September 24, 2020 - Issue: Vol. 166, No. 166 — Daily Edition116th Congress (2019 - 2020) - 2nd Session

[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E882-E883]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          COMMEMORATING THE SMITH CREEK WATERSHED PARTNERSHIP

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. BEN CLINE

                              of virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, September 24, 2020

  Mr. CLINE. Madam Speaker, I rise today to discuss a unique public-
private partnership that has yielded big conservation dividends for my 
home state of Virginia.
  Ten years ago, a dedicated group of landowners and partners gathered 
in a small Shenandoah Valley community to launch a unique initiative 
designed to improve local water quality through the power of 
Conservation, Collaboration and Community. Smith Creek was one of three 
``showcase watersheds'' established by USDA's Natural Resources 
Conservation Service as part of a

[[Page E883]]

new strategy to address bacteria, nitrogen, phosphorus and sediment 
contamination in Smith Creek.
  These ``showcases'' were established to demonstrate what can be 
accomplished when communities come together to solve natural resource 
problems in a targeted area. Smith Creek joined Maryland's Upper 
Chester River and Conewago Creek in Pennsylvania to test this focused 
approach to stewardship on a watershed level.
  The Smith Creek Watershed presents some unique conservation 
challenges. Karst topography dominates the Shenandoah Valley with 
hundreds of known sinkholes and over 35 caves that complicate the 
conservation effort. It is also home to 75 percent of Virginia's 
poultry operations and approximately 46 percent of its dairies.
  Local groups and organizations partnered to conduct extensive 
outreach over the past 10 years, personally contacting area producers 
and landowners to increase awareness of assistance available to 
implement water quality practices on local farms. As dedicated stewards 
of the land, local farmers and landowners worked diligently to improve 
water quality while continuing to ensure our agricultural economy in 
the Shenandoah Valley thrived. Smith Creek agricultural producers have 
now treated more than 8,115 acres through Farm Bill programs like CSP, 
EQIP and the associated National Water Quality Initiative--over 640 
total acres in the last two years alone.
  Today, we recognize and salute the dedicated conservationists and 
stewards of the land who have so successfully collaborated to preserve 
the farming heritage, water quality and scenic beauty of Virginia's 
Shenandoah Valley and the Chesapeake Bay.

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