[PCA] Fwd: Agriculture Secretary Announces Funding for 115 Conservation Projects in 50 States--Farm Bill Initiative Marks New Era for Conservation efforts

[De Angelis, Patricia]

The info below follows on the posting made to this list on Jan. 13 called
"Media Advisory: Agriculture Secretary to Make Major Announcement Regarding
Conservation Projects Across the Country."  Check out the link to the huge
list of projects awarded under USDAs new Regional Conservation Partnership
Program (RCPP), made possible by the Farm Bill. Many of the projects would
appear to benefit plant species, including medicinals and other non timber
forest products. -Patricia

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From: USDA Office of Communications <usda at public.govdelivery.com>
Date: Wed, Jan 14, 2015 at 11:02 AM
Subject: Agriculture Secretary Announces Funding for 115 Conservation
Projects in 50 States--Farm Bill Initiative Marks New Era for Conservation
efforts

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Release No. 0009.15Contact:Office of Communications (202)720-4623 Agriculture
Secretary Announces Funding for 115 Conservation Projects in 50
States--Farm Bill Initiative Marks New Era for Conservation efforts *Partners
More than Double Financial Impact of Today's Announcement*

PHOENIX, Ariz., Jan. 14, 2015 – Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today
announced that 115 high-impact projects across all 50 states and the
Commonwealth of Puerto Rico will receive more than $370 million in Federal
funding as part of the new USDA Regional Conservation Partnership Program
(RCPP). In addition, these projects will leverage an estimated $400 million
more in partner contributions—for a total of nearly $800 million—to improve
the nation's water quality, support wildlife habitat and enhance the
environment. Vilsack made the announcement near Phoenix, where the new
program will invest in a project with five local partners to clean and
conserve water along the Verde River, a tributary of the Colorado River.

"This is an entirely new approach to conservation efforts," said Vilsack.
"These partnerships empower communities to set priorities and lead the way
on conservation efforts important for their region. They also encourage
private sector investment so we can make an impact that's well beyond what
the Federal government could accomplish on its own. We're giving private
companies, local communities, and other non-government partners a way to
invest in a new era in conservation that ultimately benefits us all. These
efforts keep our land resilient and water clean, and promote economic
growth in agriculture, construction, tourism, outdoor recreation, and other
industries."

"As venture capitalists provide financial resources to burgeoning,
high-potential growth startups, USDA must lead in a new venture
conservationist movement that empowers and launches new, high-opportunity
startup partnerships that deliver locally-led conservation solutions," said
Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Chief Jason Weller. "RCPP
puts our partners in the driver's seat. Projects are led locally, and
demonstrate the value of strong public-private partnerships that deliver
solutions to natural resource challenges."

RCPP competitively awards funds to conservation projects designed by local
partners specifically for their region. Eligible partners include private
companies, universities, non-profit organizations, local and tribal
governments and others joining with agricultural and conservation
organizations and producers to invest money, manpower and materials to
their proposed initiatives. With participating partners investing along
with the Department, USDA's $1.2 billion in funding over the life of the
five-year Farm Bill program can leverage an additional $1.2 billion from
partners for a total of $2.4 billion for conservation. Through RCPP,
partners propose conservation projects to improve soil health, water
quality and water use efficiency, wildlife habitat, and other related
natural resources on private lands.

In addition to supporting local conservation goals, clean land and water
investments create jobs in local communities. Conservation work involves
building and maintaining infrastructure, such as building terraces in
fields or restoring wetlands, which requires the hiring of contractors,
engineers, scientists, and others. A 2013 study commissioned by the
National Fish and Wildlife Foundation estimates that conservation
activities supported more than 660,000 jobs. Conservation also provides an
economic boost by spurring local tourism. Cleaner water and enhanced
wildlife habitat provide additional opportunities for hunting, fishing, and
outdoor recreation. The outdoor recreation economy supports 6.1 million
direct jobs, $80 billion in federal, state, and local tax revenue, and $646
billion in spending each year.

The RCPP project in Arizona that Secretary Vilsack announced today will
help restore habitat for fish and wildlife along the Verde River and
encourage more sustainable use of water in the area. The Nature Conservancy
will work with NRCS and Friends of Verde River Greenway, Verde Natural
Resource Conservation District, Arizona Game and Fish Department and
Tamarisk Coalition to enhance 6,000 acres of riparian habitat and improve
irrigation on 1,000 farmland acres.

A complete list of the projects and their descriptions is available on the
NRCS website
<http://links.govdelivery.com/track?type=click&enid=ZWFzPTEmbWFpbGluZ2lkPTIwMTUwMTE0LjQwMjcyNjcxJm1lc3NhZ2VpZD1NREItUFJELUJVTC0yMDE1MDExNC40MDI3MjY3MSZkYXRhYmFzZWlkPTEwMDEmc2VyaWFsPTE3MjAzNTE0JmVtYWlsaWQ9UGF0cmljaWFfRGVBbmdlbGlzQGZ3cy5nb3YmdXNlcmlkPVBhdHJpY2lhX0RlQW5nZWxpc0Bmd3MuZ292JmZsPSZleHRyYT1NdWx0aXZhcmlhdGVJZD0mJiY=&&&101&&&http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/detail/national/programs/farmbill/rcpp/?cid=STELPRDB1264664>
.

New RCPP projects throughout the country will support a wide array of
agricultural and natural resource activities, from helping farmers improve
their drought resiliency to protecting drinking water supplies. They are
also providing habitat for many at-risk species such as sage grouse and
supporting the expansion of environmental markets. All of these investments
will benefit ranching and farming operations that will in turn help address
natural resource needs.

More than 600 pre-proposals were submitted for RCPP in 2014.

"With so many strong project proposals, the selection process was extremely
competitive. RCPP is a 5-year, $1.2 billion USDA opportunity. Projects not
selected in this first year may be eligible in subsequent years," Chief
Weller said. The Chief also noted that NRCS personnel will work with
applicants who did not receive funding during this round of awards to
strengthen their applications for future funding rounds. The next
announcement of program funding for fiscal year 2016 will be made later in
the year. Today's announcement includes funding allocated for the first two
years of the program.

Today's announcement was made possible by the 2014 Farm Bill. The 2014 Farm
Bill builds on historic economic gains in rural America over the past five
years, while achieving meaningful reform and billions of dollars in savings
for taxpayers. Since enactment, USDA has made significant progress to
implement each provision of this critical legislation, including providing
disaster relief to farmers and ranchers; strengthening risk management
tools; expanding access to rural credit; funding critical research;
establishing innovative public-private conservation partnerships;
developing new markets for rural-made products; and investing in
infrastructure, housing and community facilities to help improve quality of
life.

#

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