NRCS Colorado 2010 News Release

Lakewood, CO – The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in Colorado is now accepting applications until July 9, 2010 that will focus on the reduction of threats to lesser prairie chicken in the southeastern portion of the state.

Prairie chickens are ground-dwelling birds, native to sand sage rangelands of the American West. Over the decades they have experienced a significant decline in population and habitat.

“This initiative by no means marks the beginning of our work to conserve the lesser prairie chicken habitat in Colorado,” Patty Knupp, NRCS Biologist, Pueblo Field Office said. “Developing a conservation plan with private landowners is our daily routine but this particular opportunity will allow a focused effort on important habitat in our state.”

Landowners in Baca, Prowers, Kiowa, and Cheyenne counties are encouraged to visit with their local NRCS field office and inquire about developing a conservation plan that consists of implementing and/or maintaining a grazing system that will manage forage for livestock while enhancing lesser prairie chicken habitat.

This opportunity is also being offered in Kansas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas because these states currently have rangelands to support the lesser prairie chicken. NRCS will utilize its Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) and Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program (WHIP) to implement the initiative.

The WHIP program is a voluntary conservation program for people who want to develop and improve wildlife habitat on private lands. It provides both technical and financial assistance to help establish and improve wildlife habitat.

The EQIP program is a voluntary conservation program that offers farmers and ranchers a tool to address natural resource concerns while achieving environmental benefits, which also provide both technical and financial assistance to help landowners reach natural resources goals.

For additional information about the lesser prairie chicken initiative and how to apply, please contact your local NRCS office or visit the NRCS Colorado website at www.co.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/index.html (click on the FY 2010 EQIP or FY 2010 WHIP link under Programs in the left-hand column). You may also contact Jodi Hastings, EQIP and WHIP Program Manager, at 720-544-2821 or email her at Jodi.hastings@co.usda.gov.

NRCS is celebrating 75 years helping people help the land in 2010. Since 1935, the NRCS conservation delivery system has advanced a unique partnership with state and local governments and private landowners delivering conservation based on specific, local conservation needs, while accommodating state and national interests. President Franklin Roosevelt created the Soil Conservation Service, now known as NRCS, in 1935 to help farmers and ranchers overcome the devastating effects of drought, especially in the Midwest and Northern Plains regions.
 

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