Program offers help preserving wetlands

Private landowners in DeSoto and Tate counties wanting to protect and restore wetland areas on their property can submit applications for financial and technical assistance to the federal Natural Resources Conservation Service, a unit of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Applications are due on March 15.

“Through the Wetlands Reserve Program, NRCS provides technical and financial assistance to help landowners voluntarily re- store and protect wetland ecosystems,” said Scott Griffith, Hernando-based district conservationist with the NRCS.

“Landowners may select either a permanent or 30-year easement, retaining ownership of the land once the easement is in place,” he said.

To be eligible, land must have hydric soil — of a certain saturation level — and cropping history; landowners enrolled can earn one-time payments of up to $1,800 per acre, depending on land use.

“The Wetlands Reserve Program is a great conservation tool, providing landowners a way to protect and restore wetland areas while making improvements to their land,” said NRCS State Conservationist Homer Wilkes. “It’s a win-win for the environment, the landowner and the community.”

The program is best suited for frequently flooded agriculture lands, where restoration will maximize habitat for migratory birds and other wildlife, and improve water quality, said Griffith.

“Wetlands provide a tremendous ecological service to the state and country,” he said. “They slow and store water, low- ering the risk of flooding for nearby communities during hurricanes and other severe weather events.”

Wetlands are among the most biologically diverse ecosystems in the world. Rare and endangered wildlife, such as the Louisiana black bear, are thriving on WRP easement lands.

“The farmers, ranchers and landowners in Mississippi are not our only citizens who have ben- efited from the Wetlands Reserve Program,” Wilkes said. “The program has led to cleaner water, aesthetic open spaces and abundant habitat for wildlife. Mississippi will continue to benefit from WRP as more land is set aside for wetland areas.”

For more information on the program or to enroll, visit the NRCS office in the USDA Service Center at 2360 U.S. 51 S., south of the Hernando square, or call 662- 429-8687 Ext. 3.