[OKC] USDA Requests Proposals for Water and Land Conservation Projects

[Miles, Karen]

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	Release No. 0652.10
Contact:
Jolene Lau 
202-720-4649
 
USDA Requests Proposals for Water and Land Conservation Projects
 
 
WASHINGTON, Dec. 14, 2010 - Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today
announced USDA is seeking proposals for projects that will bring
partners together to help farmers, ranchers and private nonindustrial
forest landowners implement beneficial water and land conservation
practices. 
"Farmers, ranchers and owners of forest land play pivotal roles in
protecting and enhancing natural resources," Vilsack said. "Our goal is
to support projects that will improve the health of the natural
resources on their land and bring the environmental and economic
benefits of conservation to their local communities." 
The requirements for submitting project proposals for the Agricultural
Water Enhancement Program (AWEP) and the Cooperative Conservation
Partnership Initiative (CCPI) can be viewed at www.regulations.gov
<http://click.icptrack.com/icp/relay.php?r=66611734&msgid=330278&act=8XR
E&c=590864&destination=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.regulations.gov%2F> . USDA's
Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) will provide financial and
technical assistance to eligible producers in approved project areas. 
Through AWEP, NRCS provides support for projects that conserve and
improve water quality, use irrigation water efficiently, mitigate the
effects of drought and climate change and take other actions that
benefit water resources. NRCS enters into partnership agreements with
federally recognized Indian Tribes, state and local units of government,
agricultural and forestland associations, and nongovernmental
organizations to help landowners plan and implement conservation
practices in designated project areas. 
Twenty-eight projects approved for AWEP in fiscal year (FY) 2010 are
supporting water conservation efforts in 9 states. For example, in
central Colorado, satellite and Internet technology funded through AWEP
allows farmers to monitor water-use data in real-time. This information
helps them decide how much water to use on their crops, when to apply
irrigation water and what type of irrigation equipment will work best
for their operations. 
Through CCPI, NRCS and partners assist producers in implementing
conservation practices on agricultural and nonindustrial private forest
lands. NRCS leverages financial and technical assistance with partners'
resources to install soil erosion practices, manage grazing lands,
improve forestlands, establish cover crops, reduce on-farm energy usage
and other conservation measures. CCPI is open to federally recognized
Tribes, state and local units of government, producer associations,
farmer cooperatives, institutions of higher education and
nongovernmental organizations that work with producers. 
Twenty-six projects in 14 states were approved for CCPI in FY 2010. NRCS
and Trout Unlimited in Virginia's Shenandoah Valley are using CCPI to
restore brook trout habitat and improve water quality in the Chesapeake
Bay. The goal is to install nearly 26,000 feet of fencing to prevent
livestock from entering streams within the bay's watershed. This action
is expected to improve nearly 10 miles of stream habitat. The project
also will restore 20 acres of streamside vegetation to keep pollutants
from entering waterways and stabilize soils on 2 miles of stream banks
to prevent sediment from clogging waterways downstream. 
Proposals for AWEP and CCPI projects must be received by NRCS by January
31, 2011. Visit www.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/awep
<http://click.icptrack.com/icp/relay.php?r=66611734&msgid=330278&act=8XR
E&c=590864&destination=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.nrcs.usda.gov%2Fprograms%2Fawep>
and www.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/ccpi
<http://click.icptrack.com/icp/relay.php?r=66611734&msgid=330278&act=8XR
E&c=590864&destination=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.nrcs.usda.gov%2Fprograms%2Fccpi>
web pages to learn more. 
2010 represents the 75th year of NRCS "helping people help the land."
Since its inception in 1935, NRCS has advanced a unique partnership with
state and local governments and private landowners delivering
conservation based on specific, local conservation needs, while
accommodating state and national interests. 
________________________________


USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer and lender. To file a
complaint of discrimination, write: USDA, Director, Office of Civil
Rights, 1400 Independence Ave., SW, Washington, DC 20250-9410 or call
(800) 795-3272 (voice), or (202) 720-6382 (TDD).
	
 
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