Farm Service Agency

Public Affairs Staff

1400 Independence Ave SW

Stop 0506, Room 3624-South

Washington, D.C. 20250-0506

Release No. 1502.06

BISMARCK, N.D., Aug. 24, 2006 ? John Johnson, deputy administrator for farm programs for USDA's Farm Service Agency, today unveiled a new Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) Duck Nesting Habitat Initiative to increase duck populations by an estimated 60,000 birds annually and to restore 100,000 wetland acres.

"This initiative will further CRP's large-scale achievements in protecting our nation's wetlands and wildlife," said Johnson. "CRP has restored two million wetland and wetland buffer acres nationwide and adds 2.2 million new ducks to our country's flyways each year."

Johnson made the announcement at the Fourth Annual North American Duck Symposium in Bismarck, N.D. The symposium, themed "Integrating Science and Management," offers forums for scientists, biologists, managers and students interested in the conservation and management of ducks.

Restoring 100,000 acres of wetland ecosystems in the Prairie Pothole Region will provide nesting ducks with critical habitat, nesting cover, as well as security from predators and food. The initiative will also benefit other wildlife species, filter runoff, recharge groundwater supplies, protect drinking water and reduce downstream flooding.

Enrollment is limited to land in the Prairie Pothole Region encompassing parts of Iowa, Minnesota, Montana, North Dakota and South Dakota. The acreage is allocated in the amounts of 40,000 acres to North Dakota, 40,000 acres to South Dakota, 8,000 acres to Minnesota, 8,000 acres to Montana and 4,000 acres to Iowa. Land must be located outside the 100-year floodplain. Land eligible for the program must be capable of being restored to CRP wetland standards. Wetlands must include a buffer that will protect water quality and provide quality nesting habitat.

For land with fewer than 25 duck pairs per square mile, participants can enroll acreage at a 4-to-1 upland-to-wetland ratio. This means for every one acre of wetlands, there must be four acres of surrounding upland habitat. For land with 25 or more duck pairs per square mile, participants may enroll acreage up to a 10-to-1 upland-to-wetland ratio.

USDA's Commodity Credit Corporation will offer participants an incentive payment equal to 25 percent of the cost to restore the site's hydrology, an annual rental payment and cost-share assistance of up to 50 percent of eligible practice installation costs.

Sign-up for the initiative will begin Oct. 1, 2006, at local FSA offices and will run on a continuous basis until enrollment goals are met, or Dec. 31, 2007, whichever comes first.

CRP is the nation's largest private-lands conservation program, with more than 36 million acres enrolled. Through CRP, farmers and ranchers plant grasses and trees in crop fields and along streams. The plantings stop soil and nutrients from running into regional waterways and impacting water quality.

CRP offers additional wetlands restoration initiatives targeting 500,000 acres inside the 100-year floodplain, 250,000 acres outside the 100-year floodplain and one million acres of previously converted wetlands of less than 40 acres per tract.

More information on the Duck Nesting Habitat Initiative is available at local FSA offices and in the initiative fact sheet located here.

FSA news releases and media advisories are available on FSA's Web site at: http://www.fsa.usda.gov/