California Receives $2.5 Million for Conservation Partnership Projects

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USDA - Natural Resources Conservation Service

Jul 12, 2010, 06:59 ET

DAVIS, Calif., July 12 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) California State Office received approximately $2.5 million to fund seven projects through the Cooperative Conservation Partnership Initiative (CCPI). CCPI helps farmers and ranchers on agricultural and non-industrial private forest lands achieve natural resource benefits such as clean air, clean water, productive soils and abundant wildlife.

"This unique program allows us to partner our financial and technical resources with those of our non-federal partners to implement a significant amount of conservation on working lands," said Ed Burton, NRCS State Conservationist for California. Nationwide, nearly $7 million will be used to fund 26 CCPI projects in 15 states.

CCPI works through three existing NRCS programs - the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) and the Wildlife Habitat Incentive Program (WHIP) - to leverage additional services and resources from non-federal partners.

To become conservation partners, applicants submitted proposals to help enhance conservation on agricultural and non-industrial private forest lands. Eligible entities included federally recognized Indian tribes, state and local units of government, producer associations, farmer cooperatives, higher education institutions and nongovernmental organizations with a history of working cooperatively with producers. Partner proposals were selected competitively based on previously identified criteria.

Approved California CCPI projects are:

Project Applicant	Project Name	Project Summary	Area: Counties	2010 NRCS Contribution
Solano Resource Conservation District	Solano County Noxious Weed and Rangeland Management Program	A three-year project to control the noxious weed artichoke thistle, improve grazing land and endangered species habitat	Solano County	$30,829
Western United Dairyman	Dairy CNMP Development to Improve Water Quality in the North Bay	A three-year project to improve water quality In the North Bay	Sonoma and Marin Counties	$42,000
Hoopa Valley Tribal Council	2009-2011 Road Sedimentation Reduction Project Hoopa Valley Indian Reservation	A three-year project working with tribal leaders for sedimentation reduction, and to address water quality and anadromous fishery habitat concerns in the Trinity River	Humboldt County	$220,000
Sierra Coordinated Resources Management Council	Central Sierra CCPI Proposal	A four-year project to assist forest landowners in addressing watershed protection and function, reduce catastrophic forest fires through landscape level treatments, and promote carbon sequestration through tree planting	Mariposa County	$1,000,000
Yurok Tribe	Yurok Indian Reservation Road Improvement and Fuel Reduction Treatments	A five-year project working with tribal leaders for road improvements and fuel reduction treatments	Humboldt County	$246,571
Northwest California RC&D Council	Klamath-North Coast Forest Land Conservation Project	A three-year project to assist forest landowners in addressing erosion concerns and improve habitat for listed salmonids, reduce catastrophic forest fires through landscape level treatments, and promote carbon sequestration through tree planting	Sonoma, Mendocino, Lake, Humboldt, Del Norte, Trinity, Western Siskiyou and Western Shasta Counties	$855,617
Contra Costa Resource Conservation District	East Contra Costa Water Conservation on Farm Lands Project	A two-year project to assist in water quality and quantity conservation practice implementations	East Contra Costa County	$100,000
Total: $2,495,017

Interested farmers and ranchers, within the approved project locations, may begin to contact their local NRCS office to apply. For more information on the project goals and boundaries, contact your local NRCS field office. For a listing of offices statewide see http://offices.sc.egov.usda.gov/locator/app?state=CA

The Natural Resources Conservation Service provides leadership in a partnership effort to help

people conserve, maintain and improve our natural resources and environment.

An Equal Opportunity Provider and Employer

SOURCE USDA - Natural Resources Conservation Service