Wetlands Reserve Program

The Wetlands Reserve Program is a voluntary program offering landowners the opportunity to protect, restore, and enhance wetlands on their property. The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) provides technical and financial support to help landowners with their wetland restoration efforts. The NRCS goal is to achieve the greatest wetland functions and values, along with optimum wildlife habitat, on every acre enrolled in the program. This program offers landowners an opportunity to establish long-term conservation and wildlife practices and protection.

In support of the Wetlands Reserve Program (WRP), State Conservationists and the National Cartography and Geospatial Center (NCGC) in Fort Worth, Texas have worked to develop a digital geospatial data layer for all wetlands easements: the Wetlands Reserve Program (WRP), the Emergency Wetland Reserve Program (EWRP), and the Emergency Watershed Protection Program-Flood Plain (EWP-FP). Each state digitizes all easement boundaries and forwards the data to the NCGC who compile and serve the dataset online.

Maps in Adobe Acrobat file format of the Wetlands Reserve Program easements only can also be obtained online at State Project Location Maps.

The data collection effort is required as part of NRCS easement monitoring and management responsibilities to protect the Federal investment. As a responsible Federal agency, NRCS needs to be able to identify where the Federal interest is located and ensure easement compliance is being maintained. This data layer in combination with others will assist States and field offices by:

• reducing administrative burden. Managers will be able to readily identify project areas and coordinate program monitoring and restoration activities.
• improving service to clients. Managers and field staff will know where land lies in proximity to other easement areas. Additionally, when staff changes, new employees will be able to visually analyze the scope of the programs and restoration activity within a watershed.
• assist States and the National office with assessing funding priorities and needs.

Further information regarding the Wetlands Reserve Program.