Conservation Programs To Improve
Wildlife Habitat On Private Lands

TENNESSEE WILDLIFE RESOURCES AGENCY

Farm Wildlife Habitat Program
https://cleanairtn.org/twra/wildlife/fwhp.pdf

This program provides approximately 75% cost share under a 5-year contract, up to a maximum of $1,000 in any state fiscal year, to improve wildlife habitat. Cost shared improvements are targeted mainly towards open land wildlife species in decline, such as bobwhite quail, cottontail rabbits, and shrub and grassland songbirds. Major practices include eradication of fescue and sericea lespedeza and conversion to native grasses, forbs and legumes, and establishing woody or other escape cover where needed. Approved management practices such as prescribed burning, strip disking, and herbiciding. The option is available to plant native warm season grasses for dual hay/wildlife benefits, and 75% can be hayed in the third, fourth and fifth years of the contract. Upon approval of a plan, the landowner signs a contract agreeing to implement the practices and protect and maintain them for 5 years. Cost-share payments are received after the practices have been completed and inspected. Applicants are considered on a first-come first-served basis. Contact the small game biologist in a TWRA Regional Office. 

NOTE: While State employees and/or their spouses can receive free technical assistance from TWRA through the Farm Wildlife Habitat Program, Tennessee State Law prohibits them from receiving any direct or indirect payments.  Money received through the FWHP is considered taxable by the IRS. Consult a tax advisor regarding your tax situation.


https://cleanairtn.org/twra/regmaps.html

Region 1 - Jackson (800) 372-3928
Region 2 - Nashville (800) 624-7406
Region 3 - Crossville (800) 262-6704
Region 4 ? Morristown (800) 332-0900

Tennessee Landowner Incentive Program (TNLIP)
https://cleanairtn.org/twra/wildlife/tnlip.html

This new program is designed to protect, enhance, or restore rare species habitats on Tennessee?s private lands by providing 75% cost-share assistance and some cash incentives for landowners to implement best management practices (BMPs). The program focus is rare species but the final product will reduce erosion or other negative impacts and improve land quality. The TNLIP is a statewide program and can provide technical and financial assistance to landowners in all of Tennessee?s counties. Currently, the Duck River and Hatchie River watersheds are designated as priority areas for TNLIP and landowners on these rivers or their tributaries are highly recommended to apply for assistance. The only requirements for program eligibility are: 1) the property is privately owned and 2) the project will benefit rare species habitat. The TNLIP is a very flexible program designed to benefit many habitats in Tennessee through a variety of techniques including: channel bank vegetation, exclusion fencing, alternative water sources, field border, riparian buffer, filter strip, stream habitat improvement and management, grade stabilization structure, heavy use area protection, stream crossing, channel stabilization. To learn more about TNLIP, contact Gray Anderson, TNLIP Coordinator, at: 615-837-6008 Direct, 615-781-6610 Wildlife Division, or [email protected]

NOTE: While State employees and/or their spouses can receive free technical assistance from TWRA through the Tennessee Landowner Incentives Program, Tennessee State Law prohibits them from receiving any direct or indirect payments.  Money received through the TNLIP is considered taxable by the IRS. Consult a tax advisor regarding your tax situation.
 

TENNESSEE WILDLIFE RESOURCES FOUNDATION

Tennessee Stream Mitigation Program (TSMP)
https://www.tsmp.us 

The Tennessee Stream Mitigation Program (TSMP) was created to offset adverse physical impacts associated with both state and federal water quality permits. The goal of the TSMP is to both improve water quality and riparian habitat in and along Tennessee?s degraded aquatic resources.  The TSMP is a state wide program that provides 100% cost share for all projects it funds.  Stream restoration, bank stabilization, riparian restoration and livestock exclusion are a few examples of the types of mitigation opportunities that the TSMP is looking for throughout the state.  Through valuable partnerships with government agencies such as NRCS, TDEC, TDA and non-profit conservation groups, the TSMP identifies streams where the physical habitat has been impaired or degraded. With permission and cooperation from participating landowners, the TSMP designs and implements mitigation projects that benefit both the stream and the landowner. All TSMP projects are constructed at no cost to the landowner. Mitigation projects are monitored for success over a period of two to five years and must be protected by a perpetual land preservation agreement held by the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Foundation.  To learn more about the TSMP please visit the website at www.tsmp.us or contact at 615-831-9311.

TENNESSEE DIVISION OF FORESTRY

Forest Lands Enhancement Program (FLEP)

** FUNDS CONTINUE TO BE AVAILABLE FOR 2006 **

This program offers technical and financial assistance for landowners wanting to manage a healthy and productive forest. The program provides either 50% or 75% cost-share for specified practices under a 10-year contract. Eligible forest management categories include:  Afforestation and Reforestation, Forest Stand Improvement, Agroforestry Implementation, Water Quality Improvement and Watershed Protection, Wildlife Habitat Improvement, Forest Health, and Invasive Species Control. Specific wildlife habitat improvement practices include: thinning and prescribed burning of pine stands (75% cost share); creation of forest openings and establishment to grasses and legumes; planting wildlife trees and shrubs; transition zone development (thinning of forest perimeters); and construction of wildlife watering facilities where permanent water sources are lacking (50% cost share).

