Ducks Unlimited

Des Moines, Iowa --(Ammoland.com)- The Natural Resources Conservation Service and Ducks Unlimited signed a $1.5 million cooperative agreement recently to coordinate and deliver the Wetlands Reserve Program in Iowa.

WRP is a voluntary incentive-based program that provides financial and technical assistance to landowners to restore wetlands and associated uplands on their property.

This agreement extends through 2013 and includes planned restoration activities on more than 6,500 acres of private lands throughout the Prairie Pothole and Missouri River Valley Regions of Iowa.

“Ducks Unlimited’s staff and expertise will help us complete WRP restorations in these areas of the state,” Richard Sims, NRCS state conservationist said. “They’re a natural partner since we’re both firmly committed to working closely with private landowners and agency partners to restore high-quality wetlands.”

Wetlands protected and restored under WRP provide significant benefits not only to wildlife, but also the citizens of Iowa. Major flooding has plagued many Iowa communities for several years. Wetlands help reduce downstream flooding by acting like a sponge that absorbs water and slows runoff. Wetlands also improve water quality by recharging ground water and drinking water supplies.

“We’re very excited about this new conservation partnership with NRCS and private landowners in Iowa,” Eric Lindstrom, DU regional biologist, said. “WRP provides tremendous ecological, environmental and societal benefits for Iowans, while bolstering local economic growth and creating private sector jobs through construction activities.”

There is currently a waiting list of Iowa landowners interested in enrolling in WRP. Current funding levels limit the number of competitive applications that can be accepted each year. The agreement between DU and NRCS will help address this backlog and accelerate wetland conservation efforts across the state.

Visit www.ia.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/WRP.html for information about WRP in Iowa.

About:
Ducks Unlimited is the world’s largest non-profit organization dedicated to conserving North America’s continually disappearing waterfowl habitats. Established in 1937, Ducks Unlimited has conserved more than 12 million acres thanks to contributions from more than a million supporters across the continent. Guided by science and dedicated to program efficiency, DU works toward the vision of wetlands sufficient to fill the skies with waterfowl today, tomorrow and forever. Visit www.ducks.org

Pheasants Forever

Saint Paul, Minn. – -(AmmoLand.com)- Pheasants Forever is expanding its Farm Bill Biologist program in North Dakota with the addition of two new positions created in partnership with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and local Soil Conservation Districts. Matthew Olson of Fort Ransom, North Dakota, is the new Farm Bill Biologist based out of Forman and Jeff Potts of Watertown, South Dakota, is the new Farm Bill Biologist based out of Dickinson.

Pheasants Forever’s Farm Bill Biologist program is designed to educate farmers and landowners – through one-on-one consulting – about the benefits of conservation programs (such as the federal Conservation Reserve Program, or CRP), as well as assist those farmers and landowners after programs have been implemented. Pheasants Forever first began employing Farm Bill Biologists in 2003 and now has over 45 Farm Bill Biologists working in seven states – Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota and Wisconsin. Farm Bill Biologists have contacted and consulted over 28,000 landowners, resulting in the improvement of over 1.3 million acres of land for wildlife.

“These positions come at an especially critical juncture for North Dakota, where nearly 775,000 acres have expired from the wildlife-friendly CRP in the past five years and another 1.8 million acres are slated to expire in the next five years,” said Jim Inglis, Pheasants Forever’s Farm Bill Biologist Coordinator, “With continuous CRP practices and other conservation programs, landowners have numerous conservation options. The challenge has always been informing them, and these Farm Bill Biologists meet that challenge head on.”

Matthew Olson
A native of Fort Ransom, North Dakota, Olson joins Pheasants Forever after four years with the North Dakota Game and Fish Department. An avid outdoorsman, Olson has an excellent knowledge of the Forman and surrounding area. Olson earned his B.S. in Wildlife and Fisheries Management from North Dakota State University. He is based out of the Wild Rice Soil Conservation District Office in Forman and can be contacted at (701) 724-3247 or via email at molson@pheasantsforever.org.

Jeff Potts
Potts joins Pheasants Forever after earning his B.S. in Wildlife Fisheries and Science from South Dakota State University. He already has extensive experience in the natural resource field, having worked previously with the South Dakota Department of Game, Fish and Parks as a wildlife technician and a land/habitat intern. Potts is based out of the NRCS office in Dickinson and can be contacted at (701) 225-3811 x118 or via email at jpotts@pheasantsforever.org.

