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ARS Home » Midwest Area » Columbia, Missouri » Cropping Systems and Water Quality Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #252280
Title: Conservation Effects Assessment Project (CEAP) Watershed Assessment Studies: Advancing the Science for Conservation Assessment at Watershed Scale

Author
item DURIANCIK, LISA - Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS, USDA)
item Walbridge, Mark
item O'NEILL, MICHAEL - National Institute Of Food And Agriculture (NIFA)
item DOBROWOLSKI, JAMES - National Institute Of Food And Agriculture (NIFA)
item Sadler, Edward
item ROZUM, MARY - National Institute Of Food And Agriculture (NIFA)

Submitted to: Soil and Water Conservation Society
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 2/24/2010
Publication Date: 4/28/2010
Citation: Duriancik, L., Walbridge, M.R., O'Neill, M.P., Dobrowolski, J.P., Sadler, E.J., Rozum, M.A. 2010. Conservation Effects Assessment Project (CEAP) Watershed Assessment Studies: Advancing the Science for Conservation Assessment at Watershed Scale [abstract]. SWCS Managing Agricultural Lanscapes for Environmental Quality II Achieving More Effective Conservation, April 28-30, 2010, Denver, Colorado. p.36.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: CEAP Watershed Assessment Studies were initiated in 2004 or later to measure the environmental effects of conservation practices on water resources (quality and availability), soil quality, or fish and wildlife habitat at the watershed scale. Over 40 CEAP Watershed Studies have now been sponsored collaboratively by USDA’s Agricultural Research Service, National Institute of Food and Agriculture (previously CSREES), and Natural Resources Conservation Service, engaging producers and local conservation partners in efforts to improve landscape management. Prior to initiating CEAP Watershed Studies, more was known about the effects of individual conservation practices at field-scale or at the edge-of-fields, but less was known about the off-site environmental outcomes of suites of practices. Watershed-scale projects were initially focused on assessing these off-site primarily water resource effects of prior conservation implementation by conducting retrospective analyses of existing long-term datasets, looking back over 10 to 30 years of conservation and water quality or quantity records to quantify conservation impacts. CEAP Watershed Studies are contributing to the knowledge base, documenting conservation effects at watershed-scale, gaining understanding of temporal, spatial and biophysical factors on performance, and studying interactions among practices on the landscape. New techniques for watershed-scale assessment are being advanced including remote sensing, geospatial analyses and decision support, and improvements to watershed modeling and models. These advances in the science for conservation effects and treatment needs assessments are poised to add valuable insights to watershed- and landscape-scale conservation planning with improved performance.