2004 Environmental Quality Incentive Program

Local Work Group Summary for Datil

Introduction:

The Datil Field Office is located in Datil New Mexico in Catron County.  It provides assistance to the Quemado and Salado Soil and Water Conservation Districts with a combined total of not quite 4.1 million acres.  About 39% is Federal lands and 61% is private and state lands, almost all lands are rangeland or grazeable woodland.  The Datil Field Office covers the northern and eastern parts of Catron County, the southern part of Cibola County and the western part of Socorro County.  Topography is varied with elevations ranging from 4,500 feet to 10,000 feet with much of the area above 6,000 feet.  Soils vary from deep well drained loams and clays to shallow gravelly to rocky soils on mountain sides.  The precipitation ranges from 10 in. in lower elevations to over 20 in. in the higher elevations, with annual precipitation figures varying widely from year to year.

Vegetation ranges from black and blue grama to mountain brush/ mtn. muhly, pine dropseed, and in the higher elevations Ponderosa pine, mtn. grasses.  The predominant use of land at the present time is still ranching with more and more emphasis placed on hunting as a source of income.  There is also a component of land being sold as subdivisions in the areas that contain suitable numbers of tree species.

Local Work Group

The Quemado and Salado SWCDs held a joint Local Work Group Meeting on Nov. 18th, 2003 at the Quemado Community Center.  Invitations were sent out to Federal, State, and County agencies with seven participants attending, and assisting in developing the plan.  Attendees included representatives from State Land Office, FSA County Committee, Catron County Commissioners, Salado and Quemado SWCDs and the NRCS.

Priority Resource Concerns

The local work group chose to keep the same priorities as in FY 2003 with water quality/water quantity (brush control), soil erosion as their highest priority resource concerns, and proposed higher cost share rates for selected practices to encourage participants to work on these objectives.  They also felt that erosion control and brush control are expensive practices that have a long lived return to the participant and also have large off site benefits that would justify a higher cost share rate.  Water development was the third resource concern. The local work group does not wish to restrict landowners from addressing other resource concerns under the EQIP program.

Funding Considerations

The Local Work Group would allocate monies received by the two Districts based on the same acreage figures used to determine the state allocation to the Datil Field Office, the funds would be split 55% to rangeland practices and 45% to all other practices.  These funds would be interchangeable if not otherwise obligated; funds would be interchangeable between districts if not obligated also.

Cost Docket - Please refer to the Cost Docket link for specific information.

Eligible Practices - Please refer to the Eligible Practices link for specific information.

Cost Share Rates and Incentive Payments - Please refer to the link for speficic information.

The local work group also recommends a $25,000.00/practice/contract limit for all practices.

Ranking Criteria - Please refer to the Ranking Criteria links for specific information.

Timelines and Evaluation Periods

Please refer to the EQIP Application Information link.

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