<p dir="ltr">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.</p>
<div class="gmail_quote">On Feb 14, 2014 2:04 PM, "Jessie Strother" <<a href="mailto:strotherjessie@yahoo.com">strotherjessie@yahoo.com</a>> wrote:<br type="attribution"><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex">
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<br>
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On Fri, 2/14/14, De Angelis, Patricia <<a href="mailto:patricia_deangelis@fws.gov">patricia_deangelis@fws.gov</a>> wrote:<br>
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Subject: [PCA] Fwd: USDA to Invest in Prairie Pothole Landscape Effort<br>
To: "native-plants" <<a href="mailto:native-plants@lists.plantconservation.org">native-plants@lists.plantconservation.org</a>><br>
Date: Friday, February 14, 2014, 10:16 AM<br>
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From: USDA Office<br>
of Communications <<a href="mailto:usda@public.govdelivery.com">usda@public.govdelivery.com</a>><br>
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Date: Fri, Feb 14, 2014 at 11:35 AM<br>
Subject: USDA to Invest in Prairie Pothole Landscape Effort<br>
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USDA Office of Communications<br>
Press Release <br>
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Release No. 0023.14<br>
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Contact:<br>
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Office of<br>
Communications <a href="tel:%28202%29720-4623" value="+12027204623">(202)720-4623</a><br>
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USDA to Invest in Prairie Pothole Landscape<br>
Effort<br>
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WASHINGTON, Feb. 14, 2014 - Agriculture Secretary Tom<br>
Vilsack announced that up to $35 million will be provided<br>
during the next three years to help landowners conserve<br>
grasslands and wetlands in the Prairie Pothole region. The<br>
announcement was made on the Secretary's behalf by Under<br>
Secretary for Natural Resources and Environment Robert<br>
Bonnie.<br>
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Farmers, ranchers and conservation partners will have<br>
access to a mix of financial and technical assistance<br>
opportunities through the Natural Resources Conservation<br>
Service (NRCS) to restore wetlands and grasslands.<br>
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"This region of North Dakota, South Dakota,<br>
Minnesota, Iowa and Montana provides critical breeding and<br>
nesting habitat for more than 60 percent of the nation's<br>
migratory waterfowl," Bonnie said of the Prairie<br>
Pothole region. "Our goal is to help landowners manage<br>
their working lands in a way that's compatible with<br>
agricultural production and good stewardship of the soil,<br>
water and habitat resources of the area so we are really<br>
talking about keeping working lands working."<br>
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The wetlands and grasslands that characterize the region<br>
provide vital water storage to reduce regional flooding,<br>
improve water quality, and have tremendous potential to<br>
store carbon in soils, which reduces the level of carbon<br>
dioxide in the atmosphere, one of the leading greenhouse<br>
gases contributing to climate change.<br>
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The funding comes in a couple of pieces, including:<br>
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Environmental Quality Incentives<br>
Program: The agency's largest conservation<br>
program will help producers with expiring Conservation<br>
Reserve Program contracts keep their lands as working<br>
grasslands or haylands through implementation of prescribed<br>
grazing and other conservation practices.<br>
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Ducks Unlimited-NRCS partnership for carbon<br>
credits: NRCS is working with North Dakota, South<br>
Dakota and Montana to create a carbon credit marketing<br>
system for landowners who agreed to avoid tilling<br>
grasslands. This work started in 2011 in North Dakota as<br>
part of a Conservation Innovation Grant, but now it's<br>
being expanded to the three states. Through this system,<br>
interested landowners can keep their land in grass, continue<br>
grazing and haying, and generate verified carbon credits<br>
that place a conservation easement on their land. These<br>
credits can be sold or traded into existing voluntary carbon<br>
markets.<br>
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NRCS also is providing additional technical assistance to<br>
complete certified wetland determinations, needed by<br>
producers to meet conservation compliance requirements first<br>
put in place in 1985.<br>
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Additionally, the 2014 Farm Bill has expanded<br>
opportunities for conserving grasslands and wetlands,<br>
including those in the Prairie Pothole region. To find out more about<br>
USDA's efforts to work with producers in the region<br>
click here. USDA also recently solicited<br>
proposals for Conservation Innovation Grants.<br>
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For more information on these opportunities, visit a local NRCS field office or<br>
the NRCS website.<br>
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