USDA offers conservation assistance to landowners to protect wetlands with one RCPP easement project

LITTLE ROCK — Private landowners, tribes, land trusts and other groups wanting to restore and protect critical wetlands through the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) have until May 3, 2024, to apply for funding consideration during the 2024 enrollment period. The deadline is for the KKAC Organization - AR-MS Conservation & Social Consortium Easement Project which includes Arkansas, Crittenden, Desha, Drew, Jefferson, Lee, Lincoln, Monroe, Phillips, St. Francis, and Woodruff Counties.
“For over 25 years, NRCS has worked with landowners in Arkansas to protect their wetlands and agricultural lands,” said Mike Sullivan, NRCS state conservationist in Arkansas. “Conservation easements are important tools for people who are trying to improve soil health, water and air quality and wildlife habitat on their land.”
The project is similar to opportunities with the Agricultural Conservation Easement Program – Wetland Reserve Easement (ACEP-WRE) which provides assistance to landowners and eligible entities helping conserve, restore and protect wetlands. NRCS accepts applications year-round, but applications are ranked and funded by enrollment period.
KKAC Organization- AR-MS Conservation & Social Consortium Easement Project
The KKAC Organization has been aggressively working with historically underserved groups for over five years. Through this project, they are seeking to increase the number of underserved farmers and ranchers successfully adopting wildlife conservation practices and provide a broader awareness and management of waterfowl wildlife recreational opportunities to a more diverse population and thus increasing the economic benefits to the historically underserved community.
“RCPP is a unique program that leverages non-federal investments brought by conservation partners to accelerate conservation in selected project areas,” said Arkansas NRCS State Conservationist Mike Sullivan. “This approach helps us maximize use of our collective resources to address locally identified concerns.”
Through wetland RCPP easements, NRCS and the KKAC Organization will help landowners and tribes restore, enhance and protect wetland ecosystems. NRCS and the landowner work together to develop a plan for the restoration and maintenance of the easement. This project has a special emphasis on helping socially disadvantaged and historically underserved landowners.

Wetland conservation easements funded through this RCPP Project will be permanent, eligible lands include:
Farmed or converted wetlands that can successfully be restored;
Croplands or grasslands subject to flooding; and
Riparian areas that link protected wetland areas.
RCPP promotes coordination of NRCS conservation activities with partners that offer value-added contributions to expand our collective ability to address on-farm, watershed, and regional natural resource concerns. Through RCPP, NRCS seeks to co-invest with partners to implement projects that demonstrate innovative solutions to conservation challenges and provide measurable improvements and outcomes tied to the resource concerns they seek to address.
Landowners and tribes interested in RCPP and partners interested in agricultural land easements should contact their local USDA service center.To learn about RCPP and other technical and financial assistance available through NRCS conservation programs, visit https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/getting-assistance/get-started-with-nrcs or www.ar.nrcs.usda.gov .