By BECKY MARTINEZ

bmartinez@crescent-news.com

Tom Rogliatti attempted something new this year -- he decided to participate in the Lake Erie Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP).

His brother, Charles, and he own about a 130-acre farm in Richland Township on Weichman Road. Part of the land enters Henry County.

"I heard about conservation programs from Joe Nester," a friend and ag consultant, said Rogliatti. "Some of the farm is river bottom ground and Joe said there were programs for that."

So, Rogliatti started doing some research. After about a year of research, and with help from the Defiance County Farm Service Agency and the Defiance County Soil and Water Conservation District, he decided participating in CREP was the smartest thing to do.

Of the 130-acre farm, 24 acres have been devoted to the program.

"I actually participated in three different programs. My top ground qualified for a wind break; we planted a diversity of trees including red oak, red maple and burr oak," said Rogliatti. "We put in a filter strip; and the bottom ground was planted to a riparian buffer.

"All together we're planting about 7,500 trees." Most of these were planted a week ago.

One of the most challenging problems for Rogliatti was finding that amount of trees. "I contacted a lot of nurseries. They were either sold out of what I was looking for, of they didn't carry that amount of inventory. I got very lucky. After searching, I found the right sources."

Ed Crawford, Lake Erie CREP coordinator, said Rogliatti's participation includes the biggest riparian tree practice since the program's inception about seven years ago. "As of today, we have about 34,000 acres put into this program which includes a 27-county area from northwest to central Ohio. The program's goal is to have 67,000 acres by its end. It's a 10-12 year program and we're in year seven.

"Tom, or any land owner participating in CREP, receives a 15-year annual rental payment per acre. The soil type determines the payment. Also, we provide an up-front bonus payment of $1,000 per-acre for the riparian tree planting practice," said Crawford.

He explained CREP is important for several reasons -- it helps control water quality and provides erosion control while providing wildlife habitat. Land devoted to CREP must remain as such for 30 years.

Chad Hall with the Defiance County SWCD wrote in a news release, "Very new to these conservation programs, there was a learning curve for him (Tom) to understand the enrollment and implementation process. It was first decided to plant the 12.4-acre river bottom, directly along the Maumee River, to a riparian buffer. Approximately 5,000 hardwood tree seedlings, mostly black walnut, were planted April 18.

"On the same farm, but up on the high ground, Tom planted a six-row windbreak including an additional 9.4 acres and 2,500 trees. His other practice was a 2.4 acre, 60-foot wide grass filter strip along a county maintenance ditch."

"We still need to finish the outside row of the windbreak," said Rogliatti on Tuesday. "This program was the right thing to do, and there's still 80 farmable acres, which will be farmed."

He added, "Chad Hall and Michele Speiser (with the Defiance County FSA) were really great in explaining these programs. They were very patient and very helpful. I really appreciated them."

Conservation programs like CREP are important in maintaining the quality of the Western Lake Erie Basin Watershed. People interested in learning more can contact Hall at the Defiance SWCD, 419-782-8751.