SOMERSET, N.J. — State Conservationist Carrie Lindig has announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture is investing up to $15 million nationwide in technical and financial assistance to help eligible conservation partners voluntarily protect, restore and enhance critical wetlands on agricultural lands. Restored wetlands improve water quality downstream and improve wildlife habitat, while also providing flood prevention and recreational benefits to communities.
Funding will be provided through the Wetland Reserve Enhancement Partnership, part of the Agricultural Conservation Easement Program, a Farm Bill conservation program. The partnership is administered by USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service, the leading federal agency for wetland conservation on private lands. Through WREP, states, local units of governments and non-governmental organizations collaborate with NRCS through cooperative and partnership agreements. These partners work with private landowners who voluntarily enroll eligible land into easements to protect, restore and enhance wetlands on their properties.
This year, NRCS is encouraging partners to propose projects that focus on improving water quality as well as habitat on working landscapes in high-priority areas. A number of at-risk species rely on wetlands, including the American black duck, bog turtle, wood turtle, and spotted turtle as well as a number of aquatic species of conservation concern.
Projects proposed for New Jersey will be reviewed by State Conservationist Lindig and eligible projects will be forwarded to the NRCS national office where funding determinations will be made. “WREP offers us an additional opportunity to work with strong, locally-led partnerships to help improve water quality, prevent flooding, enhance wildlife habitat and provide landowners the financial resources needed to voluntarily conserve important wetlands,” Lindig said.
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 who enroll in the program, as well as benefits to the local and rural communities where the wetlands exist.
Proposals for WREP in New Jersey must be submitted to the NRCS State Office, 220 Davidson Avenue 4th Floor, Somerset, NJ 08873 by April 24. Final awards will be made in July 2017.
For more details about WREP proposals and eligibility requirement, visit the ACEP web page. Contact Gail Bartok, Assistant State Conservationist for Programs with questions at 732-537-6042 or gail.bartok@nj.usda.gov.
— USDA