When USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) launched the Regional Conservation Partnership Program, (RCPP) we envisioned a program that would help local and diverse organizations to accelerate innovation, bring new partners to the table, and demonstrate the value and effectiveness of voluntary, private lands conservation to a national audience.
The response was tremendous! More than 5,000 partners submitted nearly 600 pre-proposals from all 50 states and each critical conservation area. The total amount of NRCS funding requested was more than six times what was available. About $2.7 billion in federal assistance was requested, but incredibly these partnerships offered about $2.9 billion in leveraged conservation funding and in-kind support to deliver their projects. In the end, NRCS has about $394 million in total funding to co-invest in projects during this first signup.
The sheer magnitude of the response we received was both rewarding and energizing. It shows that communities and partnerships are motivated and excited about investing in the long-term success of farming and ranching by protecting and improving the health of our soils, abundance and quality of our water, and quality of wildlife habitat.
As of the deadline for submitting final proposals earlier this month, we are pleased that about 210 partnerships submitted full proposals. We are now reviewing those proposals and will announce selections in November, and we are looking forward to getting to work this fall and launching the successful projects.
RCPP, one of the 2014 Farm Bill’s new conservation programs, has provided us a unique opportunity to extend our reach and work with both core partners and new groups that are as devoted to conservation as we are.
To learn more about this new program or to get started with NRCS, visit your local USDA Service Center or www.nrcs.usda.gov/GetStarted.