Pheasants Forever also has a Farm Bill Biologist position in Jamestown, North Dakota. Steve Stensgard can be contacted at the Jamestown NRCS office (701)252-2521 ext. 129 or via email at SStensgard@pheasantsforever.org. For more information on Pheasants Forever’s Farm Bill Biologist program, contact Jim Inglis, Pheasants Forever’s Farm Bill Biologist Coordinator, at (419) 569-1096 or via email at jinglis@pheasantsforever.org.

About:
Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever are non-profit conservation organizations dedicated to the protection and enhancement of pheasant, quail, and other wildlife populations in North America through habitat improvement, land management, public awareness, and education. Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever has 125,000 members in 700 local chapters across the continent.

For additional information please visit www.PheasantsForever.org and www.QuailForever.org

Natural Resources Conservation Service

SALEM, Oregon --(AmmoLand.com)- Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced that Bruce Taylor, the Oregon Biodiversity Program Director of Defenders of Wildlife and the Director of the Oregon Habitat Joint Venture, is this year’s winner of the Natural Resources Conservation Service’s (NRCS) Excellence in Conservation Award.

“Excellence in natural resources conservation is achieved when people put their commitment to conservation into action,” Vilsack said. “Bruce’s outstanding leadership in bringing together private landowners, conservation organizations and state and federal agencies proudly displays that commitment.”

Vilsack’s announcement was read at an award ceremony held at the Oregon State Capital. A tireless advocate for biodiversity, Taylor is known nationwide for partnership efforts that have protected and restored thousands of acres of wetlands and other native habitats in Oregon.

NRCS Oregon State Conservationist Ron Alvarado and leaders of state agriculture and natural resource agencies joined Secretary Vilsack in recognizing Taylor’s leadership and accomplishments.

“Bruce has an amazing gift for bring people together,” Alvarado said. “The benefits that have come from the partnerships that he has put together are absolutely invaluable.”

“USDA, NRCS and the entire state of Oregon owe Bruce Taylor their gratitude,” said NRCS Chief Dave White. “Because of his efforts, conservation in Oregon and the entire region is thriving.”

The NRCS Excellence in Conservation Award honors those outside the Federal government for their work in conservation.

For information on NRCS programs and projects, and its nationwide conservation partnership, stop by your local USDA service center or visit NRCS online at www.nrcs.usda.gov.

California Waterfowl

Anderson, CA –-(AmmoLand.com)- Sierra Pacific Industries (SPI) and California Waterfowl today announced that SPI has signed an agreement with the Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) to place a conservation easement on 2,870 acres of wetlands, commonly called White Horse Flat Reservoir, in Sisikyou and Modoc Counties.

The agreement is intended to restore wetlands to improve wildlife habitat and provide other environmental benefits. Under the agreement, timber harvesting, grazing, and other land uses will be curtailed or limited during the 30-year life of the easement.

Sierra Pacific spokesman Mark Pawlicki said “The purpose of this easement is to restore, manage, maintain, and enhance the functional values of wetlands and other lands, and for the conservation of natural values.” He added that “this includes benefits for fish and wildlife and their habitat, water quality improvement, flood water retention, groundwater recharge, open space, aesthetic values, and environmental education.”

California Waterfowl Vice President of Conservation Programs Jake Messerli stated that the conservation easement will offer a significant enhancement to waterfowl habitat in California.

“This project will benefit spring and fall staging habitat for waterfowl and is an excellent demonstration of how cooperative efforts between private landowners, conservation organizations, and the government can benefit wildlife, water quality, and outdoor education,” noted Messerli.

The NRCS has prepared a conservation plan for restoration activities that will occur in the first two years of the agreement. The area, which is approximately

20 miles North of Fall River Mills, will be fenced to help manage grazing. “We are very pleased to be able to work cooperatively with SPI on this project” said NRCS spokesperson Jessica Groves. “We believe it is a key wetland area that will provide tremendous benefits to waterfowl and other wildlife for the next 30 years” Groves said.

