confirmed that the Black-tailed prairie dog should
    be listed as threatened but they have other priorities more urgent
    at this time

-   Objective of group is to develop history of past occurrence,
    inventory of presence and reason for decline (plague)

-   Goal -- to have 97 thousand acres of viable habitat within 10 years
    (best estimate maybe 25 thousand at present)

The Gunnison prairie dog is located mostly in the 4-corner area of the
state and usually the two species do not have overlapping habitat. The
Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program (WHIP) may be used to provide
assistance with enhancing prairie dog habitat. Some practices that could
help are: grazing, fencing, burning, mowing, and seeding. Prairie dogs
can be contained by borders of vegetation, grasses, or some other type
of shrub.

Richard Becker stated that a tax incentive by the State for individuals
willing to support endangered species on their property could help
motivate individuals.

Mike Neubeiser presented information on EQIP 2002. Handouts attached
are:

-   FY2002 EQIP Tentative Budget

-   Financial Assistance Allocations

-   EQIP Water Resources Statewide Concerns

-   FY2002 EQIP GPAs Approved for Funding

-   Map of the 2002 GPAs

-   EQIP GPAs proposal application packet

-   List of all approved GPAs from 1997 -- 2002

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-   Mike asked to start thinking about statewide resource concerns for
    FY. Each year the committee needs to re-evaluate the current
    statewide concerns and provide input on whether or not to recommend
    adjustments.

-   Mike handed out a copy of the FY 2002 GPA \'Request for Proposals\'
    application. He requested committee members to review it and provide
    him with any ideas/suggestions for changes. The RFP for FY 2003 GPAs
    will be sent out around March 1, 2002.

-   Five GPAs were funded for 5 years, as of FY 2001, and had to
    re-compete for 2002. Four re-competed and were funded for another
    five years.

1.  Irrigated Cropland, Roosevelt & Curry Co.

2.  Dry Cropland, Roosevelt & Curry Co.

3.  Abo Arroyo Watershed

4.  Jicarilla Apache Reservation

-   Six more GPAs will need to re-compete if the Local Work Groups want
    to secure funding for FY 2003;

1.  Socorro County Irrigated Valley - Socorro

2.  Lower Rio Grande Watershed - T or C

3.  Zuni River Watershed - Gallup

4.  Estancia Closed Underground Water Basin - Estancia

5.  Rio Brazos Watershed - Chama

6.  Tramperos Creek Watershed - Clayton

-   List of GPA Sub-committee members

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-   Requested volunteers for GPA Sub-committee for next year.

-   State Committee members present who volunteered to serve on the GPA
    sub-committee were;

    Scotty Abbott Denise Smith Dr. Richard Becker

Bill Hays Dennis Garcia Al Pateris

Dr. Terrell Baker Fidel Lorenzo George Douds

Eddie Vigil Wayne Lindsey

Other members of the sub-committee last year not at today\'s meeting
will be contacted to determine their interest in serving again.

David Seery presented information on the Wildlife Habitat Incentive
Program (WHIP) and Wetland Reserve Program (WRP) for 2003. Handouts
attached are:

-   New Mexico WHIP plan for 2003 (need to clarify page 3)

-   WHIP Ranking Criteria for 2003

-   WRP Ranking Criteria worksheet for 2003

Mike Sporcic, Linda Scheffe, and David Seery presented conservation
practice standards to the committee for review. Standards are used to
describe the conservation practice (Definition and purpose) and explain,
using criteria, how to design the practice. Standards are technical in
nature and are used by the planners to develop a jobsheet for the
conservation plan. Jobsheets are short documents placed in the plan that
describe what is to be done on the land.

Practices submitted to committee for review and comments:

-   Bedding

-   Irrigation Canal or Lateral

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-   Statement added for Clean Water Act Section 404 Permit.

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-   Composting Facility

-   Clearing and Snagging

-   Controlled Drainage

-   Closure of Waste Impoundments

-   Irrigation Field Ditch

-   Riparian Herbaceous Cover

-   Filter Strip

-   Commercial Fishponds

-   Fish Raceway or Tank

-   Floodwater Diversion

-   Floodway

-   Hillside Ditch

-   Irrigation Water Conveyance Aluminum Tubing Pipeline

-   Non-Reinforced Concrete Pipeline

-   Access Road

-   Heavy Use Area Protection

-   Herbaceous Wind Barriers

-   Early Successional Habitat Development/Management

-   Forest Trails and Landings

-   Constructed Wetland

-   Wetland Restoration

-   Wetland Enhancement

John Tunberg reviewed the Farmland Protection Program a new program for
New Mexico NRCS. (attached handout)

-   Purchase conservation easements from landowners in order to keep
    land for to be used for agriculture

-   Title stays with landowner with agreement to stay as agriculture
    land

-   There is a question about water rights that needs to be clarified by
    the national office

-   Match no less than 50% cost

-   Need to partner with State, Tribes, local, government entities or
    non government organizations to provide matching funds.

Richard Armijo gave a snow survey update in New Mexico. New Mexico maybe
in a 20 year drought cycle. Drought cycles will have higher than normal
precipitation about every 5 years with the majority of precipitation
below normal. (February water supply forecast attached)

Next scheduled meeting of the State Technical Committee is June 4, 2002.

+--------------------+------------------+------------------------------+
| Cindy Nycz         |                  | Ken Leiting                  |
|                    |                  |                              |
| Reporter           |                  | State Resource               |
|                    |                  | Conservationist              |
+--------------------+------------------+------------------------------+