A three-year $328 million restoration fund to improve water quality and help coastal ecosystems heal from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill was announced by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). In partnership with five Gulf States, other federal agencies and landowners, USDA said it would explore opportunities for how the funding can steer conservation efforts on private lands in the Gulf of Mexico region and key coastal counties.
As part of the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Gulf of Mexico Initiative, NRCS will help agricultural producers plan and implement conservation improvements on 1.3. Million hectares, including adopting a number of practices to clean and conserve water, such as managing for nutrients, using no-till, planting cover crops, installing grade stabilization structures and water control structures. These practices trap and control pollutants such as sediment and nutrients, reduce erosion and improve use of water.
The Gulf region is home to longleaf pine forests and other unique ecosystems and producers using these types of conservation practices assist in restoring and enhancing them. The proposed strategy builds on the agency’s successful Migratory Bird Habitat Initiative (MBHI), which was launched just after the oil spill and helped producers create 470,000 acres of alternative habitat for birds migrating south.
Technical and financial assistance will be provided through a number of Farm Bill programs, including the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) and Agricultural Conservation Easement Program (ACEP).