USDA To Fund 115 Conservation Projects in 50 States

What Happened?

The U.S. Department of Agriculture recently announced $370 million in federal funding will be awarded to 115 high-impact conservation projects across the country.

USDA Regional Conservation Partnership Program

The $370 million in federal grants will be administered through the USDA’s Regional Conservation Partnership Program which has generated an additional $400 million in capital from partner contributions. The 115 projects receiving funding can be found throughout all 50 states and Puerto Rico, where local agencies and organizations are working to:

• Improve water quality
• Support wildlife habitats
• Enhance the environment
• Create clean jobs in the community

Through the Regional Conservation Partnerships Program, all funded projects are divided into three categories:

• Critical Conservation Areas: Eight geographic regions throughout the country will receive 35 percent of the program’s funding
• National: Nationwide and multi-state projects will receive 40 percent of the funding
• State: Single state projects will receive 25 percent of the funding

The eight critical conservation areas across the country represent opportunities for regional partnerships to address conservation concerns and set aggressive natural resource goals. The eight areas include:

• Chesapeake Bay Watershed
• Great Lakes Region
• Mississippi River Basin
• Colorado River Basin
• Longleaf Pine Range
• Columbia River Basin
• California Bay Delta

The funded initiatives must establish conservation projects while improving local agricultural productivity. This will require collaboration between producers and communities to align goals and meet conservation priorities.

For example, the USDA awarded $10 million toward projects focused on improving water quality in the Saginaw Bay Watershed. The funds will be used to help farmers in the 22-county watershed work on:

• Conserving water
• Restoring acres of wetlands
• Reducing excessive sediments and nutrients in the watershed
• Monitoring long-term trends in the fish population and habitat

Similarly, four projects in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed region have received $19 million in funds to enhance, restore and protect natural filters and high-quality wetlands through a collaboration between businesses, institutions, local governments and universities. The Chesapeake Conservancy is one of several partners contributing resources and expertise to the projects including precision analysis and data to efficiently implement solutions.

Economic Strategy

By creating partnerships the USDA hopes to empower local communities to set conservation goals and strategies vital to their specific regions. Incorporating investment from the private sector will ensure programs can achieve their goals and remain sustainable in the long term. Furthermore, the public-private partnerships aim to bring innovation, new ideas, more resources and local expertise together to solve regional issues.

Many conservation projects involve building and maintaining green infrastructure, which will require creating thousands of new jobs nationwide. When local environments are enhanced and protected, jumps in tourism can provide valuable economic boosts.

According to the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, conservation activities in 2013 supported more than 66,000 jobs across the country. When water and wildlife habitats were kept clean and protected, the outdoor recreation economy generated $80 billion in federal, state and local tax revenue while supporting 6.1 million jobs.

Related Stories