In This Issue:

• Greetings!
• Final Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP) Available
• February 18th Ag Element Stakeholder Group Meeting
• Pollinator Planting Projects Underway
• Join Us for a STRAW Planting Day in April
• PARTNER UPDATES

              --USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) Application Deadlines

              --March 10th Pajaro River Watershed Resilience Program Public Workshop

              --April 19th San Benito Integrated Waste Management Earth Day Celebration

Greetings!

Welcome to the first edition of the San Benito Resource Conservation District (SBRCD) newsletter in quite some time. The SBRCD provides free, non-regulatory, confidential assistance to landowners and land managers to address soil and water quality, climate resilience, and ecosystem health on private and public lands. There have been many changes at the SBRCD over the past couple of years, and we'd like to share some of those with you here.

For the first time ever, the SBRCD now has two employees. Karminder Brown is our Executive Director, and I’m Becky Herbert, the new Program Coordinator. After many years working with local farmers and ranchers on the marketing side of things, I’m excited to transition into a conservation role here in San Benito County.

We’re also happy to announce that after more than two years of fully remote work, the SBRCD has moved into a newly renovated space within the USDA Service Center at 2337 Technology Parkway, Suite C in Hollister.  We are grateful to our USDA partners for providing the office space!

This newsletter will be sent quarterly, offering updates on SBRCD projects, events and opportunities, and highlighting programs and events from our local and regional partners. 

We’d love to hear from you!  You can reach us on our landline (831) 902-2349, by email at info@rcdsanbenito.org, or stop by the office to say hello.

Final Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP) Available

UC Cooperative Extension, San Benito Agricultural Land Trust, SBRCD, and many other partners have recently updated the Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP).  In 2025 the same team will develop a Regional Priority Plan (RPP) for San Benito County.

The CWPP serves as a roadmap for prioritizing hazardous fuels reduction and other fire prevention activities to improve community resilience to wildfires. The RPP will describe the existing conditions of wildlands in the county and will recommend a set of priority projects aimed at reducing risk and damage to sensitive resources and communities. Having an RPP is a key requirement for continuing and expanding the region’s funding for wildfire mitigation related projects.

For ongoing CWPP updates and to view the San Benito Wildfire Resilience Program Fact Sheet, visit our page HERE.   

This project is funded by a block grant awarded to the State Coastal Conservancy through the California Department of Conservation.

February 18th Ag Element Stakeholder Group Meeting

The San Benito County Planning Department, in partnership with SBRCD and the San Benito Agricultural Land Trust, is developing an Agricultural Element for the County’s General Plan. Currently, there is no dedicated Agricultural Element in place, making this initiative a crucial effort to preserve our county’s rich agricultural heritage by protecting farmland, promoting sustainable practices, and ensuring a thriving agricultural economy for future generations.

To guide this effort, we have assembled an Agricultural Element Stakeholder Group, comprised of respected local farmers, ranchers, industry experts, and community representatives. Their diverse expertise and deep roots in the agricultural community will help ensure that policies reflect the real needs and challenges of our local agricultural industry.

The first stakeholder meeting is scheduled for February 18, 2024, from 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM at the Community Foundation Epicenter in Hollister, with options for both in-person and virtual participation. Members of the public are welcome to attend outside of the Stakeholder Group; however, their participation will be limited to a public comment period. In-person seating is limited, and those interested in attending should RSVP to Victor Tafoya at VTafoya@sanbenitocountyca.gov.

This meeting will serve as a critical starting point for discussions on agricultural priorities and policy recommendations that will shape the county’s long-term agricultural strategy.

Pollinator Planting Projects Underway

We are working on two local farms to install native plant hedgerows, riparian plantings, and pollinator and wildlife habitat plantings in partnership with Point Blue STRAW (Students and Teachers Restoring a Watershed).  In June 2024, native plant hedgerows were installed on both farms by SBRCD, Point Blue staff, the landowners, and volunteers.  In December 2024, an 800' stretch of Pajaro River streamside habitat was planted by local elementary school students, alongside their parents and teachers at four STRAW planting days on the farm. 

These projects are designed to provide multiple benefits to the farms and the community at large, including: enhanced habitat for pollinators, birds, bats, and other wildlife, improved soil health and water quality, increased resilience to flood and drought conditions, and carbon sequestration.  Our partnership with Point Blue's STRAW program adds the benefit of hands-on watershed education for local K-12 students. It's a win-win! 

This work is funded by block grants from the California Wildlife Conservation Board to the California Association of Resource Conservation Districts (CARCD) and Point Blue Conservation Science. 

Join Us for a STRAW Planting Day in April

We have four planting days scheduled in April with Point Blue STRAW and local students to extend the riparian planting along the Pajaro River on a Hollister farm.  If you have ever considered doing a planting project on the land you manage, and would like to observe or participate in one of these planting days, please contact info@rcdsanbenito.org for more information.  Volunteers are always welcome, and it's a great way to learn more about these projects. 

PARTNER UPDATES

Important Deadline Information

• Livestock Indemnity Program (LIP) – Deadline: 3/1/2025
• Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees, and Farm-Raised Fish (ELAP) – Deadline: 3/1/2025
• Non-Insured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP) for most melons, okra, pumpkins, radishes and others: Deadline: 3/1/2025
• Crop Acreage Reporting for the following crops: Fall Alfalfa Seed, Apples, Apricots, Fall Barley, Cherries, Fig, Nectarines, Oats, Olives, Peaches, Pears, Plum, Potatoes, Prunes, Walnuts, Wheat and others. Deadline: 3/15/2025
• Dairy Margin Coverage Program (DMC) – Deadline: 3/31/2025
• Agriculture Risk Coverage/Price Loss Coverage Program  (ARC/PLC)– Coverage Election Deadline: 4/15/2025

For more information and guidance, contact the FSA office directly: 

2337 Technology Pkwy Ste A, Hollister, CA, 95023 | p: (831) 637-4360 ext. 2

email: somelane.souriyamath@usda.gov 

March 10th Pajaro River Watershed Resilience Program Public Workshop 

As a valued member of our community, you are invited to attend a public workshop for the Pajaro River Watershed Resilience Program (PRWRP) to help create a vision for the watershed and prepare for future climate extremes. 

Monday, March 10, 2025, 1PM-4PM, Aromas Grange, 400 Rose Ave, Aromas, CA 95004 

Register your attendance here: 

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSd9tFdMeluNTNtwYcgOMZfeEJSjapIzqFiYSb5aNmXw4ZP-BA/viewform

Funding for this program is provided in full from the Budget Acts of 2022 and through an agreement with the California Department of Water Resources. 

San Benito County Integrated Waste Management

Earth Day Celebration Saturday, April 19th