Persons interested in the FLEP program should contact your local area forester or office of the Tennessee Division of Forestry.

Forest Stewardship Program
https://www.tn.gov/agriculture/forests/links.html

The Forest Stewardship program makes forestry assistance available to private forest landowners and increases public awareness about wise forest use and management.  The program focuses on developing detailed plans for privately owned forestland based on specific objectives of the owner.  Free, on-the-ground planning assistance is provided by natural resource specialists under the leadership of the Tennessee Department of Agriculture, Forestry Division.

Depending upon landowners' objectives, stewardship plans may contain detailed recommendations for improvement of wildlife habitat and development of recreational opportunities, as well as for timber establishment, stand improvement and harvesting.  Guidelines for prevention of soil erosion, protection of water quality, and preservation of visual values are included in all stewardship plans.

To qualify, landowners must:

?         have 10 acres or more of forestland

?         obtain and implement a forest stewardship plan

?         have at least one secondary management objective in addition to their primary objective

?         protect the land from erosion and prevent pollution of streams and lakes

?         carry out the plan according to standards which maintain the productivity of forest resources and protect the environment.

For more information on this program, contact your local area forester.

U.S. FISH & WILDLIFE SERVICE (USFWS)

Partners for Fish and Wildlife
https://www.fws.gov/cookeville/docs/partners.html

This program seeks to restore, improve, and protect fish and wildlife habitat on private lands through alliances between the USFWS, other organizations and individuals, while leaving the land in private ownership. Eligible projects are those that benefit wetlands and their adjacent uplands, state or federal threatened and endangered species, forested riparian habitat, and other important migratory bird habitat, such as native grassland restoration. Applicants work with the USFWS program coordinator to submit a project proposal by October 1. Projects are then ranked according to anticipated ecological benefits, and funding is typically awarded in February. Contract length is a minimum of 10 years. Contact Brad Bingham, State Coordinator, at 931-528-6481 ext. 205 or [email protected], Cookeville USFWS office or https://www.fws.gov/cookeville/

**Please note that the links for the Fish and Wildlife Service may not always work.  Please be patient with this.


Tennessee Partners Project (TPP)
This program is co-sponsored by Ducks Unlimited, Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, Tennessee Department of Agriculture, USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service, and the University of Tennessee Agricultural Extension Service. It is designed to provide wintering water and food sources for waterfowl and associated wetland species in the Tennessee portion of the birds? migration route. Participation landowners receive a project construction plan (if needed), water control structure materials, technical assistance during installation, and management recommendations. Projects receiving material assistance should encompass a minimum of 5 acres of surface water and adjacent habitat buffer zones. Participants agree to sign a minimum 10-year Wetland Development Agreement, not permit hunting after 12 noon, and permits an annual inspection by any representation of the partners. Contact Tim Willis, Natural Resources Conservation Service office, 235 Oil Well Rd., Jackson TN 38305, 731-668-0700 x107, or [email protected].
 

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE (USDA)

Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) General Signup https://www.fsa.usda.gov/programs-and-services/conservation-programs/conservation-reserve-program/index

This program takes highly erodible and other environmentally sensitive lands out of crop production and establishes a soil-conserving vegetative cover on them under a 10-year contract. Periodic signup periods are announced by USDA when applicants can offer whole-field enrollments. Applications are scored and ranked against other applications from across the country. USDA later announces the minimum score that will be accepted for enrollment under contracts. Options most beneficial to wildlife, such as CP2 Native Grasses and CP4D Permanent Wildlife Habitat offer potential for higher scores and greater likelihood of offer acceptance. In the CRP, the participant receives an annual payment during the term of the contract in addition to 50% cost share for cover establishment and required management. Contact your local Farm Services Agency office.

Conservation Reserve Program Continuous Signup (CCRP) https://www.fsa.usda.gov/programs-and-services/conservation-programs/conservation-reserve-program/index

This portion of the Conservation Reserve Program includes the most highly beneficial, small acreage or buffer (strip) practices. Unlike the General Signup, a landowner can apply at any time and if the land being offered meets the criteria for a specific practice, the offer will be automatically accepted by USDA. In addition, some of the practices qualify for an annual payment that is 20% higher than the same land offered under the General Signup practices, plus qualify for an up-front Signing Incentive Payment of $100 per acre for a 10-year contract or $150 per acre for a 15-year contract, plus an additional Payment Incentive Practice of 40% of the cover establishment cost. CCRP practices in Tennessee include:
CP8A Grass Waterways ^1,2
CP9 Shallow Water Areas For Wildlife
CP15 Contour Grass Strips
CP21 Filter Strips ^1,2
CP22 Riparian Forest Buffer ^1,2
CP27 Farmable Wetlands ²
CP28 Farmable Wetland Buffers ²
CP31 Bottomland Hardwood Restoration
CP33 Habitat Buffers For Upland Birds^2
1 = 20% higher annual payment /  ² = SIP and PIP payments
Contact your local Farm Services Agency office.

