Deadline extended to March 4 for Conservation Stewardship Program and EQIP Conservation Incentive Contracts
Both of these programs can help you take your conservation efforts to a higher level
Private landowners and agricultural producers in Alaska interested in applying for financial assistance through the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) or the Environmental Quality Incentives Program – Conservation Incentives Contracts (EQIP-CIC) now have until March 4, 2022 to submit applications. The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) administers these programs and has extended the deadline this year from Jan. 21 to March 4.
NRCS financial assistance programs help agricultural producers restore, enhance, and protect natural resources such as soil, water, wildlife habitat and more. All NRCS programs are voluntary.
Apply for CSP and EQIP-CIC by submitting form CCC-1200 to your local NRCS field office. Applications for CSP must also include a map of eligible land and ineligible land as determined by the applicant for the application to be considered complete. All complete applications submitted by close of business March 4 will be evaluated for eligibility.
Farmland and forestland operators and owners who are interested in applying for assistance should contact their local NRCS office for more information and to begin the conservation planning process. NRCS develops conservation plans which evaluate resource concerns, while considering the land management goals of the operation.
CSP Options
The Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) is designed for producers who are already doing conservation on their property who desire to take their efforts to the next level through comprehensive conservation and advanced conservation activities. CSP enrolls the entire property into a 5-year contract and offers annual payments. CSP payments do two things: they reward landowners for the conservation efforts they are already doing, and they help landowners adopt additional conservation activities. For example, if you have been planting a cover crop, you may decide to try an enhancement for multi-species cover crop or implement a deep-rooted cover crop to break up soil compaction. More information is available on the Alaska CSP webpage.
EQIP CIC Options
The Environmental Quality Incentives Program - Conservation Incentive Contracts (EQIP-CIC) is a new program for 2022. It allows producers to target priority resource concerns on their property by offering incentive payments for a 5-year contract without needing to enroll the entire operation into the program. EQIP-CIC is designed to be a stepping-stone between EQIP and CSP, to help producers improve their level of conservation and earn benefits of longer-term conservation enhancements. More information is available on the Alaska EQIP-CIC webpage.
Read the Full Announcement
New to conservation? New to working with NRCS?
Consider starting with the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP)
The Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) is the most frequently used NRCS program in Alaska and is an excellent starting place for producers who are new to working with the agency. EQIP applications are ranked for funding in batches periodically throughout the year. In Alaska, NRCS is offering four batching periods for EQIP in 2022: Jan. 21, March 18, May 20 and July 15. All applications determined eligible and high priority by close of business on a given ranking date will be considered in the current funding cycle.
EQIP provides technical and financial assistance to private landowners and producers to adopt more than 170 different conservation practices to address a wide variety of natural resource concerns. More information is available on the Alaska EQIP webpage. Some of the most popular conservation practices adopted in Alaska through EQIP include:
- Tree/Shrub Establishment
- Forest Stand Improvement
- Trails and Walkways
- Aquatic Organism Passage
- High Tunnel System
- Fence
- Stream Habitat Improvement and Management
- Road/Trail/Landing Closure and Treatment
- Cover Crop
- Pasture and Hay Planting
- Irrigation System, Microirrigation
- Irrigation Water Management
- Structures for Wildlife
- Conservation Crop Rotation
- Nutrient Management
Deadline extended to Feb. 18 for conservation easements in Alaska!
Options to restore and protect wetlands, and to protect agricultural land from non-ag development
 The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in Alaska has funding available to help private landowners protect wetlands, grasslands and farmlands from future development. This funding is available through the Agricultural Conservation Easement Program (ACEP) with a new application deadline of February 18, 2022.
ACEP is open to Alaska Native Tribes and Tribal corporations, state and local governments, individuals, and non-governmental organizations that own privately-owned farmlands, wetlands or grasslands. Through ACEP, NRCS provides financial and technical assistance to secure easements for both working agricultural lands and for wetlands.
The program has two components: one for Agricultural Land Easements (ALE) and one for Wetland Reserve Easements (WRE).
Read the full announcement
Proposals due April 13 for Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP)
 RCPP is a partner-driven program that leverages collective resources to find solutions to address natural resource challenges on agricultural land. This year’s funding announcements include opportunities for projects that address climate change, benefit historically-underserved producers and support urban agriculture.
There are two types of funding opportunities under RCPP: RCPP Classic and RCPP Alternative Funding Arrangements (AFA). RCPP Classic projects are implemented using NRCS contracts and easements with producers, landowners and communities, in collaboration with project partners. Through RCPP AFA, partners have more flexibility in working directly with agricultural producers to support the development of new conservation structures and approaches that would not otherwise be available under RCPP Classic. Project types that may be suited to AFA, as highlighted by the 2018 Farm Bill include:
- Projects that use innovative approaches to leverage the federal investment in conservation
- Projects that deploy a pay-for-performance conservation approach
- Projects that seek large-scale infrastructure investment that generate conservation benefits for agricultural producers and nonindustrial private forest owners
USDA is accepting project proposals for both components of RCPP through 11:59 p.m. on April 13, 2022. View the funding opportunity on grants.gov for RCPP Classic and RCPP AFA.
View Full Announcement
Alaska Tribes, local governments, and conservation district encouraged to submit requests for watershed funding
Funding now available through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act
Pictured: Severe soil erosion occurred in Huslia following rapid ice melt during spring break up in 2018. Photo by Steven Swatling. NRCS was able to assist the Village with relocating homes out of harms way through the Emergency Watershed Protection Program.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is encouraging local sponsors to submit project requests for funding through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.
USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) offers several programs to help communities improve land and water resources within watersheds as well as relieve imminent hazards to life and property created by a natural disaster.
In Alaska, programs include the Watershed and Flood Prevention Operations Program (WFPO) and Emergency Watershed Protection Program (EWP).
NRCS will give additional consideration to projects in historically underserved communities that directly benefit limited resource areas or socially disadvantaged communities. NRCS will continue to review requests as funding is available.
Eligible project sponsors include state government entities, local municipalities, conservation districts, and federally-recognized tribal organizations. Sponsors are encouraged to reach out to the Alaska NRCS Watershed Program Manager with watershed concerns as soon as possible to ensure their project request is in the funding queue for consideration. Contact Brett Nelson at 907-761-7717 or email brett.nelson@usda.gov.
Requests for EWP assistance must be within 60 days of the natural disaster. Watershed Program requests for assistance may be submitted at any time.
Project sponsors wishing to request assistance should provide a signed written request using the attached letter template for WFPO or EWP assistance. Completed letters may be submitted to NRCS via mail to the address provided on the template or sent via email to Brett.Nelson@usda.gov.
More information including fact sheets and trainings is available on the national Watershed Programs webpage and on the Alaska EWP webpage.
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