Sierra Pacific Industries is a third-generation family-owned forest products company based in Anderson, California. The firm owns and manages nearly 1.9 million acres of timberland in California and Washington, and is the second largest lumber producer in the U.S. Sierra Pacific is committed to managing its lands in a responsible and sustainable manner to protect the environment while providing quality wood products for consumers. For more information, please visit www.spi-ind.com

About:
California Waterfowl is an award winning nonprofit, hunter-supported conservation organization with a mission to conserve the state’s waterfowl, wetlands, and hunting heritage. In the last 20 years, we’ve completed more than 700 individual projects to protect, restore, and enhance more than 360,000 acres, providing habitat for millions of birds and animals. Our Youth and Education Programs have reached more than 250,000 children and young adults to help to create a better understanding of biology, conservation, and outdoor heritage. All efforts are supported largely by donations and the work of over 1,500 dedicated and tireless volunteers.

RICHLAND, Tx.–-(AmmoLand.com)- Texas landowners had the opportunity last week to hear from a variety of experts on sustainable agriculture. Staff representing Syngenta, Texas Prairie Wetlands Project (TPWP), and USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) conducted workshops to increase awareness of and participation in sustainable agricultural programs and practices.

Almost 100 private landowners and rice producers attended the workshops, held successively in Winnie, El Campo and Eagle Lake October 6th, 7th, and 8th, respectively. The objective of these workshops was to present area landowners with information regarding conservation opportunities as well as the latest in crop protection products from Syngenta.

“Landowner workshops are a great way to provide a diverse group of stakeholders with information on available products and services,” Matt Kaminski, TPWP Coordinator said. “These workshops stimulate questions and give us the opportunity to address a variety of concerns landowners may have.”

Ducks Unlimited, Inc., Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the USDA NRCS partnered to create the Texas Prairie Wetlands Project in 1991.

The TPWP provides cost-share assistance to private landowners for habitat enhancement, levee construction, and the installation of water control structures. It also provides biological and engineering assistance and a detailed management plan to private landowners.

The primary goal of TPWP is to restore, enhance, and protect shallow, seasonal wetland habitat on private lands within a 28-county focus area along the Texas Gulf Coast. Each year, these projects provide critical staging and wintering habitat for thousands of waterfowl, shorebirds, wading birds and other wetland dependent species.

The TPWP works closely with rice producers to improve fields and infrastructure for water conservation, production, and habitat management. Recently, piggy-backing TPWP with USDA Environmental Quality Incentive Program (EQIP) has provided great incentives to producers to bring retired fields back into production. Adding Syngenta to that partnership was a logical step to increase effort and success.

Syngenta provided funding for the workshops, and new TPWP participants will be eligible for a rebate on Syngenta crop protection products Quadris and Quilt.

“This partnership creates a win-win situation for everyone,” Kaminski said. “An increase in rice production will increase waterfowl habitat on the Texas Gulf Coast.”

Arkansas Game & Fish Commission

JONESBORO, AR – -(AmmoLand.com)- Natural Resources Conservation Service Chief Dave White announced last week that the NRCS has received 21,300 applications to participate in the new Conservation Stewardship Program. These applications cover an estimated 33 million acres, nationwide.

“NRCS has received enough applications to carry out conservation activities on more than twice the number of acres Congress authorized for CSP this year,” White said. “This incredible response shows that conservation-minded producers and landowners want to attain higher levels of conservation stewardship.”

David Long, private lands coordinator with the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission said that the new revamped conservation program in the 2008 Farm Bill has tremendous opportunity to conserve and increase farmland conservation. “This program rewards farm producers for addressing resource concerns, including wildlife. The program rewards farmers for undertaking additional conservation along with maintaining and managing existing conservation practices on the farm,” Long says.

Farmers can also receive enhancement practice payments, Long said. “Practices such as extending riparian forest buffers, patch burning pastures, creating shallow water habitat, establishing native grasses and legumes in 15 percent or more of their pastures, grazing management to improve wildlife habitat, extending filter strips and field borders, establishing pollinator habitat, prescribed burning, forest stand improvement, deferring crop production on temporary and seasonal wetlands, and flooding harvested grain fields, all providing significant wildlife benefits are eligible for payments,” he explained.

Payments are based on the complex of existing conservation practices maintained along any new enhancement practices implemented and are estimated to range from $12 to $22 per acre of cropland, nonindustrial private forestland $6 to $12 per acre and pastureland at $7 to $14 per acre.

