Several environmental groups, funded by a grant from the US Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service, will be rewarding farmers and ranchers for being “good stewards”—including preventing erosion on their land, preserving wildlife habitat, and taking other measures to protect water quality. The goal is to encourage watershed-wide conservation practices.
One pilot program is taking place in California’s Mokelumne River watershed, which drains to the San Francisco Bay. A USDA grant of $372,000 will help develop the program, which is then expected to attract funding from other government agencies, nonprofits, foundations, private utilities, and the affected communities themselves. Part of the pilot program involves developing standards that landowners must meet to be eligible for the payments.
Nationwide, the NRCS will invest more than $22 million in 40 states to support conservation and protection of land while enhancing agricultural productivity. A summary of the agency’s grants is available at www.nrcs.usda.gov.