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Wetlands Reserve Program (WRP)

Last Modified: 12/08/2008

The Wetlands Reserve Program is a voluntary program offering landowners the opportunity to protect, restore, and enhance wetlands on their property. The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) provides technical and financial support to help landowners with their wetland restoration efforts.

Applications for the program are accepted year round.  Interested landowners are encouraged to contact their local NRCS field office for more information or to make an application.

The WRP is administered by NRCS in agreement with the Farm Service Agency (FSA) and in consultation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) and other cooperating agencies and organizations.Wetland

WRP program objectives are to:

  • purchase conservation easements from, or enter into cost-share agreements with, willing owners of eligible land.  The duration of a WRP:
    • easement is either permanent or 30 years, and
    • restoration cost-share agreement is generally 10 years
  • help eligible landowners, protect, restore, and enhance the original hydrology, native vegetation, and natural topography of eligible lands
  • restore and protect the functions and values of wetlands in the agricultural landscape
  • help achieve the national goal of no net loss of wetlands
  • improve the general environment of the country
The emphasis of WRP is to protect, restore, and enhance the functions and values of wetland ecosystems to attain:
  • habitat for migratory birds and wetland dependent wildlife, including threatened and endangered species,
  • protection and improvement of water quality,
  • attenuation of water flows due to flooding,
  • recharge of ground water,
  • protection and enhancement of open space and aesthetic quality, and
  • protection of native flora and fauna contributing to the Nation's natural heritage.

Additional Information

  • National WRP Web Site

    • These publications require Acrobat Reader.

    Wetlands in the Texas Blackland Prairie (PDF; 365 KB)

    Wetlands in the Texas Playa Region (PDF; 3.45 MB)

    Wetlands in the East Timberland and Claypan Savannah (PDF; 3.28 MB)

    WRP Compatible Use Authorization (AD-1160) (PDF; 99 MB)

    Contact

    Claude Ross, Soil Conservationist
    254-742-9822

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