America's Great Outdoors Initiative

From parks and rivers to farmlands and forests, America's great outdoors fuel our national spirit of adventure and independence and help power our economy. Our lands and waters also are where our families go to unwind, to fish, hike, and hunt, and to spend valuable time together.

Today, however, much of America's great outdoors is under intense pressure. Open lands, farmlands and woodlands are disappearing, waterways are polluted, and a changing climate is threatening natural systems. At the same time, many Americans - especially young people - are losing touch with the outdoor places and traditions our country  has always treasured. President Obama believes that for America to be at its strongest, we need healthy and accessible lands and waters and healthy and active youth who are connected to them. That is why he established the America's Great Outdoors Initiative in April 2010, to work with the American people to develop a 21st century conservation and recreation agenda.

More information about the AGO Initiative can be found on the America's Great Outdoors website.

Vermont AGO Pilot Project

Vermont NRCS has been selected to take part in the America's Great Outdoors Initiative by focusing on conservation. Farms located in the Lake Champlain Basin are encouraged to take part in this initiative. The Lake Champlain Basin is one of 3 sites in the country that has been selected to take part in an AGO pilot project.

NRCS in Vermont sought and was granted approval to use a new conservation practice, 'Monitoring and Evaluation', to be offered for farms to adopt. The purpose of the practice is to monitor water quality data by capturing water and sediment and evaluate the effectiveness of conservation practices. Improved data on the effectiveness of best management practices (buffers and other erosion reduction practices on cropland) will allow local, state and federal agencies and organizations to better focus financial resources on those conservation practices that are most effective in addressing runoff and associated phosphorus and sediment losses.

Sign Up Information:
    Sign up Period, July 15 - 29, 2011
    Ranking, August 1-5, 2011
    Contracts must be signed no later than August 15, 2011

To be eligible for AGO you need to meet eligibility criteria for the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP). Information about EQIP eligibility, including application information, can be found  on the Vermont NRCS EQIP website.

The following documents require Acrobat Reader.
EQIP Application Form (pdf 55.1 KB)
EQIP Application Checklist (pdf 38.0 KB)
Producer Information Sheet (pdf 71.3 KB)

Site Selection Criteria:

• Must be agricultural fields that are suitable for implementing the selected priority practice (see list above)
• Must have multiple fields or portions of fields with similar past use, soils, slope, aspect and other physiographic characteristics
• Must have multiple fields or portions of fields that can be divided into multiple monitoring areas
• Must be able to clearly identify the boundaries of the field drainage areas either visually or by topographic surveys
• Outflow from the monitoring areas must be confined to a ditch or other waterway, or has the potential to be easily directed to a single point where flow can be measured and water samples collected
• Fields cannot be tile drained
• Located within the Champlain Basin of Vermont

Farmers who enter into an EQIP contract through this AGO Pilot Project can expect the following:

• Farmers will need to meet all EQIP eligibility criteria
• Farmers need to agree to implement water quality monitoring stations and best management practices through a 5-10 year EQIP contract
• Water quality monitoring stations will be installed at the edge of fields in 2011 or 2012 to collect baseline data
• Monitoring stations will be installed and data will be collected by NRCS and its partners

Practices offered through 2011 AGO:
    Monitoring and Evaluation (required at no cost)
    Soil aeration on hay land
    No-till or reduced tillage with manure injection
    Cover cropping
    Grassed Waterways

The following document requires Acrobat Reader.
Monitoring and Evaluation Practice Information (pdf 142 KB)

Contracts will be for 5-10 years in length.

Electronic application filing is available through the Electronic Government website.

For additional local information or to apply, contact your Local NRCS Office.

VT NRCS Office Locations and Contact Information

Contact

Kip Potter    
Phone: 802-951-6796 x 236
Email: kip.potter@vt.usda.gov