NEWS
Farm Service Agency
Public Affairs Staff
1400 Independence Ave SW
Stop 0506, Room 3624-South
Washington, D.C. 20250-0506
                                                 
                              Release No. 1652.01
                                                 
                       Dann Stuart (202) 690-0474
                      dan_stuart@wdc.fsa.usda.gov

USDA AND KENTUCKY JOIN TOGETHER IN $110 MILLION CONSERVATION
PROGRAM

      WASHINGTON, August 29, 2001-- The U.S. Department of
Agriculture today announced that the state of Kentucky and
USDA will launch a $110 million program to restore up to
100,000 acres of environmentally sensitive land to protect
Mammoth Cave and the Green River.

     "Through this CREP agreement, USDA, the State of
Kentucky, The Nature Conservancy, other private partners and
producers will work together to protect Mammoth Cave which
is one of the crown jewels of our National Park System,"
said Deputy Under Secretary Hunt Shipman.  "Through programs
like CREP we will provide future generations a legacy of
sound resource conservation through public private
cooperation." 

      The Kentucky Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program
will target up to 100,000 acres in the Green River Watershed
in south central Kentucky.  The program will provide
financial incentives to producers to plant vegetative cover
to protect water quality and improve wildlife habitat in the
project area.

      The Green River is one of the most diverse ecosystems
in North America and the most biologically abundant branch
of the Ohio River System.  The river flows unhindered for
more than 100 miles through 8 counties and Mammoth Cave
National Park, the world's largest and most diverse cave
system.  Mammoth Cave is a unique and valuable natural
resource and hundreds of thousands of people a year visit
this treasure.  The quality of the water that enters this
area has a significant impact on that ecosystem.

      This federal and state partnership will both ensure
the long-term protection of water quality and enhance
wildlife habitat for a wide array of wildlife, thereby
resulting in cleaner water, improved habitat for threatened
and endangered species, and protection of one of the crown
jewels of our national park system.

      The total cost over 15 years of the Kentucky CREP is
expected to reach $105 million in government funding.  Of
that amount, $88 million will come from the federal
government and $17 million from Kentucky.  The state will
provide financial incentives to extend the life of the
program and will seek to buy voluntary permanent
conservation easements.  A private organization, the Nature
Conservancy, while not a party to the Kentucky CREP
agreement, is also expected to provide $5 million in
incentives to farmers to help ensure full participation in
this new program.

      CREP uses state and federal resources to help solve
environmental problems.  CREP combines an existing USDA
program, the Conservation Reserve Program, with state
programs to provide a framework for partnerships to meet
specific state and national environmental objectives.  The
program provides for voluntary agreements with farmers to
convert cropland to native grasses, trees, and other
vegetation in return for annual rental payments and other
financial incentives.

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