United States Department of Agriculture
Natural Resources Conservation Service		 Oklahoma Go to Accessibility Information
Skip to Page Content

Wetlands Reserve Program (WRP)

The Wetlands Reserve Program (WRP) is a voluntary program to restore former wetlands, re-establish native wetland wildlife habitat and retire marginal land from agricultural production.

WRP Projects on Public Lands in Oklahoma

WRP Activities and Sign-ups in Oklahoma

Key Provisions

  • Allows land owners to choose permanent conservation easements, 30-year easements, or 10 year restoration cost-share agreements, for their eligible land
  • Ranks applications using a numerical points system designed to identify and select proposals that offer the greatest environmental benefits per program dollar
  • Provides landowners with 100% cost-sharing for permanent easements, 75% for 30-year easements, and 75% for restoration cost-share agreements
  • The land owner continues to control access to enrolled land and may develop or lease it for certain compatible uses

Eligibility

Conservation easements require the participant to have owned the land for at least one year, unless it was inherited or it can be shown that it was not acquired for the purpose of enrolling it in the program. Restoration cost-share agreements only require that the participant show evidence of ownership. The land itself must be restorable and suitable for wildlife benefits. This includes:

  • Farmed Wetlands and wetlands farmed under natural conditions
  • Prior converted cropland
  • Farmed wetland pasture
  • Farmland that has become a wetland as the result of flooding
  • Rangeland, pasture, or production forestland where the hydrology has been significantly degraded and can be restored
  • Riparian areas which link protected wetlands
  • Lands adjacent to protected wetlands that contribute significantly to wetland functions and values, and
  • Previously restored wetlands

Program Information

The following documents require Adobe Acrobat.

Fact Sheet (PDF; 504KB)

Final Rule, 2002 Farm Bill — 7 CFR Part 1467 — June 7, 2002 (PDF)

Key Points (PDF; 46KB)

Program Description (PDF: 54KB)

Questions and Answers (PDF; 48KB)
 

Contacts

 

Steve Barner
WRP Specialist
Phone: 918-423-8730
Email: Steve.Barner

 

Joni Mustain
Program Assistant
Phone: 405-742-1238
Email: Joni.Mustain

Last Reviewed/Modified: 11/21/2008

< Back to the previous page