Links to the following USDA-NRCS programs can be found at: https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/main/national/programs/financial/


Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program (WHIP)
https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/main/national/programs/financial/

Provides 75% cost share for selected practices to develop, enhance and maintain good wildlife habitat under 5- to 10-year contracts/management plans (note: 15 year agreement option is not available in Tennessee). Currently, there is no maximum contract payment. Similar to TWRA?s Farm Wildlife Habitat Program, most cost shared improvements are targeted mainly towards openland wildlife species in decline, such as bobwhite quail, cottontail rabbits, and shrub and grassland songbirds. Major practices include eradication of fescue and sericea lespedeza and conversion to native grasses, forbs and legumes, and establishing woody or other escape cover where needed. Approved management practices such as prescribed burning, strip disking, and herbiciding. Offers are scored and ranked against other offers in the state according to wildlife benefits of practices implemented and other criteria. Highest scoring offers are accepted on a periodic basis as money becomes available. All private land is eligible, except for acreage that is currently enrolled in another USDA conservation program. Contact your local Natural Resources Conservation Service office.

Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP)
https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/main/national/programs/financial/

EQIP Incentives for Native Grasses - Deadline Dec. 15, 2006

Although all private agricultural land and forested land is eligible, this program is utilized mainly by hay and livestock producers or other landowners with water quality issues. Offers are scored according to specific practices to be implemented, and are ranked against other offers within each grand division of the state (east, middle and west Tennessee). The program provides either 50% or 75% cost share for implemented practices. The contract length can be from 1 to 10 years; the minimum length is one year after a practice has been implemented. Beneficial practices for wildlife are exclusion of livestock from streams, streambank stabilization, wildlife field borders, and conversion of cropland or exotic pasture grasses to native warm season grasses for forage.

Contact your local Natural Resources Conservation Service office.

Wetlands Reserve Program (WRP)
https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/main/national/programs/financial/

The goal of this program is to restore wetlands through the acquisition of conservation easements or conservation agreements. Eligible lands include agricultural lands with restorable wetlands that include prior converted wetlands, farmed wetlands, or farmed wetland pastures, or wooded wetlands that have been drained and hydrology can be restored. The landowner has three options:
A 10-year Restoration Agreement, under which the landowner receives payment for 75% of restoration costs.
A 30-year Easement, under which the landowner receives the lower of 75% of fair market agricultural value as determined by appraisal or 75% of an amount offered by the landowner, plus 75% of restoration costs.
A Permanent Easement, under which the landowner receives the lower of 100% of fair market agricultural value as determined by appraisal, or 100% of an amount offered by the landowner, plus 100% of restoration costs.

In Tennessee, wetland restoration will consist primarily of restoring bottomland hardwoods and reversing all in-field drainage systems currently in existence. A Wetland Reserve Plan of Operations will be developed scheduling conservation practices installation, cost share to be provided for essential practices, and practices necessary to manage and maintain the wetlands. Easement payments will be made as lump sum through the Commodity Credit Corporation. Contact your local Natural Resources Conservation Service office.

Grassland Reserve Program (GRP)
https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/main/national/programs/financial/

NOTE: GRP Funding is depleted.  Additional funding is not anticipated until at least October 1, 2007.

Conservation Security Program (CSP)
https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/main/national/programs/financial/ 

2006 CSP SIGNUP IS FEBRUARY 13 ? MARCH 31

The Conservation Security Program is a voluntary program that provides financial and technical assistance to promote the conservation and improvement of soil, water, air, energy, plant and animal life, and other conservation purposes on Tribal and private working lands.  Working lands include cropland, grassland, prairie land, improved pasture, and range land, as well as forested land that is an incidental part of an agriculture operation. The program provides equitable access to benefits to all producers, regardless of size of operation, crops produced or geographic location. 

For fiscal year 2006, farms in the following Tennessee watersheds are eligible for CSP applications:   

• Upper Elk River (including all or parts of Moore, Bedford, Coffee, Marion, Franklin, Giles, Grundy, Lincoln, and Marshall counties)

• Warren (administered by Kentucky NRCS; includes parts of Clay, Macon, and Sumner counties in Tennessee)

• Pickwick Lake (administered by Alabama NRCS; includes parts of Hardin, Lawrence, and Wayne counties in Tennessee)

Wildlife is a resource concern that can be addressed in CSP practices and enhancements.  For further information on land eligibility, contract payments, and how CSP works, you can view or download the CSP brochure at
https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/main/national/programs/financial/
or contact your local USDA Service Center.