Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program (WHIP)

Programs

Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program (WHIP)

Updated April 17, 2009

Introduction

The Wildlife Habitat Incentive Program (WHIP) is a voluntary program for conservation-minded landowners who want to develop and improve wildlife habitat on agricultural land, nonindustrial private forest land, and Indian land.

Program Description

The Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 reauthorized WHIP as a voluntary approach to improving wildlife habitat in our Nation. The Natural Resources Conservation Service administers WHIP to provide both technical assistance and up to 75 percent cost-share assistance to establish and improve fish and wildlife habitat. WHIP cost-share agreements between NRCS and the participant generally last from one year after the last conservation practice is implemented but not more than 10 years from the date the agreement is signed.

WHIP Priorities for Fiscal Year 2009

In order to provide direction to the State and local levels for implementing WHIP to achieve its objective, NRCS has established the following national priorities:

Promote the restoration of declining or important native fish and wildlife habitats.
Protect, restore, develop or enhance fish and wildlife habitat to benefit at-risk species
Reduce the impacts of invasive species on fish and wildlife habitats; and
Protect, restore, develop or enhance declining or important aquatic wildlife species’ habitats

WHIP Documents and Sign-up Information

The following two documents require Adobe Acrobat Reader

2008 Farm Bill WHIP Fact Sheet (PDF, 44KB)

NRCS-CPA-1200 WHIP Signup Form (PDF, 33KB)

USDA Service Center EForms Website hosts forms which can be submitted electronically.

Links to State Programs pages which contain links to each State's WHIP page.

WHIP Contract and Funding Information by Fiscal Year

Program Contact

Albert Cerna, 202-720-9358

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