BOISE, Feb. 12, 2016 – Created by the 2014 Farm Bill, the Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) is a partner-driven, locally-led approach to conservation. It offers new opportunities for USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) to harness innovation, welcome new partners to the conservation mission, and demonstrate the value and efficacy of voluntary, private lands conservation.
“The Regional Conservation Partnership Program puts local partners in the driver’s seat to accomplish environmental goals that are most meaningful to that community. Joining together public and private resources also harnesses innovation that neither sector could implement alone,” Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said. “We have seen record enrollment of privately owned lands in USDA’s conservation programs under this Administration, and the new Regional Conservation Partnership Program will be instrumental in building on those numbers and demonstrating that government and private entities can work together for greater impacts on America’s communities.”
In 2016, NRCS is investing up to $220 million in 84 high-impact projects that impact every state in the nation, including three in Idaho. This investment, which builds on the $370 million invested for 2014 and 2015, will help conservation partners and agricultural producers conserve natural resources, leading to cleaner and more abundant water, healthier soil, enhanced wildlife habitat and many other benefits.
The three funded proposals in Idaho are the Farmer's Cooperative Ditch Company, the Greater Spokane River Watershed Implementation, and the High Desert Drought Resilient Ranching projects.
“The great thing about all three proposals is that they are partnership driven,” said Curtis Elke, USDA-NRCS state conservationist for Idaho. “It isn’t just NRCS saying conservation, restoration and rehabilitation are helpful. It’s a broad swath of the impacted communities who are saying ‘We need to do this!’ and that commitment, along with ours, will make these projects happen and be successful.”
In the Farmer's Cooperative Ditch Company Project, a group of seven partners in Idaho will address the excessive amount of sediment and nutrients in the irrigation water, reduce water usage/ improve delivery and soil health in the Lower Boise Watershed. This project has and will greatly impact all residents within the Lower Boise Watershed making it one of great value to the community as a whole. The plan will concentrate on environmental awareness and strive to increase the number of conservation practices implemented. NRCS plans to invest $500,000 in the project.
Greater Spokane River Watershed Implementation Project, led by the Spokane Conservation District, taps the expertise of 21 partners in Idaho and Washington to address significant sources of sediments and nutrients that are carried to the Spokane River watershed by its larger tributaries. The project will also tackle the low dissolved oxygen levels and algae blooms that threaten aquatic life in the Spokane River, Lake Spokane and Coeur d'Alene Lake. The partnership notes that reducing nutrients is key to resolving water quality degradation throughout the Greater Spokane River Bi-State Watershed. This project supports regional momentum towards adoption of conservation tillage operations and best management practices. Tens of thousands of agricultural and forestry acres, including a tribal farm, will benefit through voluntary NRCS programs totaling $7.7 million. Wildlife and fish habitat will be protected and long-term easements will be developed for several forest and wetland acquisitions.
The High Desert Drought Resilient Ranching project, led by Trout Unlimited, brings 17 partners from Idaho, Nevada and Oregon together. Idaho Nevada and Oregon ranchers have experienced a severe drought for the majority of years in the last 30-year cycle. This project is designed to help reduce drought impacts to wildlife and livestock in the Owyhee watershed and adjacent communities in two adjacent watersheds. Project partners will work together to develop on-the-ground projects that keep water in streams longer for both livestock and wildlife. Project area selection will emphasize state and private land that currently provides habitat for three focal species: redband trout, greater sage-grouse and Columbia spotted frogs or is adjacent to known populations and has the capacity to restore habitat for these species. NRCS plans to direct $1.3 million toward the partnership’s efforts
Since 2009, USDA has invested more than $29 billion to help producers make conservation improvements, working with as many as 500,000 farmers, ranchers and landowners to protect more than 400 million acres nationwide, boosting soil and air quality, cleaning and conserving water and enhancing wildlife habitat. For an interactive look at USDA's work in conservation and forestry over the course of this Administration, visit http://medium.com/usda-results.