CRP has given CPR to wildlife

Many hunters, me included, are enjoying one of the best seasons in a couple of decades for deer and upland birds.

We owe a prayer for the spring weather.

We’re also indebted to the farmers and ranchers who provide a year-round home for the wildlife, especially to those who give hunters the privilege to visit their land and reap a harvest from agriculture’s “other crop.”

But let’s not overlook the hand Uncle Sam has had in supporting us all.

Federal agriculture programs have helped American farmers and ranchers weather storms, droughts and other natural and not-so-natural disasters so they can continue to feed the world at bargain prices. (Trust me, only a few pennies of the $4 you recently paid for a box of cereal went into the farmer’s wallet.)

At the same time, some of those farm programs reward farmers for keeping millions of tons of soil on the ground instead of in the air and into our lungs. While helping keep our streams clear for fish, some of these programs also help maintain wetlands and year-round upland cover.

These otherwise threatened habitats are vital to a wide range of wildlife species, not just the ducks, deer and pheasants that are particularly attractive to hunters.

I mention this because the U.S. government has fought its way into a budget deficit that’s forcing lawmakers to consider selling out our wildlife future and turn their backs on farmers.

I’ve heard a lot recently about politicians catering to their “political bases.” But it’s a tragedy if we have to remind them that farmers and ranchers are an important foundation for all of us, and the wildlife we appreciate.

In the past few weeks, Congressional committees have proposed budget cuts that would cripple programs that help farmers while reducing erosion and improving wetlands.

The 2006 budget appears to call for $507 million up to $1 billion in cuts to agriculture conservation programs on top of $3.8 billion in cuts the authorized programs already have had to endure since the 2002 Farm Bill was enacted.

One cut would reduce by nearly 8 percent the amount of acreage in the Conservation Reserve Program, which encourages farmers to conserve fragile lands in return for annual federal payments.

The Bush administration announced last year that changes were coming for CRP, which has been idling about 35 million acres of farmland at a cost of nearly $2 million a year. It’s the Agriculture Department’s biggest farm conservation effort.

Only farmers and ranchers who own the most environmentally sensitive land would get new 10- to 15-year contracts under the administration proposal. Other contracts would be for a few years.

Congress appears to be cutting the program even more.

Contracts will expire on about 26 million acres from 2007 through 2009. Officials expect many farmers and ranchers will drop out because they don’t want the shorter-term contracts the Bush administration plans to offer.

Nearly every state wildlife agency and wildlife conservation group in the nation has sung praises over the wildlife benefits of CRP since its creation in 1985. North Dakota has developed an industry around pheasant production wildly enhanced by CRP, and declining prairie chickens owe CRP for their new lease on existence.

Washington state has about 1.3 million acres in CRP. Many farmers could not afford to conserve soil and wildlife habitat without CRP incentives.

Without the program, there could be enough dust in the air to blot out many of Spokane’s summer sunsets.

Pheasants and deer would find that much more ground plowed and inhospitable at periods throughout the year.

David Nomsen, vice president of governmental affairs for Pheasants Forever said, “CRP is part of the solution, not part of the problem. Farmers and landowners that have a portion of their lands in general CRP receive stabilized, guaranteed income while providing tremendous soil, water and wildlife benefits for everyone.”

The introduction to the Pheasants Forever Web site and 2005 hunting forecast says, “Holy CRP, look at all the birds!”

Foolproof fishing: Lake Roosevelt fishing guide Lenny Mayo will share his formula for catching the reservoir’s rainbows in a free seminar tonight at 6 at White’s Outdoor, 4002 E. Ferry Ave. Info: 525-1875.