VSP
For agricultural landowners, the Voluntary Stewardship Program (VSP) is our opportunity to show that Walla Walla County can achieve natural resource laws through voluntary cooperation, as opposed to regulation.
Option 1: Enforce one-size-fits-all regulations through the Growth Management Act.
Option 2: Use an incentive-based approach through VSP—a county-led alternative to regulation.
How Does VSP Work?
Counties develop locally led work plans that use voluntary and incentive-based tools to protect environmentally critical areas while keeping agriculture viable.
Farmers voluntarily take credit for conservation work they have done or plan to do, which helps our entire county avoid regulatory mandates.
Farmers who enroll as VSP participants gain access to potential funding to help share the cost of eligible, farm-friendly conservation projects that help achieve VSP work plan goals.
Local stakeholders monitor work plan progress and report the results.
Walla Walla County must demonstrate that we're meeting goals to protect critical areas on agricultural lands voluntarily or we may be forced into a regulatory approach.
How Do I Participate?
Participation in VSP is easy and vitally important if agricultural landowners want to avoid one-size-fits-all regulations to protect critical areas.
Contact Grace Cooper at grace.cooper@wwccd.net and arrange a meeting time that works for you.
District staff use county maps to show the critical areas on your agricultural property. Using the VSP checklist, a technician will list the conservation practices already being implemented and identify additional practices to further protect the areas.
The District can help connect you to potential funding opportunities that cover part of the expense of eligible new conservation practices.
Conservation practices being implemented will be tallied in an aggregate fashion, not by individual landowner. Under VSP, protection and progress are measured on a county-wide basis. No personal identifying information is ever reported without express permission of the landowner.
What Are Critical Areas, and Are They On Your Property?
Wildlife Habitat Protection oriented toward wildlife habitat is guided by WDFW's priority habitat species list. Protection in these areas is specifically aimed to increase fish habitat. Local priorities include wintering habitat for birds of prey, unique habitats within the county, habitat for neotropical birds, and more. | Wetlands Wetlands are areas saturated by surface or groundwater that support vegetation adapted for life in these conditions. Distinguishing between natural and man-made wetlands can be difficult but is important to determine. The Walla Walla Work Plan supports producers in finding management alternatives for farming saturated field depressions and developing projects to improve wetlands. | Frequently Flooded Lands in the floodplain subject to one percent or greater chance of flooding in any given year are considered frequently flooded areas. These areas perform important hydrologic functions but also present a risk to persons and property. Flood events are increasing in frequency, making it ever more pressing to restore stream and floodplain function. |
Aquifer Recharge Areas that have a critical recharging effect on aquifers used for potable water are labeled as critical areas under VSP. Areas that are subject to contamination or are susceptible to reduced recharge are particularly important. Groundwater levels are declining, leading to increasing stress on already limited resources. VSP can work to mitigate these effects by, among other things, developing local water plans and implementing shallow aquifer recharge projects. | Geologically Hazardous Geologically hazardous areas include areas that are susceptible to erosion, sliding, earthquake, or other geological events. They can be broken down into four categories: wind erosion, water erosion, seismic/liquefaction risk, and landslide risk. |
Landowners may use this VSP mapping tool to see which watershed you’re in and identify critical areas on or near your land.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are farmers required to participate?
No. Voluntary participation is a key element of VSP. There are no requirements for individuals; rather, there is a requirement that the county meet the benchmarks. If a majority of the area farmers participate, then the goals will be met.
Are there benefits to individual farmers?
Of course! VSP ensures the future of farming by treating agricultural viability as equally important as protecting critical areas.
Are there risks if the county doesn't meet its goals?
Yes. Under VSP, the county, through the Watershed Work Group, will be required to implement the plan developed by the VSP work group. Over time, progress towards meeting the benchmarks will be tracked. If the county fails to meet the benchmarks, the county must revert to the heavy regulation and enforcement of the Growth Management Act and the Critical Areas Ordinance.
How is Walla Walla County Conservation District involved?
Walla Walla County commissioners selected the district as the lead agency to direct the VSP process. District staff will be facilitating the work under the direction of the local work group.
How is VSP performance reported?
The conservation practices being implemented will be tallied in an aggregate fashion, not per individual, because under VSP, protection and progress are measured on a county-wide basis. No personal identifying information is ever reported. For example, in 2011 (the baseline year) there were 3140 acres of riparian forest buffer documented. The protection goal for this critical area (Fish and Wildlife Habitat) is no net loss over 10% from 2011 to 2021. As long as the county is able to demonstrate at least 2,826 acres of riparian buffers remain (that is, no more than than 10% lost) this goal of the Work Plan will be met. The process is simple and participation is vitally important if ag producers want to avoid the one-size-fits-all regulations of the Critical Areas Ordinance.
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