Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP)

The Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) promotes coordination between NRCS and its partners to deliver conservation assistance to producers and landowners on a regional or watershed scale. RCPP uses partnership to stretch and multiply conservation investments and reach conservation goals.

Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) RCPP utilizes both partnership agreements and program contracts or easement agreements to deliver both Technical Assistance (TA) and Financial Assistance (FA). Assistance is delivered in accordance with the rules of EQIP, CSP, ACEP and HFRP; and in certain areas the Watershed Operations and Flood Prevention Program.

Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) FY2016 $235 million to improve the nation’s water quality, combat drought, enhance soil health, support wildlife habitat and protect agricultural production. National – 40% or ~$94 million Critical Conservation Areas (CCAs) – 35% or ~$82.25 million State – 25% or ~~$58.75 million

Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) Eligible Partners Agricultural or silvicultural producer associations Farmer cooperatives or other groups of producers State or local governments American Indian tribes Municipal water treatment entities Water and irrigation districts Conservation-driven nongovernmental organizations Institutions of higher education

Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) Webinar - information on RCPP and how to submit pre-proposals. NRCS recently simplified the application process by creating new online tools: a pre-proposal fillable form, RCPP pre-application data entry tool and pre-proposal data entry tool instructions.

Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) USDA Now Accepting 2016 RCPP Proposals For more information on applying, visit the announcement for program funding.announcement for program funding Tools for 2016 Pre-proposals Pre-Proposal Fillable Form (PDF, 123KB) Pre-Proposal Fillable Form Pre-proposal Tool Instruction (PDF, 1.4MB) Pre-proposal Tool Instruction RCPP Pre Application Data Entry Tool ver 5.6 (XSLM, 238KB) RCPP Pre Application Data Entry Tool ver 5.6 Webinars for 2016 Pre-proposals June 11, :30 p.m EST Transcript of Pre-application Data Tool Q&A from WebinarTranscript of Pre-application Data Tool Q&A from Webinar (RTF, 12KB) FY 2016 Announcement of Program Funding (APF) Overview FY 2016 Announcement of Program Funding (APF) Overview Pre-proposal Application Tools For more information of first round projects, visit the projects homepage projects homepage.

Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) Pre-Proposals DUE JULY 8 Point-of-Contact Nick Vira, Assistant State Conservationist – Programs; Lanette Dietrich, Assistant State Conservationist – Easements;

Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) RCPP information nrcs.usda.gov...search RCPP nrcs/main/national/programs/farmbill/ rcpp/

Agricultural Conservation Easement Program (ACEP) Update FY2016 Wetland Reserve Easement (WRE) Red River Basin – acres/4 applications WRE General – acres/1 application ALE - 0 Easement Workload WRP (repealed) 51 WRE 1 FRPP (repealed) 3 Agricultural Land Easement (ALE) 3 Restoration Workload 323 Easements require Restoration...~36,000 acres

ACEP Update State Technical Committee recommendations... Identifying priority resource concerns or treatment areas ACEP – ALE Ranking development and prioritization parameters ACEP-WRE Recommending list of eligible practices Recommendation towards the easement compensation values and geographic area rate caps Establishing guidelines for authorization of compatible uses on ACEP-WRE easements (i.e., food plot, observation blinds, grazing)

June 2015

What is WREP? WREP provides NRCS with the authority ( ) to enter into agreements with eligible partners to further the purposes of the Wetlands Reserve Easements (WRE). PURPOSES: Protect, Restore, and Enhance Wetlands WREP is a component of WRE Eligible Partners State and local Governments Non-Governmental Organizations Indian Tribes

The purpose of WREP is to target and leverage funds to: To address high-priority wetland protection, restoration, and enhancement wetlands through Agreements with partners. In order to be eligible, proposals must target and leverage funds to achieve the purposes listed above. Proposals must enroll new easement acres into the program, or result in restoration or management of existing WRP/WRE. Proposals consisting of stand alone enhancement and management only of existing WRP or WRE easements are not eligible under this announcement.

How will General and MRBI WREP work? Selected Partners will enter into agreements with NRCS. Landowners will apply directly to NRCS for funding for WRE which will be evaluated and ranked among other applicants within the selected WREP project area. Enrollment Options Permanent Easement 30-Year Easement 30-Year Contract (Tribal) No additional forms are necessary for General WREP, use WRE forms. Funds for WREP proposals are derived from funds available for ACEP.

General and MRBI WREP Requirements Participation in FY15 General WREP and MRBI WREP is subject to WRE eligibility requirements: Land Eligibility Landowner Eligibility Compliance with HEL/WC and AGI provisions 24 Month Ownership Likelihood of Successful Restoration Partners must provide matching funds.

General and MRBI FA and TA WREP Match Requirement Financial Assistance (FA) Option: Partners must provide matching funds that are equal to 25% of the easement, restoration, or management costs. These match contributions may be cash, in-kind, or a combination of cash and in-kind. Technical Assistance (TA) Option: Partners must provide matching funds that are equal to 50% of the easement, restoration, or management costs. These match contributions may be cash, in-kind, or a combination of cash and in-kind. FA and TA proposal options may not be combined.

Timeline June 22, 2015 – Notification of proposal request and funding availability July 31, 2015 – Deadline for proposal submittal to NRCS State Conservationist August 17, 2015 – States submit prioritized proposal(s) to national; States continue to work with partners to finalize budget/agreement data September 14, 2015 – Chief makes proposal selection and notifies states December 31, 2015 – deadline to have agreement perfected and dollars obligated

FY2015 WREP Announcement of Funding

Availability of funds notice WREP Funding Options and Match Requirements Proposal Submission, Review, and Notification Proposal Requirements Proposal cover sheet and summary, Project natural resource objectives and actions, Detailed project description State Conservationist or Director Proposal Review National Review and Selection of Proposals Partnership Agreement Landowner applications and eligibility requirements

Partnership Agreement Template

WREP Partnership Agreement Template Serves as template for states that are selected for WREP projects. This document describes: Authority Background Purpose Responsibilities of Parties Expected accomplishments and deliverables Technical and administrative contacts Duration Provisions List of documents: Plan of Work and Budget Sheet

Mississippi River Basin Healthy Watersheds Initiative FY15

Please send questions to Lanette Dietrich

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, and where applicable, sex, marital status, familial status, parental status, religion, sexual orientation, genetic information, political beliefs, reprisal, or because all or a part of an individual's income is derived from any public assistance program. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for communication of program information (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact USDA's TARGET Center at (202) (voice and TDD). To file a complaint of discrimination write to USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C or call (800) (voice) or (202) (TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.