SACRAMENTO >> More than $88 million was invested in conservation efforts this year to protect the state’s endangered species and forests.
According to David Sanden with the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, over 1,900 farmers and ranchers teamed up with NRCS and their partners to voluntarily invest time and money in protecting the state’s soil, water, air, plants and wildlife habitat. Conservation planning and funding was provided through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program as part of the 2014 Farm Bill.
Landowners also invested in the conservation efforts, and with the NRCS, have funded 51 percent of 2016’s EQIP projects. The information was released on Oct. 13 at NRCS biannual State Technical Advisory Committee meeting.
The funding went to increasing the state’s drought resiliency and reducing farm air emissions. Also, almost 15 percent of the state’s EQIP budget was used on forest protection. According to NRCS Conservationist Carlos Suarez, an unexpected need emerged from the tens of millions of dead and dying trees across the state that have been stressed by drought, insects and wildlife.
“This shows how we need to both have a strategic plan for our investments, but also maintain flexibility in the face of dynamic landscape conditions,” said Suarez.
The conservation efforts were also able to help protect endangered tri-colored blackbirds. Audubon California, Western United Dairymen, Dairy Cares and the California Farm Bureau came together in that conservation effort.
“This is the first year we have saved every colony that was found in a farm field,” said Audubon’s Meghan Hertel. “It really speaks to the collaborative power of all of us working on this together.”
Additional conservation efforts were put toward protecting the southwestern willow flycatchers, sage grouse and rare amphibians that are fond of livestock ponds in Contra Costa and Alemeda counties.
Other 2016 projects focused on reaching out to historically underserved farmers such as those in the Latino, Asian, Black, Veteran and LGBT communities and to make information about conservation planning more widely available.
