[PCA] Fwd: USDA Announces New Partnership with National Fish and Wildlife Foundation to Support Ongoing Gulf Restoration

Fri Oct 31 07:49:03 CDT 2014

FYI...
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From: USDA Office of Communications <usda at public.govdelivery.com>
Date: Tue, Oct 28, 2014 at 3:01 PM
Subject: USDA Announces New Partnership with National Fish and Wildlife
Foundation to Support Ongoing Gulf Restoration

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  Release No. 0240.14  Contact:  USDA, Justin Fritscher, (202) 720-5776  NFWF,
Rob Blumenthal, (202) 595-2457     USDA Announces New Partnership with
National Fish and Wildlife Foundation to Support Ongoing Gulf Restoration

NORCO, La., Oct. 28, 2014 - Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today
announced a new partnership between USDA's Natural Resources Conservation
Service (NRCS) and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) that
will provide additional support for restoration of the Gulf of Mexico
ecosystem in response to impacts that occurred as a result of the 2010
Deepwater Horizon explosion and oil spill.

"The health of the Gulf ecosystem will be decided by how well we treat the
private lands that make up most of this region," Secretary Vilsack said.
"This new partnership with NFWF leverages significant funding for
restoration in these Gulf States. In addition to our many Farm Bill
conservation programs, partnering with NFWF and private landowners will
enable us to continue to make progress in this region and achieve our goals
for a healthy Gulf ecosystem."

The new partnership will significantly expand conservation efforts with
private landowners and operators who might not otherwise be eligible to
participate in existing recovery programs. The partnership will begin with
a $20 million investment from NFWF, matched by a $20 million investment
from NRCS. Additional commitments of up to $30 million from each partner
are possible over the next four years.

NFWF, NRCS and other partners will focus on working on private lands to
implement conservation projects that will enhance the existing recovery
efforts in Louisiana, Alabama, Florida, Mississippi and Texas.

Potential projects include:

   - Wetlands conservation;
   - Stream and riparian buffer restoration;
   - Farm and ranch land protection, including the practices that go along
   with protection, such as improving soil health, implementing no-till
   farming and enhancing wildlife habitat.

More information on these projects will be available through NRCS offices
in the five Gulf states.

In early 2013, a U.S. District Court approved two plea agreements resolving
certain criminal cases against BP and Transocean which arose from the 2010
Deepwater Horizon explosion and oil spill. The agreements direct a total of
$2.544 billion to NFWF to fund projects benefiting the natural resources of
the Gulf Coast that were impacted by the spill.

This agreement builds on investments that NFWF and NRCS are making in the
region. NRCS works side-by-side with farmers, ranchers and private
landowners to make improvements to their land, helping clean water and air,
enhance habitat and enrich soil. This past year, NRCS worked with farmers,
ranchers, and forestland managers in the five Gulf states to improve the
health of more than 3 million acres.

#

*About the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation:* NFWF protects and
restores our nation's wildlife and habitats. Chartered by Congress in 1984,
NFWF directs public conservation dollars to the most pressing environmental
needs and matches those investments with private contributions. NFWF works
with government, nonprofit and corporate partners to find solutions for the
most intractable conservation challenges. Over the last three decades, NFWF
has funded more than 4,000 organizations and committed more than $2.3
billion to conservation projects. To learn more about NFWF's Gulf
Environmental Benefit Fund, please visit www.nfwf.org/gulf
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.

*About USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service:* NRCS provides
America's farmers and ranchers with technical and financial assistance to
voluntarily put conservation on the ground, not only helping the
environment but agricultural operations, too. To learn about NRCS' Gulf
restoration efforts, visit www.nrcs.usda.gov/Gulf
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For more on technical and financial assistance available through
conservation programs, visit www.nrcs.usda.gov/GetStarted
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or a local USDA service center
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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)
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