2021 Wetland Reserve Enhancement Partnership Awards in the LMVJV
Reforested WRP tract in Louisiana.
Strength of partnership within the LMVJV is evidenced once again through the Natural Resources Conservation Service’s (NRCS) recent award of Wetland Reserve Enhancement Partnership (WREP) projects within the Mississippi Alluvial Valley (MAV). Since 2015, more than $87 million has been invested in restoration and protection of nearly 31,000 acres of forested and emergent wetland habitat as part of the long-standing and effective collaboration between the NRCS and partners, including the Mississippi River Trust, The Nature Conservancy, and the Tri-State Conservation Partnership.
Most recently, the NRCS approved an additional 15,000 acres over the next four years in the MAV, totaling more than $46M in WREP awards and match. These projects are made possible by the contributions and collaboration of Arbor Day Foundation, Ducks Unlimited, Walton Family Foundation, and Wildlife Mississippi. James Cummins (Mississippi River Trust/Wildlife Mississippi), Ron Seiss (The Nature Conservancy), and Steve Brock (LMVJV) deserve particular acknowledgement for providing the coordination and leadership necessary to ensure success of these recent efforts.
WREP is a component of the Agricultural Conservation Easement Program-Wetland Reserve Easement (ACEP-WRE), through which NRCS enters into agreements with eligible partners to target and leverage resources to address high priority wetland protection, restoration, and enhancement activities and improve wildlife habitat on eligible lands. WREP enables NRCS to collaborate with partners on high-priority wetland restoration projects to return critical wetland functions and improve wildlife habitat. Importantly, these funds are provided in addition to Wetlands Reserve Easement state allocations.
The Lower Mississippi Valley Joint Venture is a self-directed, non-regulatory private, state, federal conservation partnership that exists for the purpose of sustaining bird populations and their habitats within the Lower Mississippi Valley region through implementing and communicating the goals and objectives of relevant national and international bird conservation plans. Our Vision is a landscape supporting healthy native bird populations and other wildlife across the LMVJV. Find out what else is going on in the LMVJV at lmvjv.org.