Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program 2006

WHIP goes to bat for cave creatures

The Ozarks region of Arkansas has caves scattered throughout its limestone bluffs and mountains. The caves, with formations formed over thousands of years, provide sanctuary to endangered species.

Unfortunately, caves also draw visitors that can harm the fragile ecosystem of the underground caverns.
Thanks to the Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program and NRCS, gating cave entrances is preserving some of these treasures.

Cyner Cave, located on Stan and Jo Dee Hayes’ property outside of Leslie in Searcy County, has two entry ways, one about the size of a normal house door and the other people could crawl through. A gate system was installed inside the cave to protect wildlife and the formations.

Sid Lowrance, district conservationist, and Wendy Hendrix, soil conservation technician, at Marshall, surveyed the cave with David Kampwerth, of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

“A prime objective of this trip was to evaluate the entrance for a gate and to conduct a bioinventory,” Lowrance said.

While no endangered cave dwellers were found, several species of aquatic and cave animals were present – crickets, pipistrelle bats, isopods, sowbugs, salamanders, spiders, dipluran and surface crayfish.

“Several of the species were collected for formal identification,” Lowrance said.

The cave extends more than 3,000 feet and has a stream passage running through most of it.

“Multiple side leads exist throughout the caverns that were not checked,” he said. “Good ventilation exists throughout the cave. Various locations exhibited false flooring. In some areas, the stream has cut out islands of rock. The banks adjacent to the stream are clay derived.”

The cave also has little vandalism such as spray painting, but the room with the most formations had been damaged.

“Small formations exist in isolated parts of the cave, but the one area with damaged formations had been once highly decorated,” Lowrance said.

Arkansas WHIP Quick Facts for 2006

Overview

The Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program is a voluntary program that encourages creation of high quality wildlife habitats that support wildlife populations of national, state, Tribal, and local significance.

Through WHIP, the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) provides technical and financial assistance to landowners and others to develop upland, wetland, riparian, and aquatic habitat areas on their property.

WHIP is reauthorized in the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 (Farm Bill). Through WHIP, NRCS works with private landowners and operators; conservation districts; and federal, state, and Tribal agencies to develop wildlife habitat on their property. Funding for WHIP comes from the Commodity Credit Corporation.

Benefits

Since WHIP began in 1998, nearly 14,700 participants have enrolled more than 2.3 million acres into the program. Most efforts have concentrated on improving upland wildlife habitat, such as native prairie, but there is an increasing emphasis on improving riparian and aquatic areas. The 2002 Farm Bill greatly expands the available tools for improving wildlife habitat conditions across the Nation.

Species that have benefited from WHIP activities include the grasshopper sparrow, bobwhite quail, swift fox, short-eared owl, Karner-blue butterfly, gopher tortoise, Louisiana black bear, Eastern collared lizard, Bachman’s sparrow, ovenbird, acorn woodpecker, greater sage grouse, and salmon.

Eligibility

Eligible lands under the program are:

• Privately owned land;
• Federal land when the primary benefit is on private or Tribal land;
• State and local government land on a limited basis; and
• Tribal land.

If land is determined eligible, NRCS places emphasis on enrolling:

• Habitat areas for wildlife species experiencing declining or significantly reduced populations;
• Practices beneficial to fish and wildlife that may not otherwise be funded; and
• Wildlife and fishery habitats identified by local and state partners and Indian Tribes in each state.

The Adjusted Gross Income provision of the 2002 Farm Bill impacts eligibility for WHIP and several other 2002 Farm Bill programs.

Individuals or entities that have an average adjusted gross income exceeding $2.5 million for the three tax years immediately preceding the year the contract is approved are not eligible to receive program benefits or payments. However, an exemption is provided in cases where 75 percent of the adjusted gross income is derived from farming, ranching, or forestry operations.

For More Information

If you need more information about WHIP, contact your local USDA Service
Center or your local conservation district. Information also is available on the World Wide Web at: http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/farmbill/2002/.

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