Agenda 11-02-23; 4-a - Resolution Endorsing Consensus Principles II for Revised Falls Lake Rules

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=53 facilitate coordination with farmers and large landowners on stream projects crossing multiple properties. As the following section of this document deals with forest lands in the watershed, farming-interest representatives pointed out that farmers often own large areas of forest land. Coordination with farmers on potential forest-related projects or initiatives could also be a favorable aspect of agricultural participation in a Watershed Organization. During the Scenario Screening process, representatives of agriculture met several times with the local agricultural councils to determine if potential additional activities in the watershed could be implemented to further reduce nutrient losses from agriculture. These discussions indicated that in this watershed, additional actions would not significantly decrease nutrient losses. While large-scale changes may not be feasible, there remain opportunities for local governments and other Tier 1 Watershed Organization members to continue to partner with agriculture. An eligible activity for a local government to meet their investment requirement under the revised nutrient management strategy could include contributing additional funds above and beyond existing investment commitments (for example 2023 levels)to support the following: • Soil and Water Conservation District activities including soil conservation, water conservation, streambank restoration, and stormwater control measures • Agricultural best management practices, projects, equipment, and materials • Local technical assistance, grants, and tracking support • Voluntary Agricultural Districts (allows for Enhanced Voluntary Agricultural Districts to protect farms from development for 10 years) • Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program • Farmland Preservation Program The most efficient means to provide this funding to agriculture is to utilize existing organizations and programs. For example, the Agriculture Cost Share Program is currently administered by NCDA&CS who coordinates and allocates funding to the local soil and water conservation districts. Utilizing this existing structure minimizes change in current administration of these programs and would rely on their existing decision-making frameworks. The representatives of agriculture also indicated that they would prefer to maintain their own tracking and reporting systems for production acreages, nutrients applied, cost-share funding, projects implemented, and nutrient loss reductions. The agricultural community has invested a tremendous amount of time and resources into the Nitrogen Loss Estimation Worksheet(NLEW) which was developed by researchers at NC State University Extension. The UNRBA supports the agricultural community conducting its own tracking and reporting, which would be supplemental information to the investment-based compliance metrics under the revised nutrient management strategy. When projects have a method for quantifying nutrient reductions, agriculture would track these projects and reductions in their reporting. Representatives of agriculture indicate they may want to separately track joint projects (with funding support from others) and agriculture-only projects. The UNRBA is not recommending nutrient reduction or investment regulatory requirements be placed on the agricultural sector, either collectively or individually. The UNRBA proposal is to work cooperatively with agriculture to identify where investment from local governments and other Tier 1 Watershed Organization members could support projects, technical assistance programs, and reporting. This approach would allow the Tier 1 members to work toward their own investment requirements while supporting agriculture in the watershed and allowing agriculture to maintain its autonomy. 34