Protect the Conservation Stewardship Program

The Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) is a working lands conservation program that provides technical and financial assistance to farmers who practice soil and water conservation, promote wildlife habitat, encourage carbon sequestration, and conserve water and energy.  Since CSP sign-up is nation-wide, it has the potential of enhancing water quality in every watershed within the US.  CSP encourages active conservation of working lands, thereby keeping land in production while conserving natural resources.   

In President Obama’s budget released February 1, 2010, over 769,000 acres will be permanently removed from CSP, which is the equivalent to nearly 14 million dollars that won’t go to farmers.  It is up to our representatives to block this threat to conservation and ensure that the mandatory funding that was established by Congress remains intact.

The message is simple:  Please thank Senator Durbin for his past support and ask him to protect the full funding for the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) with no limitations placed on its funding as passed in the 2008 Farm Bill.

It’s easy to write or call. Below are Senator Durbin’s address, fax and phone numbers.  Simple letters in your own words are best. (Faxing to Congress is more reliable than U.S. mail.)  If you can’t write, please call and ask for his aide listed below.  If she is unavailable, please leave messages on her voice mailbox with your key points, name and phone number.

The Honorable Dick Durbin
United States Senate
309 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510-1304
Phone: (202) 224-2152
Fax: (202) 228-0400

Ask for Erin Collinson

Talking points:

• You live in Illinois.  You seek full funding for the Conservation Stewardship Program as passed in the 2008 Farm Bill.  CSP’s financial and technical assistance helps farmers and ranchers nationwide implement sound conservation systems that improve soil, water, and ecosystem health.  The Farm Bill provides mandatory funding for CSP.  It is crucial that funding authorized in the 2008 Farm Bill be fully protected!

• CSP rewards innovative and proactive stewardship practices, while keeping farmers and their land in production. Assistance applies to the full spectrum of working agricultural lands, from cropland to pasture to rangeland.

For more information on the Conservation Stewardship Program contact:
Devin Brown
Conservation Policy Advocate
devin@ilstewards.org
618-771-0237