More farm wildlife benefits possible from the new conservation stewardship program in ArkansasFarmers need to know that installing conservation practices like filter strips, quail buffers, riparian forest buffers and other practices under the FSA’s Continuous Conservation Reserve Program will increase their competitiveness in CSP in the future, Long said. “In addition, the Conservation Reserve Program provides yearly rental payments for 10 to 15 years along with other significant incentives to increase farm income,” he added.

The CSP should cause farmers to look not only at the CRP, but other USDA conservation programs such as the Environmental Quality Incentive Program, Wildlife Habitat Incentive program and the Wetland Reserve Program to establish a total conservation system on their farms that addresses all resource concerns which will increase their competitiveness in the CSP in the future. “CSP can offer an additional income stream on every eligible acre of the farm plus allow farmers to address all resource concerns to include wildlife,” Long says.

Congress capped the annual acreage enrollment nationally at 12,769,000 for each fiscal year. The final national and state-by-state numbers on acreage nationwide will be available in November 2009.

CSP provides financial and technical assistance to eligible agricultural and forestry producers to conserve and enhance soil, water, air and wildlife resources on their land, and encourages farm producers to voluntarily implement more conservation practices and improve, maintain, and manage existing ones.

Lands accepted into CSP include cropland, pastureland, rangeland and non-industrial private forestland. Individual landowners or operators, legal entities, corporations and Indian tribes are eligible to apply for CSP assistance.

Those who are not approved for funding through this first sign-up will have the option to participate in the second sign-up period, which is Oct. 1 through January 2010.

Pheasants Forever & Quail Forever

Saint Paul, Minn. - -(AmmoLand.com)- Improve how conservation programs are delivered to landowners and producers. That’s the goal of Pheasants Forever (PF) and Quail Forever’s (QF) Farm Bill Biologist program, a program that has, in just six years of existence, accounted for over one million acres of land being improved for wildlife. With the spring habitat improvement season here, Farm Bill Biologists are on the front line working with more acres and landowners than ever before.

The Farm Bill Biologist program is designed to educate farmers and landowners about the benefits of conservation programs, as well as assist those farmers and landowners after programs have been implemented. Pheasants Forever first began employing Farm Bill Biologists in 2003 and now has 35 Farm Bill Biologists working in seven states â?” Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota and Wisconsin. Farm Bill Biologists have contacted and consulted 21,004 landowners, resulting in the improvement of 1,107,797 acres of land for wildlife.

“We’ve designed our Farm Bill Biologist program as the best possible resource for conservation information; one that is easy and user-friendly,” said Jim Inglis, PF/QF Farm Bill Biologist Coordinator. “Our Farm Bill Biologists possess the necessary knowledge of federal, state, and local conservation programs. More importantly, they are making local contacts and promoting programs on a personal basis â?” over 150,000 hours have been spent with 21,000 individual landowner contacts. That’s the formula helping landowners find the right conservation programs to meet their personal habitat and land-use goals.”

Primarily, the biologists work to accelerate enrollment in the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) and other Farm Bill conservation provisions that work with farm operations. Farm Bill Biologists add wildlife technical assistance in USDA offices to assist the Natural Resources Conservation Services (NRCS) and other conservation partners with the increasing wildlife focus as part of the Farm Bill and various state programs. Funding sources for the Farm Bill Biologist program are diverse, from state wildlife departments and/or soil and water conservation districts, contribution agreements or contacts with the USDA’s NRCS, local PF/QF chapters, watershed groups, foundations, and other state and local partners.

With the early success of the Farm Bill Biologist program in seven states, PF/QF envisions the program growing into success stories for additional states. “We are interested in adding more Farm Bill Biologist positions in new states and furthering our wildlife habitat mission,” Inglis said.

For more information on the Farm Bill Biologist program, contact Jim Inglis, PF/QF Farm Bill Biologist Coordinator, at (419) 569-1096 or via email at jinglis@pheasantsforever.org

About:
Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever are non-profit conservation organizations dedicated to the protection and enhancement of pheasant, quail, and other wildlife populations in North America through habitat improvement, land management, public awareness, and education. PF/QF has 130,000 members in 700 local chapters across the continent.