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When the first meetings about preserving the Upper Big Walnut Creek were held in the mid-1990s, most of those attending were Farm Bureau members, according to E.J. Miller, Delaware County FB president.

"We knew something was going to be done (about preserving the watershed) and we figured we’d better be involved from the beginning to make sure farmers’ views were represented," he said.

As part of the Upper Big Walnut Creek Water Quality Partnership, those farmers and other landowners worked with officials from USDA, local Soil and Water Conservation districts, the City of Columbus, Ducks Unlimited, Ohio Department of Natural Resources and Pheasants Forever to create the Upper Big Walnut Creek Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP).

Officials representing all those groups, including Miller, participated in a signing ceremony in mid-April at Hoover Reservoir near Columbus making the Big Walnut CREP Ohio’s newest conservation program. Featured at the ceremony were U.S. Agriculture Secretary Ann M. Veneman, Ohio Gov. Bob Taft, and Columbus Mayor Michael Coleman.

"This is definitely an innovative partnership," Coleman said. Columbus will "invest $4.7 million over the next 15 years in this program. … It’s encouraging to see a partnership like this with farmers to modify their practices to protect the water supply. … We certainly hope this will entice other municipalities" to look at similar partnerships to ensure water resources are protected, he added.

The Upper Big Walnut Creek encompasses portions of Morrow, Knox, Licking, Delaware and Franklin counties, including the Hoover Dam and Reservoir, which supplies much of the drinking water for residents in north Columbus.

"This is a win-win project that will enable farmers to restore lands near streams as well as provide savings of $1 million annually in water treatment costs," Veneman said. The agreement, among the federal, state and city governments, pays farmers and other landowners to plant trees and establish forested and grass corridors along the creek and its tributaries. The voluntary program uses financial incentives to encourage farmers to enroll by making a commitment to protect their land for 15 years or longer.

"We’ve set a goal of protecting more than 450 miles of waterway, and more than 3,500 acres in this vital watershed," Taft said. "Ohio farmers have shown how productive voluntary programs can be in protecting the environment."

According to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, trees and grass strips planted along streams are the most effective way to reduce water pollution from agricultural runoff and help to restore forested corridors along streamsides. In addition to reducing runoff of soil sediment, nutrients and pesticides, forested corridors along streams help lower water temperatures, increase dissolved oxygen and provide additional habitat for fish and wildlife.

Land enrolled in a CREP could be cropland, marginal pasture or acreage that qualifies for the federally funded Conservation Reserve Program.

The conservation program for the Big Walnut Creek is the second CREP partnership in Ohio. The Lake Erie CREP, announced in April 2000, is under way in 27 counties in Ohio’s western Lake Erie watershed.

CREP uses state and federal resources to help solve conservation problems. It combines the existing USDA Conservation Reserve Program with state programs to meet specific state and national environmental objectives.

Information on the Upper Big Walnut Creek CREP is available by contacting the Delaware Soil and Water Conservation District at 740-368-1921, the ODNR Division of Soil and Water Conservation at 614-265-6610, or the Farm Service Agency or Natural Resources Conservation Service, located at a local USDA Service Center.

Cutline:U.S. Agriculture Secretary Ann M. Veneman prepares to sign the agreement for the Upper Big Walnut Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program. Looking on are, l to r, Columbus Mayor Michael Coleman, Ohio Gov. Bob Taft, Ohio EPA Director Christopher Jones, Ohio Agriculture Director Fred Dailey, Ottawa County Farm Bureau trustee and retired state agriculture official John Foltz, and Delaware County Farm Bureau President E.J. Miller.