Wildlife Habitat Incentive Program (WHIP)

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.

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 (NRCS) 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.

2012 Working Lands for Wildlife

Working Lands for Wildlife is a new partnership between NRCS and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) to use agency technical expertise combined with $33 million in financial assistance from the Wildlife Habitat Incentive Program to combat the decline of seven specific wildlife species whose decline can be reversed and will benefit other species with similar habitat needs.
Through Working Lands for Wildlife landowners can voluntarily participate in the following efforts;

Restore populations of declining wildlife species
Provide farmers, ranchers, and forest managers with regulatory certainty that conservation investments they make today help sustain their operations over the long term.
Strengthen and sustain rural economies by restoring and protecting the productive capacity of working lands.

Species Selection Criteria  The Working Lands for Wildlife project will target species whose decline can be reversed and will benefit other species with similar habitat needs. Two species have been indentified in 2012 Colorado Working Lands For Wildlife project;  Southwestern Willow flycatcher and  Sage Grouse.

Southwestern Willow Flycatcher

States within Priority Habitat Areas: Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah
NRCS Species Page  |  Colorado Priority Area Map  |  Map of Eligible Counties

 Greater Sage-Grouse

States within Priority Habitat Areas: California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, North Dakota, South Dakota, Oregon, Utah, Washington, Wyoming
NRCS Species Page  |  Colorado Priority Area Map  |  Map of Eligible Counties

2012 Working Lands for Wildlife Information

These documents require Adobe Acrobat, Microsoft Excel or Microsoft Word.

Southwestern Willow Flycatcher Ranking Tool
Southwestern Willow Flycatcher Screening Tool
Greater Sage-Grouse Ranking Tool
Greater Sage-Grouse Screening Tool
2012 WHIP Regular Payment Schedule
2012 WHIP HU Payment Schedule

State Program Contact:

Colorado WHIP Contacts

Jodi Hastings
Resource Conservationist
Denver Federal Center
Building 56, Room 2604
PO Box 25426
Denver, CO 80225-0426
Phone: 720.544.2821

Dawn Jackson
NRCS Colorado Assistant State Conservationist
Denver Federal Center
Building 56, Room 2604
PO Box 25426
Denver, CO 80225-0426
Phone: 720.544.2805
 

Last Modified: 06/27/2012