USDA Awards $19 Million for Wetland Restoration and Regenerative Agriculture in Southern Illinois

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced a $1.5 billion investment in voluntary, incentive-based conservation practices, including an estimated $95 million for projects administered by Ducks Unlimited (DU). This funding, awarded under the Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP), will impact 55,000 acres of agricultural lands nationwide.

"DU learned long ago that partnership-driven, incentive-based conservation practices can benefit producers, wildlife and our environment in equal measure," said DU CEO Adam Putnam. "The grants funded through RCPP will support farmers and ranchers by making their operations more sustainable while improving habitat for waterfowl and other wildlife. We’re thrilled to see such a strong investment in working lands conservation."

In Southern Illinois, DU and the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), along with a coalition of other partners, received $18.96 million to enroll producers in on-farm conservation practices to reduce sedimentation in the Mississippi River Basin. The focus area is the Kaskaskia, American Bottoms and Lower Cache River watersheds.

DU will guide qualified producers through the signup, enrollment and implementation process. NRCS oversees the program, determining whether clients are USDA-eligible and if federal standards and specifications are being met.

“We do have some growing resource concerns,” said Jena Herrick, DU’s manager of conservation programs. “Our priority is not to change producer’s delivery and operation mechanisms but to make these conservation practices work as a part of their operation. We know this will only be successful for DU if it’s successful for the producer.”

Project goals include restoring 130 acres of wetlands, implementing 977 acres of native vegetative buffers, planting 48,865 acres of no-till cover crops, and forestry management. This kind of land management holds more soil on the landscape, keeping it from entering rivers, lakes and streams.

Such practices also provide environmental benefits like filtering nitrogen and phosphorus from runoff before the nutrients reach the watershed, which can result in harmful algal blooms. They improve water quality, mitigate flooding, and sequester carbon. Producers also see cost savings by enrolling in the program.

“RCPP is a true partnership within NRCS,” said Shannon Allen, RCPP coordinator in Illinois. “Of the $18.96 million, at least 75% of the funding must go to boots-on-the-ground projects, like cover crops, grass buffers and wetland restoration. I’d expect the work to begin by next fall.”