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ARS Home » Midwest Area » Columbus, Ohio » Soil Drainage Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #193482
Title: EVALUATING THE INFLUENCE OF CONSERVATION PRACTICES ON OHIO WATERSHEDS

Author
item Smiley, Peter - Rocky
item Fausey, Norman

Submitted to: Meeting Proceedings
Publication Type: Proceedings
Publication Acceptance Date: 3/1/2006
Publication Date: 3/1/2006
Citation: Smiley, P.C., Fausey, N.R. 2006. Evaluating the influence of conservation practices on Ohio watersheds. In: Smiley, P. and Fausey, N., editors. Proceedings of the Ohio Conservation Effects Assessment Project (CEAP) symposium, March 1, 2006, USDA-ARS, Soil Drainage Research Unit, Columbus, Ohio. 17 p.

Interpretive Summary: Evaluating the influence of conservation practices on Ohio watersheds is the Proceedings of the Ohio Conservation Effects Assessment Project (CEAP) symposium. This Proceedings contains the symposium schedule and abstracts from all presentations given at the symposium. The symposium was held at the 2006 Conservation Partnership All Employee meeting in Columbus, Ohio on March 1, 2006 from 1:30 to 5:00 pm. The symposium included oral presentations, a poster session, and a concluding panel discussion. The Ohio CEAP symposium was an effort to communicate CEAP activities at the regional and state level. Currently, there are five CEAP watersheds located within Ohio or in part of major river drainages flowing into Ohio. The Upper Big Walnut Creek and St. Joseph's River watersheds are ARS benchmark watersheds that are long-term research sites. The Upper Tiffin and Upper Auglaize River watersheds are NRCS special emphasis watersheds that were selected for short-term evaluations of specific resource concerns. The Rock Creek watershed was selected through the CSREES Water Quality Initiative Competitive Grants program. The objective of the symposium was to provide a forum for informing conservation professionals about CEAP and to foster discussion of the implications of the research and evaluation plans. There were 21 participants who presented their objectives, approach, and preliminary results from their activities within the five watersheds.

Technical Abstract: Conservation practices are land, water, and agronomic management practices designed to reduce erosion rates, improve water quality, and restore aquatic and terrestrial habitats in agricultural watersheds. Comprehensive evaluations of the influence of conservation practices in agricultural watersheds are lacking, and are needed to improve existing land management strategies. The goal of the Conservation Effects Asssesment Project (CEAP) is to quantify the environmental benefits of conservation practices at the watershed scale. The Ohio CEAP symposium was an effort to communicate CEAP activities at the regional and state level. Currently, there are five CEAP watersheds located within Ohio or in part of major river drainages flowing into Ohio. The Upper Big Walnut Creek and St. Joseph's River watersheds are ARS benchmark watersheds that are long-term research sites. The Upper Tiffin and Upper Auglaize River watersheds are NRCS special emphasis watersheds that were selected for short-term evaluations of specific resource concerns. The Rock Creek watershed was selected through the CSREES Water Quality Initiative Competitive Grants program. There were 21 participants who presented their objectives, approach, and preliminary results from their activities within the five CEAP watersheds.