HCP VII - Wetlands Reserve Program (3d)
The U.S. Department of Agriculture and Ducks Unlimited are working together to provide technical assistance to landowners that that will result in the protection of approximately 2,500 acres of prairies and wetlands in southern and western Minnesota. As a result of this appropriation, an estimated $4 million of additional funding for conservation is anticipated to be provided in match by the federal Wetland Reserve Program.
OVERALL PROJECT OUTCOME AND RESULTS
Most of Minnesota's prairie wetlands and nearly all of our native prairie grasslands have been converted to agriculture or other uses. Restoring and protecting restored native prairie and prairie wetland complexes is a priority for the state as outlined in Minnesota's Prairie Conservation Plan. The federal Wetlands Reserve Program (WRP) administered by the USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) is an important voluntary conservation easement program available to landowners to restore and protect prairie wetland complexes on private land. The objective of the WRP is to restore and protect wetlands and adjacent upland habitats to benefit migratory birds and other wildlife, and improve water quality.
To accelerate the WRP in Minnesota, Ducks Unlimited (DU) partnered with the USDA's NRCS to provide technical assistance through eight grant-funded wetland restoration specialist consultants contracted to help NRCS promote and secure new WRP applications and plan and implement restorations on WRP easements secured in previous years. In addition, DU provided engineering services to assist NRCS with survey and preliminary design of two larger wetland restorations requiring complex water control structures to restore wetland hydrology.
Through this grant, DU consultant specialists promoted WRP to 955 private landowners, secured/completed/submitted 83 WRP applications, developed or modified 174 WRP conservation plans to guide restoration of WRP easements, designed 15 water control structures for wetland restorations, and helped restore 192 wetlands on WRP easements. In addition, Ducks Unlimited wetland engineers also completed a preliminary engineering report for the large 4,000-acre Crooked Lake restoration project in Douglas County to help inform and guide future landowner outreach efforts, and completed engineering design plans for restoration of the 100-acre Rasmus Lake wetland project in Kandiyohi County. This technical assistance helped NRCS close 36 new WRP easements at a federal cost of $3,985,375 that protects 3,130 acres in Minnesota during this grant period.
PROJECT RESULTS USE AND DISSEMINATION
Ducks Unlimited consultants promoted the WRP through SWCD newsletters, articles in local newspapers, and in an article written by DU volunteers in the spring 2013 DU state newsletter Cattails. Two DU consultants also gave a PowerPoint slide presentation on the WRP partnership with NRCS at the February 2012 DU state convention.
$1,737,000 the first year and $1,738,000 the second year are from the trust fund to the commissioner of natural resources for the acceleration of agency programs and cooperative agreements. Of this appropriation, $125,000 the first year and $125,000 the second year are to the commissioner of natural resources for agency programs and $3,225,000 is for agreements as follows: $637,000 the first year and $638,000 the second year with Ducks Unlimited, Inc.; $38,000 the first year and $37,000 the second year with Friends of Detroit Lakes Wetland Management District; $25,000 the first year and $25,000 the second year with Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe; $225,000 the first year and $225,000 the second year with Minnesota Land Trust; $200,000 the first year and $200,000 the second year with Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge Trust, Inc.; $242,000 the first year and $243,000 the second year with Pheasants Forever, Inc.; and $245,000 the first year and $245,000 the second year with The Trust for Public Land to plan, restore, and acquire fragmented landscape corridors that connect areas of quality habitat to sustain fish, wildlife, and plants. The United States Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service, is an authorized cooperating partner in the appropriation. Expenditures are limited to the project corridor areas as defined in the work program. Land acquired with this appropriation must be sufficiently improved to meet at least minimum habitat and facility management standards, as determined by the commissioner of natural resources. This appropriation may not be used for the purchase of habitable residential structures, unless expressly approved in the work program. All conservation easements must be perpetual and have a natural resource management plan. Any land acquired in fee title by the commissioner of natural resources with money from this appropriation must be designated as an outdoor recreation unit under Minnesota Statutes, section 86A.07. The commissioner may similarly designate any lands acquired in less than fee title. A list of proposed restorations and fee title and easement acquisitions must be provided as part of the required work program. An entity who acquires a conservation easement with appropriations from the trust fund must have a long-term stewardship plan for the easement and a fund established for monitoring and enforcing the agreement. Money appropriated from the trust fund for easement acquisition may be used to establish a monitoring, management, and enforcement fund as approved in the work program. An annual financial report is required for any monitoring, management, and enforcement fund established, including expenditures from the fund. This appropriation is available until June 30, 2014, by which time the project must be completed and final products delivered.
Click on "Final Report" under "Project Details".
Click on "Final Report" under "Project Details".
$1,737,000 the first year and $1,738,000 the second year are from the trust fund to the commissioner of natural resources for the acceleration of agency programs and cooperative agreements. Of this appropriation, $125,000 the first year and $125,000 the second year are to the commissioner of natural resources for agency programs and $3,225,000 is for agreements as follows: $637,000 the first year and $638,000 the second year with Ducks Unlimited, Inc.; $38,000 the first year and $37,000 the second year with Friends of Detroit Lakes Wetland Management District; $25,000 the first year and $25,000 the second year with Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe; $225,000 the first year and $225,000 the second year with Minnesota Land Trust; $200,000 the first year and $200,000 the second year with Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge Trust, Inc.; $242,000 the first year and $243,000 the second year with Pheasants Forever, Inc.; and $245,000 the first year and $245,000 the second year with The Trust for Public Land to plan, restore, and acquire fragmented landscape corridors that connect areas of quality habitat to sustain fish, wildlife, and plants. The United States Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service, is an authorized cooperating partner in the appropriation. Expenditures are limited to the project corridor areas as defined in the work program. Land acquired with this appropriation must be sufficiently improved to meet at least minimum habitat and facility management standards, as determined by the commissioner of natural resources. This appropriation may not be used for the purchase of habitable residential structures, unless expressly approved in the work program. All conservation easements must be perpetual and have a natural resource management plan. Any land acquired in fee title by the commissioner of natural resources with money from this appropriation must be designated as an outdoor recreation unit under Minnesota Statutes, section 86A.07. The commissioner may similarly designate any lands acquired in less than fee title. A list of proposed restorations and fee title and easement acquisitions must be provided as part of the required work program. An entity who acquires a conservation easement with appropriations from the trust fund must have a long-term stewardship plan for the easement and a fund established for monitoring and enforcing the agreement. Money appropriated from the trust fund for easement acquisition may be used to establish a monitoring, management, and enforcement fund as approved in the work program. An annual financial report is required for any monitoring, management, and enforcement fund established, including expenditures from the fund. This appropriation is available until June 30, 2014, by which time the project must be completed and final products delivered.
Click on "Final Report" under "Project Details".
Click on "Final Report" under "Project Details".