NRCS Provides Funds, Assistance to Protect Agricultural Lands and Wetlands

PHOENIX, March 30, 2009 - The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) is accepting applications though May 1 for the Farm and Ranch Lands Protection Program (FRPP) and Wetlands Reserve Program (WRP).

NRCS-Arizona has more than $4 million to apply to WRP. WRP gives landowners the opportunity to protect, restore, and enhance wetlands on their property. NRCS provides technical and financial support to help landowners with their wetland restoration efforts.

WRP offers three enrollment options:

• Permanent easement: this is a conservation easement in perpetuity, and up to 100 percent of the cost of restoring the wetland are paid

• 30-Year Easement: easement payments through this option are 75 percent of what would be paid for a permanent easement. NRCS also pays up to 75 percent of restoration costs

• Restoration Cost-Share Agreement: this is an agreement (generally for a minimum of 10 years) to re-establish degraded or lost wetland habitat. NRCS pays up to 75 percent of the cost of the restoration activity. This enrollment option does not place an easement on the property.

FRPP provides matching funds to help purchase development rights to keep productive farm and ranchland in agricultural uses. NRCS provides up to fifty percent of the appraised fair market value of the easement on the farm or ranch. At least fifty percent of the appraised fair market value of the easement must be provided by the eligible entity.

Eligible entities are state, Tribal, or local governments and non-government organizations that meet specific requirements. FRPP has enrolled more than 620,000 acres on 3,100 farms and ranches since Congress first authorized the program in 1996.

Visit the Web at www.az.nrcs.usda.gov/contact to contact your local NRCS office, or call 620-280-8785 for more information about FRPP and GRP.
 

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