Idaho Conservation Project Tracker

The State of Idaho's Conservation Project Tracker tells stories about the significant accomplishments of Idaho's broad conservation partnership: local, state, and federal agencies working with private landowners, nonprofits, and others to promote good stewardship.

Idaho is home to magnificent and diverse landscapes – rivers, lakes, mountains, forests and desert canyons, is rich in its wildlife and habitat, and contains ample fertile ground suitable for a variety of agricultural pursuits. Those involved in managing Idaho's lands and resources have deep roots. They know that caring for the land benefits both bottom line and future generations.

Conservation the Idaho Way reflects the conviction that the very best way to care for and enhance Idaho's soil, water, air, plants and wildlife is through voluntary stewardship. Conservation the Idaho Way utilizes our natural resources to benefit all Idahoans while maintaining and improving our natural resources for future generations.

We have a lot of stories to tell. These are some of them.

Tracker tells stories at a broad-brush level. Individual project performance measures and expenditures should not be relied upon for complete and total accuracy and should be confirmed with a project's lead implementer. Project locations subject to confidentiality provisions under state and federal law specify the location of a local conservation district or USDA service center office

Project Map

Conservation Projects
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Project Stage

Featured Projects

North Idaho Animal Feeding Operations Implementation

Lot after abandoned

Program	Animal Feeding Operations (AFOs)
Lead Implementer	Latah Conservation District
Other Organizations	Clearwater Conservation District, Idaho County Conservation District, Lewis Conservation District, Nez Perce Conservation District
Stage	Completed
Duration	2001 - 2013

The goal of the North Idaho AFO Implementation project is to put best management practices into practice on cattle feeding operations to decrease sediment, bacteria, organics and nutrient loading to streams in the project area, striving to reach the designated beneficial uses for each stream. The four phases of the project removed 8,600 head of livestock from over 150,000 linear feet of rivers and streams throughout North-Central Idaho. With funding through DEQ and the Idaho SWC, 60 projects were completed.

Sagebrush Landscape Restoration

Sage Grouse

Program	Sagebrush Landscape Restoration
Lead Implementer	Idaho Soil and Water Conservation Commission
Other Organizations	Idaho Department of Fish and Game, The Nature Conservancy, Trout Unlimited, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Natural Resources Conservation Service
Stage	Implementation
Duration	2018 - 2020

This National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) funded grant primarily focuses on restoring lost hydrology to wet meadow, mesic, and wetland areas. This position works on restoring, enhancing, and/or protecting sagebrush steppe, maintaining/building strong collaborative partnerships, communicating about the program, and ensures a well-trained workforce exists to deliver supporting landscape scale conservation. Works with landowners, local, state, federal, and NGOs. Landscape scale improvements to these limited resources are expected to benefit from implementation across jurisdictional boundaries and are expected to have the greatest impact to sage-steppe obligates and associated species.

St. Joe River Streambank Stabilization and Vegetation 319 Grant, Resource Inventory (Benewah CD)

Bardge work

Program	District Technical Assistance (ISWCC)
Lead Implementer	Idaho Soil and Water Conservation Commission
Other Organizations	Benewah County, Coeur d'Alene Basin Environmental Improvement Project Commission, Shoshone Board of County Commissioners, St. Joe River Landowners, St. Joe/St. Maries Watershed Advisory Group, U.S. Natural Resources Conservation Service
Stage	Implementation
Duration	2019 - 2021

The project addresses water quality, fish and wildlife habitat/riparian health restoration as identified in the District's annual work plan. Hours requested will be utilized for both implementation and capacity building assistance to the District. IDEQ and AVISTA have committed funding for the project. Engineered design and permit applications have been submitted to all appropriate agencies. Plans for contractor are ongoing. Construction will commence during the fall 2019 work window. St. Joe River 319 landowners will provide cottonwood plantings above riprap stabilization, provide plant maintenance for both willows and cottonwoods for5 yrs. District will monitor 5 years.

State Agricultural Water Quality Program (1983-1999, aggregated data)

Crop Residue Management in Idaho

Program	Water Quality Implementation
Lead Implementer	Idaho Soil and Water Conservation Commission
Other Organizations	Balanced Rock Conservation District, Benewah Conservation District, Camas Soil Conservation District, Canyon Conservation District, Caribou Conservation District, Clearwater Conservation District, East Side Conservation District, Kootenai Shoshone Conservation District, Latah Conservation District, Lewis Conservation District, Nez Perce Conservation District, North Side Conservation District, Oneida Conservation District, Payette Conservation District, Portneuf Conservation District, Teton Conservation District, Valley Conservation District, Weiser River Conservation District, Wood River Conservation District, Yellowstone Conservation District
Stage	Completed
Duration	1985 - 1999

SAWQ was developed for the purpose of protecting and enhancing the quality and value of water resources of the state of Idaho by financially assisting Soil Conservation Districts in the control and abatement of water pollution from agricultural lands.

The program operated from 1983-1999. Tracker only reports from 1985 onward, so previously completed projects are reported aggregated beginning in 1985. For a complete list of projects, see Additional Data section below. Program funding was provided by the state Water Pollution Control Account.

SAWQ was replaced by the Water Quality Program for Agriculture WQPA in 2000. The WQPA was funded from 2000 -...

Water Quality Program for Agriculture (2000-2012, aggregated data)

WQPA funded instream restoration around the state.

Program	Water Quality Implementation
Lead Implementer	Idaho Soil and Water Conservation Commission
Other Organizations	Ada Conservation District, Balanced Rock Conservation District, Benewah Conservation District, Bonner Conservation District, Boundary Conservation District, Bruneau River Conservation District, Butte Conservation District, Camas Soil Conservation District, Canyon Conservation District, Caribou Conservation District, Clark Conservation District, Clearwater Conservation District, Custer Conservation District, East Cassia Conservation District, Elmore Conservation District, Gem Conservation District, Gooding Conservation District, Idaho County Conservation District, Idaho Department of Environmental Quality, Kootenai Shoshone Conservation District, Latah Conservation District, Lemhi Conservation District, Lewis Conservation District, Nez Perce Conservation District, North Side Conservation District, Oneida Conservation District, Owyhee Conservation District, Payette Conservation District, Portneuf Conservation District, Snake River Conservation District, Squaw Creek Conservation District, Teton Conservation District, Twin Falls Conservation District, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Natural Resources Conservation Service, Valley Conservation District, Weiser River Conservation District, West Cassia Conservation District, Wood River Conservation District, Yellowstone Conservation District
Stage	Completed
Duration	2000 - 2012

The Idaho Water Quality Program for Agriculture (WQPA) is a cost-share program under IC 22-2733 offering financial incentives to protect and enhance water quality and fish and wildlife habitat. WQPA was funded by the state's General Fund between 2000 and 2012. The final projects were completed within several years of that. There were 1,698 individual projects accomplished under the WQPA between 2000 and 2012.

State funds in the amount of $13,449,070 were distributed over the life of the Program. Partner matching funds are estimated, but unknown due to reporting discrepancies.

For more information on Conservation the Idaho Way and the Idaho Conservation Partnership, contact the Idaho Soil & Water Conservation Commission at: 322 E. Front Street, Suite 560, Boise, Idaho 83702 • www.swc.idaho.gov • info@swc.idaho.gov • 208-322-1790