Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program

Fiscal Year (FY) 2001 Accomplishments

In FY 2001, NRCS utilized $12.5 million dollars made available by the Agricultural Risk Protection Act of 2000 to enroll nearly 2300 agreements on approximately 212,000 acres. Since the program began in 1998, national enrollment includes a total of 10,729 long-term agreements on over 1.6 million acres. On average, NRCS agreed to reimburse participants approximately $5825 for each long-term agreement. The average agreement size is 149 acres.

Wildlife priorities were established on a State-by-State basis.

States generally selected 2 to 6 priority habitat types, consistently including one or more upland and riparian habitats. Wetlands, aquatic in-stream habitat and other unique wildlife habitat such as caves and salt marshes were also identified as priorities in a number of States. Nationally, acres were distributed among 4 major habitat types, with benefits to the associated declining species, as follows:

Upland Wildlife Habitat

Of the total FY 2001 acres enrolled, approximately 90 percent encompassed upland wildlife habitat including grasslands, shrub/scrub and forests. Several types of early successional grasslands, such as tall grass prairies, have declined more than 98 percent according a 1995 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Report. One of the primary focuses of WHIP nationally, is restoration of some of these scarce areas. Wildlife dependent on native grasslands includes neo-tropical migratory birds, waterfowl, amphibians, reptiles and many mammals. Specific species that will benefit from re-establishment of grasslands in one or more states include: grasshopper sparrow, bobwhite quail, swift fox, short-eared owl, Karner-blue butterfly, gopher tortoise, western-harvest mouse, and Gunnison-sage grouse.

Other upland priorities include the establishment of windbreaks and edge around cropland, forests including pine barrens and long leaf pine, wildlife corridors, and shrub-scrub and steppe habitats. Wildlife species that will benefit from development of these habitats include: Louisiana black bear, Eastern collared lizard, Bachman's sparrow, ovenbird, acorn woodpecker, and western grey-squirrel.

Practices installed on upland habitat include: various types of seeding and plantings, fencing, livestock management, prescribed burning, shrub thickets with shelterbelts. Additional practices were installed for the benefit of forest land management including creation of forest openings, various types of disking or mowing including meander disking through woodlands, woody cover control, brush management, upland wildlife management, aspen stand regeneration, and exclusion of feral animals.

Wetland Wildlife Habitat

Approximately 5 percent of WHIP lands benefit wetland habitat. WHIP wetland acres include acreage that is not eligible for the NRCS Wetlands Reserve Program such as winter flooding of crop fields for waterfowl. Other wetland types that will be enhanced include tidal flushing areas, salt marshes, wetland hardwood hammocks, mangrove forests, and wild-rice beds. Created wetlands include freshwater marshes and vernal pools in abandoned gravel mines. Practices that will be used to enhance or create wetland wildlife habitat include: installation of culverts or water control structures, invasive plant control, fencing, creation of green-tree reservoirs, moist soil unit management, and creation of shallow water areas. Among the wildlife species that will benefit from creation or enhancement of wetland habitat are: black crowned night heron, snowy egret, canvasback duck, ibis, piping plover, short-nosed sturgeon, osprey, California-clapper rail, fairy shrimp, Santa Cruz long-toed salamander, and endangered waterbirds (Koloa duck, nerie goose, coot) in Hawaii.

Riparian and In-stream Aquatic Wildlife Habitat

Riparian habitat makes up over 5 percent of the acres enrolled in FY 2001. This category includes riparian areas along streams, rivers, lakes, sloughs and coastal areas. Not all WHIP practices are measured in acres. For instance, for aquatic practices, WHIP funds were utilized on acres, funds restored over 60 miles of river access, and addressed over 24,000 feet of streambank/shoreline protection. Species that will benefit from the wildlife practices installed in riparian or aquatic areas include: Columbia sharp-tail grouse, Le/Conte's sparrow, bull trout, grayling, westslope cutthroat trout, Preble's meadow jumping mouse, southwest willow flycatcher, woodcock, Hellbender, river otter, brook trout, short-nose sturgeon, puritan tiger beetle, Higgin's eye pearly mussel, Pallid shiner, ornate box turtle, alligator snapping turtle, lest tern, leopard darter, Arkansas darter, Ouachita Rock-pocketbook mussel, Bonneville cutthroat trout, Oregon chub, painted turtle, belted kingfisher, yellow-billed cuckoo, California freshwater shrimp, valley-elderberry longhorn beetle, American shad, and Pacific giant salamander.

Practices that will be installed to improve aquatic and riparian wildlife habitat include: tree plantings, fencing with livestock management and off-stream watering, in-stream structures, seeding, streambank protection and stabilization, stream deflectors, creation of small pools, installation of buffers, removal of dams, fencing, creation of fish passages past structures, alternative watering facilities, and establishment of instream structures such as logs or rocks.

Threatened and Endangered Species

Of the total acreage enrolled in FY 2001, approximately 15 percent will benefit threatened and endangered species. Threatened and endangered species targeted through WHIP include, but are not limited to the following: American-burying beetle, Neosho madtom, Topeka shiner, gray bat, kit fox, black-tailed prairie dog, bog turtle, gopher tortoise, dusky-gopher frog, Eastern-indigo snake, southern-hognose snake, black-pine snake, Louisiana-black bear, red-cockaded woodpeckers, Mississippi-sandhill crane, Florida panther, wood storks, snail kites, Florida sandhill crane, caracara, grasshopper sparrow, Snake River-Chinook salmon, Umpqua River-cutthroat trout, coho salmon, steelhead, bulltrout, Lahontan-cutthroat trout, Yuma-clapper rails, Sonoran pronghorn, Mexican voles, and lesser long-nosed bats.

Partnerships

NRCS, in cooperation with other Federal agencies, State and local partners, and the private sector, functions as part of a diverse, united coalition to address local and national conservation issues affecting our nation. NRCS works at the local level and through the State Technical Committee to establish wildlife priorities. This process allows for local input as well as the coordination of wildlife priorities with other wildlife interest in the state encouraging the leveraging of other state, federal and private dollars to address state and local wildlife priorities. Partners provide technical expertise identifying wildlife concerns, assisting in the development of wildlife habitat development plans and monitoring progress. In addition, partners provide financial assistance through additional cost-share dollars, purchase of seed, by supplying equipment, or installing practices for the participant. The emphasis placed on partners in WHIP has improved communication and coordination among various interests addressing wildlife concerns. They are an essential part of the success of the program. In FY 2001, partners contributed over two million dollars to help WHIP participants establish wildlife habitat practices on enrolled lands.

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