Nebraska’s EQIP Special Initiative: Using EQIP to meet resource needs identified in Nebraska’s State Wildlife Action Plan Tim McCoy, Ag Program Manager, NGPC and Ritch Nelson, State Wildlife Biologist, Nebraska NRCS

EQIP – Natural Legacy Special Initiative Proposal from NGPC requesting to set aside $1,000,000 of EQIP funds for FY2008 Goal – to prioritize EQIP projects that meet resource needs identified in the Nebraska Natural Legacy Plan (State Wildlife Action Plan)

Nebraska’s Important Landscapes identified in the Legacy Plan

Nebraska 2008 EQIP SI Priority Legacy landscapes

Overall Special Initiative Accomplishments Approximately 73 contracts approved in 18 different counties Obligated $1,012,176 in EQIP financial assistance funds Enrolled 51,164 acres for this purpose

(~51,000 ac) (11,573 ac) (333 ac)

NE EQIP Legacy SI - Practices Habitat Establishment –Conservation Cover 92.0 Acres….$17,922 –Upland Habitat 26.7 Acres….$1,185 –Range Planting Acres….$7,217 –Restore Rare/Declining Habitat 73.9 Acres….$3,770 –Tree/Shrub Planting 2.5 Acres….$6,133 ~ 333 Acres….$36,231

NE EQIP Legacy SI - Practices Habitat Management –Brush Management 5,280.2 Acres….$485,575 –Prescribed Burning 2,649.9 Acres….$60,734 Firebreak 24,687.1 Feet….$788 –Use Exclusion 3,591.2 Acres….$49,479 –Wetland Restoration 52.2 Acres….$9,861 11,573 Acres….$606,438

NE EQIP Legacy SI - Practices Grazing Management –Fence 140,303 Feet….$104,816 –Pipeline 68,557 Feet….$90,744 –Well 17….$34,517 –Pumping Plant 16….$31,120 –Water Facility/Tank 113…. $108,363 ~51,000 Acres….$405,457

2008 EQIP SI Priority landscapes: 71% of acres, 63% of $$, 78% of contracts

2008 EQIP Legacy SI Verdigre-Bazile Watershed example: making a “landscape impact” EQIP SI: 21 contracts, > 2500 acres, $119k General EQIP: 30 contracts, >1350 acres, $88k Total direct EQIP impact (2008 only): ~4000 acres Landscape EQIP benefit (2008 only): ~8000 acres “Landscape impact”: reduced tallgrass prairie fragmentation, reduced woodland invasion, increased prairie management with grazing and prescribed fire, farmer/rancher ownership of prairie conservation

Why EQIP – Why not WHIP? Incentives available for use exclusion and cropland conversion Attracts cooperators with “working lands” for enrollment (90% of NE) At-Risk Wildlife and Invasive Plants are national priorities for EQIP WHIP funding is typically 1/50th of EQIP funding in Nebraska (record WHIP this year in NE..only 1/25th of EQIP)

2009 EQIP SI… 2009 EQIP Special Initiative to help meet goals for Legacy - $1 million set aside - Separate statewide EQIP ranking for funds Opportunity to Expand Active BULS for Priority (almost doubled) Possibly Add Practices –scenarios for control of invasive aquatic plants in riparian areas

Nebraska 2008 EQIP SI Priority Legacy landscapes

Nebraska 2009 EQIP Special Initiative for Legacy

The “Paul Harvey” version (the rest of the story): Our NRCS State Conservationist, Steve Chick, and staff were involved with developing our SWAC We were at the table (EQIP subcommittee) and State Technical Committee and opportunity was presented We took immediate action

The “Paul Harvey” version (the rest of the story): Our NRCS State Conservationist, Steve Chick, and staff were involved with developing our SWAP We were at the table (EQIP subcommittee) and State Technical Committee and opportunity was presented We took immediate action

The “Paul Harvey” version (the rest of the story): Our NRCS State Conservationist, Steve Chick, and staff were involved with developing our SWAC We were at the table (EQIP subcommittee) and State Technical Committee and opportunity was presented We took immediate action Field staff who were working on implementing the Legacy Plan already knew landowners who this would work for. In active Legacy areas, our field staff working with partners led to an interest from many EQIP local work groups to prioritize general EQIP to those same areas (internal “ground-up” interest) NRCS Staff were very supportive (State Wildlife Biologist – Ritch Nelson, Assistant State Conservationist – Brad Soncksen, EQIP Program Manager – Rich Torpin) There were bumps and learning curves. Field staff quickly identified that if we could do this multiple years…we can do more and better!

Questions?