Media Advisory
The 2007 Southwest PA Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) Forum
in Greensburg, Pa.

Day:                            Friday, February 9, 2007
Location:                    Route 30 East (near the Mountain View intersection) in Greenburg, Pa.
Time:                          9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Key Points:    

• CREP is a voluntary federal program designed to improve water quality and wildlife habitat by financially rewarding landowners for implementing conservation practices on their land.
  
  
• The 2007 Southwest PA CREP Forum will provide information about herd health; environmental and financial benefits of CREP; practice installation and maintenance questions.  Farmers and landowners will share personal experiences in the CREP program and vendors and contractors and suppliers will be on hand to provide information about their products. Local conservation agencies and experts will also be available to answer questions and provide information.
   
  
• The program is administered by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) and implemented by the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), in conjunction with a host of local partners, including the Department of Environmental Protection, Ducks Unlimited, Inc., the Pennsylvania Game Commission, Pennsylvania Association of Conservation Districts, and the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy. 

Plastic tubes (often mistaken for large candles) are protecting young native trees, planted through the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP). These trees, and the vegetation surrounding them, are key to stabilizing stream side soils and filtering out pollutants that would otherwise have direct access to the Ohio River watershed. As these trees mature, their shade will help maintain water temperature and their fallen leaves will provide essential food for to the stream-bound bugs that are dinner for other aquatic life. Photo by Chesapeake Bay Foundation.