The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced major investments in delivering voluntary and incentive-based conservation practices, including an estimated $95 million for projects involving Ducks Unlimited (DU), which will be used to impact nearly 55,000 acres of agricultural working lands, improving wildlife habitat and water quality.
The grants are awarded under the Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP), which incentivizes a voluntary, partnership-driven approach to conservation on working agricultural lands. DU is the lead partner for projects totaling about $32 million in California’s Central Valley and Illinois.
“DU learned long ago that partnership-driven, incentive-based conservation practices can benefit producers, wildlife and our environment in equal measure,” said DU CEO Adam Putnam. “The grants funded through RCPP will support farmers and ranchers by making their operations more sustainable while improving habitat for waterfowl and other wildlife. We’re thrilled to see such a strong investment in working lands conservation.”
The funding is part of a $1.5 billion investment by USDA in voluntary conservation practices on agricultural landscapes, which support habitat for waterfowl and other wildlife, offer additional revenue streams for farmers and ranchers, and provide a host of ecosystem services.
“The agricultural impact of these projects is significant, but they also make a lasting contribution to the long-term sustainability of our land,” said Dr. Karen Waldrop, DU chief conservation officer. “It’s more than just habitat – each of these projects will offer tremendous value to the environment by sequestering carbon, increasing biodiversity, improving water and soil quality, and so much more. This funding will help DU and our partners deliver a larger conservation impact across the country.”
A summary of the DU-led projects receiving funding is below. For a full list of projects to receive funding, visit usda.gov.
Protecting California's Central Valley Rice Lands for Migratory Waterfowl – $12,811,585.00
Ducks Unlimited will offer voluntary agriculture conservation easements to rice producers who conserve rice lands for waterfowl needs. The project aims to secure long-term protection of a minimum of 4,000 acres of winter-flooded rice lands in the Sacramento Valley. The project is part of the USA Rice-Ducks Unlimited Rice Stewardship Partnership, which has a mission to conserve working ricelands, water and wildlife. The partnership promotes innovative practices to improve conservation, production and sustainability measures.
Reducing Sedimentation to Improve Southern Illinois Aquatic Habitats – $18,960,000.00
This project will help producers in southern Illinois reduce the amount of sediment moving through the watersheds and deposited in critical downstream aquatic habitats. The goal is to restore an anticipated 130 acres of wetlands and 977 acres of native vegetation buffers and implement 48,865 acres of no-till cover crops to reduce nitrogen and phosphorus runoff, sequester carbon and enhance other ecosystem services.
Additionally, DU will provide technical assistance on grants to implement engineering services in Montana, irrigated meadow infrastructure, wetland/grass restoration in Oregon and soil health improvements in Wisconsin.
