WOODBRIDGE – The Horse Environmental Awareness Program is now accepting applications for its 2006 Horse Farms of Environmental Distinction award program.

This program honors those horse owners who own one horse or more and who take pride in being good stewards of the land and good neighbors to those who share common water resources. Christina Kennedy of Newtown was presented with a HEAP award in 2004 for her efforts at her farm in Mount Nebo Road.

Horse owners that qualify for the award are those who implement good manure, pasture and facility management practices. Practices such as covering manure piles, diverting rain water away from barnyards, installing fencing to keep horses out of ponds and streams, utilizing a sacrifice area, installing gutters on barns, and testing pasture soils.

Evaluators will review the practices being implemented and provide a score based on how these practices decrease or eliminate impacts to the environment. If a qualifying score is achieved, the horse owner will receive an attractive, aluminum 18” x 24” Horse Farm of Environmental Distinction sign to proudly display at their facility. Those that do not receive a qualifying score will receive recommendations on how to improve their horse keeping operation to help protect the environment with encouragement to re-apply the following year.

The HEAP program is a coalition of federal/states agencies, organizations and individuals interested in protecting the environment by educating horse owners on good horse management practices. It has no regulatory authority and its only interest is to help horse owners improve their management practices.

Deadline for applications is April 2. To learn more about the program contact carol.donzella@ct.usda.gov or call Mark Cummings at 203-284-3663.