Berkeley County Farmer Provides Wildlife Habitat With CRP

By Amy M. Overstreet, USDA-NRCS
Communications and Marketing Specialist

In the Eadytown/Pineville Community of Berkeley, SC, ask anyone where Bobby Clarke is and they are bound to tell you he is working—either for himself or for the many other people that rely on him. That’s because Clarke is the local handyman, helping other farmers with their work while maintaining his own 247-acre farm and working full-time for Santee Cooper Electric Cooperative.

Clarke grew up on his farm which was established by his forefathers in the 1870’s. He has been working with USDA-NRCS since 1997 when he entered an Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) contract to solve water quality and erosion problems. Most recently, he received cost-share under the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) for a shallow water impoundment at his operation, Clarke Farms. A five-acre duck pond was constructed, something he has dreamed about for years, and now, with construction completed, he is looking forward to this October when he will flood it for the first time.

Clarke has known for some time that he wanted to manage his land for ducks and upon seeing the success of a shallow water impoundment, he was convinced that this was the way to go. While working for another landowner in Pineville, Clarke noticed his impoundment and wanted to do the same thing on his farm. When he discovered that he could receive 50 percent cost-share and technical assistance from NRCS, he excitedly contacted Lynette Savereno, NRCS soil conservationist in Charleston. "With CRP, cost-share assistance is available for shallow water impoundments which benefit wildlife by providing food and shelter," confirmed Savereno. NRCS Agricultural Engineer Yasmin Mazdab and NRCS Conservation Technician Ann Bentley assisted in the survey, design, and construction oversight of the five-acre impoundment.

The location of Clarke’s land, above Lake Moultrie, is ideal for the placement of the impoundment. A nearby canal, just yards from Clarke’s pond, will be used to flood the impoundment. A flashboard riser helps regulate the water levels in the impoundment. Within the pond, Clarke planted late Tropical Corn, Japanese Millet, and sunflowers. When flooded in October, corn will be accessible for the ducks that will arrive in late winter. Under the rules of CRP, Clarke agrees not to harvest the corn in the impoundment.

NRCS District Conservationist Dwayne Mangum praised Clarke and his dedication to farming and wildlife habitat improvement. "Bobby is truly dedicated to his farm and has a great spirit in helping others," stresses Mangum. "He is a dedicated conservationist and cares for his farm, as well as the other farms in his community, and does everything he can to improve natural resources and help his neighbors do so as well," continued Mangum.

Clarke is very excited about his duck impoundment and cannot wait to flood it in October. "This is something I have always wanted on my farm, and now that I have it, I am looking forward to the day when I see it full of ducks," said Clarke. "This is a long time goal for me and I’m just glad that NRCS was able to help make it possible for me." This area under CRP is attractive to ducks and geese and is located in an ideal spot for fall flooding. Finally, Clarke has his wish and the ducks on Lake Moultrie have a new hangout.