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A number of programs exist to help landowners with
preserving, restoring, or creating wetlands. Many of these programs
for private landowners have been a result of the Food Security Act
of 1985 (Farmbill) and are administered by the U.S. Department of
Agriculture's Natural Resources Conservation Service and the Farm
Service Agency.
The most popular of these programs is the
Conservation Reserve Program (CRP). This program which was
established in 1985, allows landowners to convert environmentally
sensitive acreage to vegetative cover, such as tame or native
grasses, wildlife plantings, trees, filter strips, or riparian
buffers. Farmers can receive an annual rental payment for a
multi-year contract. Cost sharing is provided to establish the
vegetative cover practices. Though generally thought of as a
terrestrial "set-aside" program, CRP may be used to preserve,
restore, and enhance wetlands.
The Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP)
is a federal-state land retirement program designed to address
significant agriculture related environmental problems including
wetlands. This voluntary program uses cost-share and financial
incentives to encourage farmers to enroll in an enhanced CRP. Most
of these programs are aimed at reducing the occurrence of runoff,
sediment, and nutrients from agricultural enterprises into
particular rivers. This program helps landowners install, establish,
and/or restore riparian buffers, filter strips, and wetland areas to
improve and protect water quality and enhance soil, water, and
wildlife resources.
The Wetlands Reserve Program (WRP) is the Nation’s
premier wetlands restoration program. It is a voluntary program that
offers landowners the means and the opportunity to protect, restore,
and enhance wetlands on their property. The NRCS manages the program
and provides technical and financial support to help landowners who
participate in WRP. Landowners who participate in WRP may sell a
conservation easement or enter into a cost-share restoration
agreement with USDA. The landowner voluntarily limits future use of
the land, yet retains private ownership. The states with the most
WRP projects are Louisiana, Mississippi, Arkansas, California,
Florida, Iowa, Missouri, Texas, Oklahoma, and New York. As of 2003,
over 1.4 million acres of wetlands were enrolled in this program.
Click here to see a red-winged
blackbird using a wetland area.
To learn more about
these and other USDA programs designed to enable landowners to
restore, protect or enhance wetlands and other environmentally
sensitive areas visit their
website or contact the NRCS.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service program Partners
for Fish and Wildlife also provides financial and technical
assistance to protect, enhance, and restore wetlands and riparian
areas. This program can be used in conjunction with several of the NRCS Farmbill programs. For more information visit their
website.
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