Chesapeake Bay | Pennsylvania NRCS

CREP Helps Restore Wetlands

In 2006, Robert and Kelly Baronner, vegetable growers in Blair County, Pennsylvania were looking for an economical and ecological solution to flooding and erosion on their crop fields. The property owners were experiencing flooding approximately every other year, making harvesting their vegetable and sweet corn crop nearly impossible. The fields lie adjacent to the Frankstown Branch of the Juniata River, a warm-water fishery in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed. The Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) helped the Baronners meet their objectives including their goal of creating high quality wildlife habitats for a variety of birds and mammals.

Together with the Baronners, NRCS staff in Blair County developed a conservation plan and design for a wetland restoration project on approximately 24 acres. The conservation plans included Wetland Restoration, Wetland Wildlife Habitat Management, Use Exclusion (livestock), and Critical Area Seeding.

The Baronners’ property is also near Canoe Creek, a site known for its federally endangered Indiana bat (Myotis sodalist) population. The Pennsylvania Game Commission installed two maternity bat boxes on the wetland restoration site, in hopes of attracting Indiana bats and other bat species. The Baronners have installed bat boxes on their barn, erected bluebird boxes and surveyed wildlife on their property. The CREP acreage abounds with wood ducks, geese, red-tailed hawks, osprey, deer, and many other wildlife species. Together with Pennsylvania’s conservation partners Robert and Kelly Baronner are helping to preserve the Chesapeake Bay.

BEFORE (Left): Flooding in the fields made harvesting nearly impossible.

AFTER (Right): NRCS worked with the Barroners to develop and implement a conservation

plan that included critical area seeding, use exclusion, and wildlife habitat management.

EQIP Helps farmers Help the Bay

Max Smith, a dairy farmer from Blair County, was experiencing soil erosion and deposition on access roads and crop fields and flooding in pastures. His property lies adjacent to Clover Creek, a high quality coldwater fishery in the Chesapeake Bay watershed. Looking for an economical and ecological solution, Mr. Smith contacted his local USDA NRCS service center. NRCS staff determined that a combination of EQIP and CREP would help Mr. Smith meet his objectives while also improving stream water quality, and ultimately helping the Chesapeake Bay.

EQIP and CREP are cost-share programs available through NRCS that provide technical and financial help to land owners to implement conservation practices that protect soil and water quality. NRCS staff worked with Mr. Smith to develop a conservation plan and designs for several conservation practices. These practices included installing fencing, access road, grassed waterway, animal trails and walkways, filter strips, and riparian forest buffers. NRCS staff worked closely with Mr. Smith and contractors in order to meet the landowner’s objectives while adhering to NRCS standards and design and cost-share limits for both programs.

The Blair County Trout Unlimited (TU) chapter provided additional funding to help offset the landowner’s remaining costs. This funding was appropriated through TU to install agricultural best management practices, or BMPs, that improve stream quality in coldwater and high quality coldwater fisheries. Additional technical assistance was also provided by staff from the Blair County Conservation District.