ABSTRACT
In the case of Illinois, these goals include a 20% reduction in off-site sediment loadings, a 10% reduction in nutrient loadings, increasing populations of waterfowl and State and Federally listed species by 15%, and increasing native fish and mussel stocks in the lower reaches of the Illinois River by 10%. To achieve these goals the Illinois CREP limits enrollment primarily to a narrow buffer zone adjacent to rivers and streams. It seeks to retire 232,000 acres of cropland, 85% of which are to be selected from riparian areas (defined as the 100-year floodplains of the Illinois River and its tributaries, streams and wetlands). The remaining 15% could be selected from highly erodible cropland adjacent to enrolled riparian areas. These criteria make over 5 million acres of cropland eligible for enrollment in the program and CREP does not specify any mechanism for identifying the land parcels that should be retired.
