[PCA] Fwd: USDA to Invest in Prairie Pothole Landscape Effort

[Rick Huffman]

As I read this, I see no mention of Prarie Dogs. Prairie Dogs are the Key
stone species. Without the pdogs the ecosystem is toast.
On Feb 14, 2014 2:04 PM, "Jessie Strother" <strotherjessie at yahoo.com> wrote:

> This is a great initiative as this region really needs some additional
> conservation based incentives.  So much has gone to massive fields of corn
> and nothing else!  J Strother
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> On Fri, 2/14/14, De Angelis, Patricia <patricia_deangelis at fws.gov> wrote:
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>  Subject: [PCA] Fwd: USDA to Invest in Prairie Pothole Landscape Effort
>  To: "native-plants" <native-plants at lists.plantconservation.org>
>  Date: Friday, February 14, 2014, 10:16 AM
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>
>  ---------- Forwarded
>  message ----------
>  From: USDA Office
>  of Communications <usda at public.govdelivery.com>
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>  Date: Fri, Feb 14, 2014 at 11:35 AM
>  Subject: USDA to Invest in Prairie Pothole Landscape Effort
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>  USDA Office of Communications
>  Press Release
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>  Release No. 0023.14
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>  Office of
>  Communications (202)720-4623
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>  USDA to Invest in Prairie Pothole Landscape
>  Effort
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>  WASHINGTON, Feb. 14, 2014 - Agriculture Secretary Tom
>  Vilsack announced that up to $35 million will be provided
>  during the next three years to help landowners conserve
>  grasslands and wetlands in the Prairie Pothole region. The
>  announcement was made on the Secretary's behalf by Under
>  Secretary for Natural Resources and Environment Robert
>  Bonnie.
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>  Farmers, ranchers and conservation partners will have
>  access to a mix of financial and technical assistance
>  opportunities through the Natural Resources Conservation
>  Service (NRCS) to restore wetlands and grasslands.
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>  "This region of North Dakota, South Dakota,
>  Minnesota, Iowa and Montana provides critical breeding and
>  nesting habitat for more than 60 percent of the nation's
>  migratory waterfowl," Bonnie said of the Prairie
>  Pothole region. "Our goal is to help landowners manage
>  their working lands in a way that's compatible with
>  agricultural production and good stewardship of the soil,
>  water and habitat resources of the area so we are really
>  talking about keeping working lands working."
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>  The wetlands and grasslands that characterize the region
>  provide vital water storage to reduce regional flooding,
>  improve water quality, and have tremendous potential to
>  store carbon in soils, which reduces the level of carbon
>  dioxide in the atmosphere, one of the leading greenhouse
>  gases contributing to climate change.
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>  The funding comes in a couple of pieces, including:
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>  Environmental Quality Incentives
>  Program: The agency's largest conservation
>  program will help producers with expiring Conservation
>  Reserve Program contracts keep their lands as working
>  grasslands or haylands through implementation of prescribed
>  grazing and other conservation practices.
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>  Ducks Unlimited-NRCS partnership for carbon
>  credits: NRCS is working with North Dakota, South
>  Dakota and Montana to create a carbon credit marketing
>  system for landowners who agreed to avoid tilling
>  grasslands. This work started in 2011 in North Dakota as
>  part of a Conservation Innovation Grant, but now it's
>  being expanded to the three states. Through this system,
>  interested landowners can keep their land in grass, continue
>  grazing and haying, and generate verified carbon credits
>  that place a conservation easement on their land. These
>  credits can be sold or traded into existing voluntary carbon
>  markets.
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>  NRCS also is providing additional technical assistance to
>  complete certified wetland determinations, needed by
>  producers to meet conservation compliance requirements first
>  put in place in 1985.
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>  Additionally, the 2014 Farm Bill has expanded
>  opportunities for conserving grasslands and wetlands,
>  including those in the Prairie Pothole region. To find out more about
>  USDA's efforts to work with producers in the region
>  click here. USDA also recently solicited
>  proposals for Conservation Innovation Grants.
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>  For more information on these opportunities, visit a local NRCS field
> office or
>  the NRCS website.
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>  #
>
>  USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer. To
>  file a complaint of discrimination, write: USDA, Office of
>  the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, Office of
>  Adjudication, 1400 Independence Ave., SW, Washington, DC
>  20250-9410 or call (866) 632-9992 (Toll-free Customer
>  Service), (800) 877-8339 (Local or Federal relay), (866)
>  377-8642 (Relay voice users).
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>  If you have questions about USDA activities, please visit
>  our Ask the Expert page. This
>  feature is designed to assist you in obtaining the
>  information you are seeking.
>
>
>  USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer. To
>  file a complaint of discrimination, write: USDA, Office of
>  the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, Office of
>  Adjudication, 1400 Independence Ave., SW, Washington, DC
>  20250-9410 or call (866) 632-9992 (Toll-free Customer
>  Service), (800) 877-8339 (Local or Federal relay), (866)
>  377-8642 (Relay voice users).
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