Acting Deputy Agriculture Secretary Michael Young announced USDA is investing up to $15 million in technical and financial assistance to help eligible conservation partners voluntarily protect, restore and enhance critical wetlands on agricultural lands.
Funding will be provided through the Wetland Reserve Enhancement Partnership, part of the Agricultural Conservation Easement Program, a 2014 farm bill conservation provision. The partnership is administered by USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service.
Through WREP, states, local units of governments, non-governmental organizations and American Indian tribes collaborate with NRCS through cooperative and partnership agreements. These partners work with tribal and private landowners who voluntarily enroll eligible land into easements to protect, restore and enhance wetlands on their properties.
Restored wetlands improve water quality downstream and improve wildlife habitat, while also providing flood prevention and recreational benefits to communities. Easements enable landowners to adopt a variety of conservation practices that improve the function and condition of wetlands.
The voluntary nature of NRCS’ easement programs enables effective integration of wetland restoration on working landscapes, providing benefits to farmers and ranchers who enroll in the program, as well as benefits to the local and rural communities where the wetlands exist.
Proposals must be submitted to NRCS state offices by April 24. More information is available at www.nrcs.usda.gov.