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2026 Announcement for the Middle Gunnison Partnership for Resilient Working Lands RCPP Project

This program announcement is applicable to Delta, Gunnison, and Montrose counties.

The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in Colorado and Colorado West Land Trust (CWLT) are announcing a funding opportunity through the USDA Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP). Producers within the Colorado project area identified on the map who are interested in Land Management and RCPP Entity Held Easement (EHE) activities have until January 31, 2026, to apply. The project area includes portions of Delta, Gunnison, and Montrose counties.

RCPP Land Management (LM):

To be eligible for consideration for this funding opportunity, an agricultural producer must have updated farm records with the Farm Service Agency (FSA), must be within the identified project area, and must meet all program eligibility requirements. Interested participants must meet the project specific criteria to be considered for funding.

The goals of this special funding opportunity are to:

• Assist producers improving wildlife habitat for native species by reintroducing and promoting natural ecological processes on their land
• Assist producers participating in conservation easement or other voluntary conservation programs
• Assist producers by addressing inadequate aquatic and terrestrial habitat for native wildlife and furthering the long-term protection of land

If you’re interested in seeking financial support for land management conservation, please contact us in advance of the deadline to learn how you can apply. Be sure to sign up early to take part in this funding opportunity. For additional information about applications contact David Varner, CWLT Project Manager, at 970-639-7017, or NRCS staff at 970-399-8204.

The Delta Service Center must receive fully completed application packets no later than 4:00 p.m. Mountain Standard Time (MST) on the 31^st of January to be considered.

RCPP Entity Held Easement (EHE):

If you are an agricultural producer wishing to enroll in a conservation easement, please know that you will need to work with Colorado West Land Trust to apply by the deadline. Applicants (eligible entities/land trusts) must be a federally recognized Indian Tribe, state or local units of government, or a non-governmental organization. Applicants must have an established farmland protection program that purchases conservation easements for the purpose of protecting conservation values.

USDA NRCS provides up to 50 percent of the appraised fair market value of the conservation easement in this voluntary program. The federal share is dependent upon US Right of Enforcement. The qualified landowner retains ownership and continues to use the land in a manner that protects the conservation values.

To be eligible to receive RCPP funding, eligible entity applicants must demonstrate a commitment to long-term conservation of lands; a capability to acquire, manage, and enforce easements; adequate staff capacity for monitoring and easement stewardship; and the availability of funds.

To determine if your easement application is eligible for this funding opportunity and for additional information about applications, contact Ilana Moir, CWLT Director of Conservation, at 970-639-7026 and ilana@cowestlandtrust.org; Renee Koch, NRCS Easement Program Manager, at 970-629-9464 and renee.koch@usda.gov; or Marissa Markus, NRCS RCPP Coordinator, at 719-342-9059 and marissa.markus@usda.gov.

Fully completed application packets must be received no later than 4:00 p.m. MST on the 31^st of January to be considered. Application packets may be sent to the attention of Easements Program Manager, by email (preferred) to renee.koch@usda.gov; by FedEx or UPS to USDA-NRCS, Southwest Corner of 6^th Ave. and Kipling St., Denver Federal Center, Building 56, Room 2400, Denver, CO 80225; or by USPS to USDA-NRCS, P.O. Box 25426, Denver, CO 80225-0426.

Applications postmarked or time stamped after these deadlines WILL NOT be accepted. Only fully completed and properly executed applications that are submitted by these sign-up dates on the appropriate forms and accompanied by all required supporting documentation will be considered for funding in fiscal year 2026 for RCPP EHE. All qualified applications will be reviewed, ranked, and considered for funding according to the Final RCPP EHE rule, policy, and guidance. Complete applications received after the cut-off date may be considered if another sign-up date is announced. Incomplete applications WILL NOT be considered.