NRCS Offers Easement Funds for Flood Damaged Land
Syracuse, NY, March 9, 2009 – Astor F. Boozer, State Conservationist for USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service in New York says that funds are available under the American Recovery and Investment Act of 2009 to purchase floodplain easements in the State.
The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) will release up to $145 million to acquire and restore frequently flooded land to its natural state; create jobs in rural communities, and restore and protect an estimated 60,000 acres of flood-prone lands nationwide under its Emergency Watershed Protection Program. No State can receive more than $30 million of the available funds. Signup for the Floodplain Easement Program will be held from
March 9 – April 10.
“We have floodplains here in New York where damage from flooding occurs frequently enough, and productivity is low enough, that it may not be feasible to continue farming them,” says Boozer. “The Flood Plain Easement Program (FPE) provides an alternative that can help farmers who find themselves in that situation. This is an excellent opportunity to enroll fields or parts of fields where flood damages have made agricultural production marginal,” says Boozer.
For the Floodplain Easement Program, land qualifies if it has been damaged by flooding at least once in the past 12 months, or twice in the past 10 years. Once the easements are in place, NRCS may do restoration work to restore the floodplain functions and values. The cost of restoring the floodplain will be paid 100% by NRCS. The restoration practices will help retain flood waters in floodplains and associated areas, restore water quality, and provide habitat for wildlife.
Easement compensation is based on a geographic area rate cap, the fair market value, or the landowner’s offer, whichever is less. Interested landowners can get more information and apply by visiting NRCS at their local
USDA Service Center.
More information can be found on-line at
the NRCS New York Web site, or the
NRCS National Web site.
Contact Information
Resource Conservationist
Mike Fournier
USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service
Syracuse, New York
Telephone: 315-477-6543
Fax: 315-477-6550
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