John and Gayle Hart have Jackson County, Oregon, property sandwiched between the Applegate River and Upper Applegate Road . In 2004, they enrolled five acres in the Oregon Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP). Their hope was to exclude open range livestock from grazing, which created sediment runoff, and to develop their riparian area specifically for wildlife foraging and aesthetics....
A 30-foot thick wall of Himalayan blackberries once choked a section of Fernhollow Farm. The monstrous stand of an invasive species hindered access to 15 acres of pasture and a nearby stream. Oregon Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program veterans Jim and Bobbi Smith knew that CREP was a perfect fit to upgrade this newly acquired part of their property....
On March 15, 2005, agriculture officials and partners in the new Enhanced Conservation Resource Enhancement Program (ECREP) met at Ralph Duyck's farm in Forest Grove, Oregon, to commemorate the successful beginnings of this voluntary conservation program that pays farmers to plant native trees and shrubs to protect water quality and fish and wildlife habitat....
