NRCS Colorado 2010 News Release

Denver, CO – The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in Colorado is accepting applications until March 1, 2011 for the Sage Grouse Initiative.

The Sage Grouse are ground-dwelling birds, native to the sagebrush steppe ecosystem of the American West. They are found at elevations ranging from 4,000 to over 9,000 feet and are highly dependent on sagebrush for cover and food. Over the decades they have experienced a significant decline in population and habitat.

NRCS will utilize its Environmental Quality Incentive’s Program (EQIP) and Wildlife Habitat Incentive’s Program (WHIP) to implement this initiative. Colorado landowners within Moffat, Delta, Eagle, Garfield, Mesa, Gunnison, Grand, Summit, Rio Blanco, Montrose, Routt, Jackson, Saguache, San Miguel, and Dolores counties are encouraged to visit their local NRCS field office. Staff can develop a conservation plan that will help improve Sage Grouse habitat.

“This initiative affords landowners an opportunity to improve Sage Grouse habitat by implementing specific conservation practices, including upland wildlife habitat management,” said Allen Green, State Conservationist, Colorado NRCS.

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

WHIP 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.

For additional information about the Sage Grouse 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. You may also contact Jodi Hastings, Resource Conservationist for Programs at 720-544-2821 or email her at Jodi.Hastings@co.usda.gov.

NRCS is celebrating 75 years of 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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