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United States Department of Agriculture
Natural Resources Conservation Service
9173 W. Barnes Dr., Suite C
Boise, Idaho 83709
 
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John Kendrick (208) 378-5729
 

USDA Will Restore and Protect Flood-Prone Lands Nationwide With Economic Recovery Funding

BOISE, ID, March 11, 2009 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will provide up to $145 million to eligible landowners nationwide through the floodplain easement component of its Emergency Watershed Protection (EWP) Program, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced. The funds will be used to restore an estimated 60,000 acres of frequently flooded land to its natural condition and create jobs.  Eligible landowners can sign up for these easements from March 9-27, 2009 at their local USDA Service Center.

“We will be working with landowners who voluntarily agree to restore the floodplains to their natural condition by placing their land into easements,” Vilsack said. “These easements will convert environmentally sensitive lands into riparian corridors and wooded bottomlands that are so vital for fish and wildlife habitat and to mitigate downstream flooding.”

The EWP Program’s floodplain easement component allows USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (USDA-NRCS) to purchase easements on lands damaged by flooding.  Under this program, a landowner voluntarily offers to sell to the NRCS a permanent conservation easement and works with the NRCS to restore and enhance the floodplain’s functions and values. In exchange, a landowner receives a payment based on either the market value, a geographic rate established by NRCS, or a landowner offer.

With EWP floodplain easements, participating landowners retain ownership, control public access, and may continue to use the land for undeveloped recreational purposes, such as quiet enjoyment, hunting and fishing. However, past uses such as grazing, timber harvest, or crop cultivation and harvest are prohibited.

Interested landowners must submit an application to NRCS. Applications will be evaluated and ranked for funding on a state-by-state basis. Because applications could exceed available funding, they will be ranked for enrollment based on established priorities. Interested landowners can contact their local USDA Service Center for more information about the EWP Program floodplain easements during the signup. Locate the nearest USDA Service Center on the Idaho NRCS web site at http://offices.sc.egov.usda.gov/locator/app?state=ID.

The floodplain easement funding, obtained from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, includes both technical and financial assistance to restore the easements. All funds will be spent on targeted projects that can be completed with economic stimulus monies. The goal is to have all floodplain easements acquired and restored within 12-18 months. No more than $30 million can be spent in any one state.

Restored floodplains will generate many public benefits, such as increased flood protection, enhanced fish and wildlife habitat, improved water quality, and a reduced need for future public disaster assistance.  Other benefits include reduced energy consumption when certain agricultural activities and practices are eliminated and increased carbon sequestration as permanent vegetative cover is re-established. For information about EWP Program floodplain easements, please visit http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/ewp/Floodplain/index.html.
 

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