UNPRECEDENTED FUNDING AVAILABLE TO RESTORE OHIO WETLANDS

Contact:  Christina Coulon, 614-255-2471

COLUMBUS, Dec. 11, 2009—The United States Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) has over $6 million available to restore wetlands through the Wetlands Reserve Program (WRP) announced NRCS State Conservationist Terry Cosby. Applications are accepted year round with the first funding decisions to be made by February 15, 2010.

“Ohio has received more than twice the amount of funding to protect, restore, and enhance wetlands than it did in previous years,” explains Cosby. “We will be working closely with the Ohio Department of Natural Resources and other partners to ensure Ohio’s private landowners are aware of this unique opportunity and they understand the benefits from participating in WRP.”

The Wetlands Reserve Program has been around since the mid 1990’s. Over the past 15 years, it has become a popular, cost-effective, and ecologically successful voluntary wetlands restoration program. The WRP is a great opportunity for many landowners, particularly farmers, who may have land that is poorly drained and difficult to cultivate, farmers who are looking to cut back on farming near retirement, but don’t want to sell the land, or those land owners interested in establishing some prime wildlife habitat.

WRP provides financial incentives to help farmers restore farmland, including pastures, which were once wetlands to create fully functioning wetlands again. The benefits from selling an easement on the wetland may help farmers shift their field configurations, allowing them to put more resources toward increasing productivity in other areas of the farm. Some landowners have purchased additional cropland with their WRP easement payments. An additional benefit of putting ground in WRP has been that landowners no longer have to worry about planting a crop on land that is often too wet to harvest.

To be eligible for WRP, land that was originally wetland, but was drained for cropping is eligible, including land that is currently forested. Cropland and non-cropland areas may be enrolled in the program as long as the drainage – usually ditches or tile drainage systems – are removed. Applicants can request a permanent easement, a 30-year easement, or a 10-year contract which offers costsharing for restoration work. The landowner maintains ownership of the land, access to the land, and responsibility for taxes. Public access IS NOT required on WRP land.

For more information on the Wetlands Reserve Program, contact the NRCS office located in the USDA Service Center in most Ohio counties or visit our website at www.oh.nrcs.usda.gov.


 

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