Hunters and anglers should expect serious benefits from these projects over the next several years and beyond.

On October 23^rd, the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) announced $1.5 billion of funding awards through its Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP). The RCPP uses a public-private partnership model to deliver voluntary, incentive-based conservation in ways that neither NRCS nor partners could do on their own. This year’s awards are at an unprecedented level, with $300 million being available through a traditional Farm Bill model and a staggering $1.2 billion provided by the Inflation Reduction Act for climate-smart activities.  

Lead partners on this year’s awards include universities, Tribes, state and local governments, and nonprofit organizations. Many, if not all, of the projects will improve wildlife habitat and water quality in one way or another, but hunters and anglers should be particularly excited about those projects led by TRCP partners. As part of their mission, TRCP partners demonstrate a commitment to creating, enhancing, and protecting habitat, supporting access, and more. Funding these groups means better opportunities for hunters and anglers nationwide. 

Of the 92 awarded projects this year, 16 are led by TRCP partners or their state-level affiliates, and these alone add up to over $275 million of conservation work. An additional 21 projects are led by members of the Land Trust Alliance, a TRCP partner. Several others are led by informal partners we work with regularly, and many more by others but include our Policy Council members as supporting partners.  

So, what will this actually accomplish? Here are a few examples: 

• Our partners at Tall Timbers will receive $25 million to use practices like prescribed fire and forest stand improvement to enhance upland forest habitat for species like bobwhite quail. 

• Trout Unlimited will receive over $14 million to build habitat through stream restoration in the Salt River of Wyoming and its tributaries. 

• The Conservation Fund will protect 100,000 acres of Montana grasslands at high risk of conversion with its $25 million award. 

• The Nature Conservancy and its state level affiliates in Idaho and Maine will support climate-smart forest management in Maine and New Hampshire, protect forests and grasslands in Idaho and South Dakota, improve water quality in Indiana, improve fish passages in Maine, and reduce methane emissions from dairy cattle. These projects will total over $102 million. 

• Ducks Unlimited will lead two projects totaling over $31 million, restoring wetlands and grasslands in Illinois and protecting waterfowl wintering habitat in California. 

• Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever will restore rangelands in the Colorado River Basin of Arizona, enhance grasslands and associated wildlife migration corridors in Montana, and manage invasive Eastern Red Cedar in South Dakota with its $73.9 million across three projects. 

• The Trust for Public Land will create habitat while supporting military readiness by permanently protecting 100,000 acres of working lands in the Colorado Springs area with their $19.4 million award. 

“Active land stewardship, guided by science and fueled by a passion for hunting, has led to the remarkable success of regions like the Red Hills, with their thriving wild quail populations and high biodiversity,” said Shane Wellendorf, Director of Tall Timbers’ Land Conservancy. “The RCPP award enables Tall Timbers to reach a broader range of landowners, implementing critical conservation practices such as frequent prescribed fire. These practices build on past successes and conserve wildlife corridors, mitigate wildfire risks, and bolster forest resilience.” 

“The $14 million Salt River Watershed Restoration Project will restore aquatic and riparian habitat, reduce streambank erosion, restore habitat connectivity, and sequester carbon in the Salt River and its tributaries through stream restoration, grazing management, and agricultural infrastructure projects,” said Tanner Belknap, Salt River watershed manager at Trout Unlimited. “This is a huge win for the entire Salt River Basin, and we are thankful to the NRCS for this funding, which will allow us to reconnect and restore habitat for the Snake River cutthroat trout, improve the health of the watershed, and increase partner coordination around watershed priorities.” 

Hunters and anglers should expect serious benefits from these projects over the next several years and beyond, and we are working to make sure that conservation programs like the RCPP continue. Learn more about how you can help HERE. 

Top photo by USDA via flickr