Idaho Soil and Water Conservation Commission

05/21/2026

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

05/14/2026

Please spread the word!

Minidoka-Cassia Groundwater Awareness event in Heyburn!
📅When: May 20, 2026 | 12-6 PM
📍Where: South Central Public Health District (485 22nd St., Heyburn, ID)

Stop by anytime during the event to get:
💧Free nitrate screening for private well owners
💧Educational handouts and presentations
💧Free bacteria sample bottles and nitrate fact sheets

South Central Public Health District
Idaho Department of Health and Welfare
Idaho Department of Water Resources
Idaho Rural Water Association

05/06/2026

Our latest story for the Conservation Commission is about a super-cool fish-enhancement project on hallowed ground below the junction of Kenney Creek and the Lemhi River ... thanks to landowners Cecil and Judi Bailey-Jackson and the Lemhi Soil and Water Conservation District for their leadership on this project! https://swc.idaho.gov/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/2026_05-May-Newsletter.pdf

The project was installed on the Lemhi River very close to the birthplace of Sacajawea!

04/30/2026

Congratulations to North Idaho STEM Charter School!

04/13/2026

USDA has opened up a Second Enrollment period for CREP signups, starting on April 9 through May 1st. This follows a very strong enrollment period in recent weeks in which producers were signed up for 38 contracts covering 102 fields and 3,243 acres of cropland!

Please contact Rob Sharpnack, Idaho CREP Manager, on our staff for more information ... [email protected]

03/03/2026

Our latest story for the Conservation Commission is about the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program, otherwise known as CREP. Enrollment for the program is open through March 20, 2026.

Here's the story:https://swc.idaho.gov/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/2026_03-March-Newsletter.pdf

The CREP program is one way that farmers can reduce their consumption of groundwater for irrigation and get paid for it on a per-acre basis. See map for eligible counties.

A "Perfect Storm" of current factors at play in the Ag sector, including low crop prices, a potential water-short drought year coming up in the summer of 2026, and the need for some farmers who irrigate with groundwater to reduce their consumption as part of the 2024 Water Settlement Agreement, could all potentially make the CREP program more appealing for producers in Southern Idaho.

Click on the story for more details.

02/19/2026

Congratulations to Steve Stuebner for receiving the Governor’s Award for Excellence in Agriculture Education & Advocacy at the Idaho Ag Summit this week! 🌟 Steve’s contributions to ISWCC’s Conservation the Idaho Way newsletter and his outstanding video and outreach work have made a huge impact. Well deserved!

02/19/2026

Great information, thank you!

There is a significant level of misinformation and misunderstanding about cloud seeding in Idaho.

Make sure you know the facts:
💧Exclusively between October and April
💧Storms are not created by cloud seeding – existing winter storms are required
💧Only high mountain areas in certain Idaho basins have cloud seeding programs

02/18/2026

Eileen Rowan received a Governor's Award for Excellence in Agriculture, Environmental Stewardship for landing more than 75 grants for conservation projects installed on private farms and ranches in Lewis, Idaho and Clearwater counties!

She was nominated by the Lewis Soil Conservation District, Clearwater SWCD and Idaho SWCD districts, plus the Commission wholeheartedly endorsed the nomanation ...

Way to go Eileen! You rock!

02/11/2026

Attention all Southern Idaho producers! The CREP open enrollment period opens tomorrow, Feb. 12!

Do you have irrigated land located in the Eastern Snake Plain region? Are you interested in reducing irrigation groundwater consumption?

Sign-ups are on a first-come, first-served basis. Sign up through your local Farm Service Area (FSA) Office.

Please contact Rob Sharpnack on our staff for more information:
208-810-0768; [email protected]