LAKE COUNTY – The Natural Resources Conservation Service has announced that applications are now being accepted from Lake County farmers and ranchers wishing to participate in the 2010 Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP).

Applications must be received in the NRCS office by Jan. 15, 2010.

The EQIP program offers funds to producers for practices ranging from animal waste systems to windbreaks to irrigation systems that conserve water.

Applications are scored and ranked based on a locally modified scoring system striving to get the best environmental benefits. It gives each county an opportunity to focus EQIP dollars and prioritize conservation work to address its most pressing resource needs.

For the 2009 EQIP program, Lake County farmers and ranchers were awarded contracts enrolling approximately 10,000 acres into the EQIP program.

EQIP funds are a way for landowners to solve a resource problem such as fixing a nuisance gully. It can also be used to address regulatory concerns like water quality rules or to receive incentives for water conservation.

The primary resource concerns being addressed in Lake County for 2010 include:

High priority:

• Irrigation Efficiency, including system retrofits and system conversions.

• Erosion, including gullies, roads, and stream banks.

• Grazing and livestock management, including, water quality improvements (fencing), stock water, and grazing management.

• Buffers addressing, animal waste, nutrients, pesticides or sediments in water.

• Water quality projects that address runoff from headquarters or heavy use areas.

• Forestry Conservation Activity Plans greater than 20 acres or part of a group project.

Medium priority:

• Forestry projects identified in a FMP or NTMP or other forestry plan.

• Forestry Conservation Activity Plans less than 20 acres.

• Wildlife Habitat for Clear Lake Hitch.

Other programs may address the following resource concerns:

• Air quality – diesel engine replacements.

• Cropland – conversion to organic production or assistance with organic production.

Applicants are encouraged to begin the application process early to avoid unforeseen delays, and assure their application can be considered for funding this year.

Landowners wanting more information about EQIP and how it can be used to install conservation measures on their property should contact their local NRCS office at 889 Lakeport Blvd., Lakeport, CA 95453, telephone 707-263-4180, Extension 14.

Specific information about EQIP in Lake County can also be found on the Internet at www.ca.nrcs.usda.gov .