Programs

Find a Service Center

Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program 2009

The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) is now seeking applications for the Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program (WHIP). The 2008 Farm Bill has reauthorized the WHIP until 2012. The purpose of the Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program (WHIP) is to help participants develop fish and wildlife habitat on private agricultural land, nonindustrial private forest land, and Indian land.

The 2008 Farm Bill has made some significant changes to the Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program that could impact potential program participants. Potential applicants should consider the following changes:

Eligible Lands:

Private agricultural land;
Nonindustrial private forest land;
Tribal land.

Agricultural lands means cropland, grassland, rangeland, pasture, and other land determined by NRCS to be suitable for fish and wildlife habitat development, on which agricultural and forest-related products or livestock are produced. Agricultural lands may include cropped woodland, marshes, incidental areas included in the agricultural operation, and other types of land used for production of livestock.

Nonindustrial private forestland means rural land, as determined by the Secretary, that has existing tree cover or is suitable for growing trees; and is owned by any nonindustrial private individual, group, association, corporation, Indian tribe, or other private legal entity that has definitive decision-making authority over the land.

Ineligible Lands:

Public Lands: State, county and local government lands will no-longer be eligible to participate in WHIP.

Cost-share payments:

Payments made or attributed to a participant, directly or indirectly, may not exceed, in the aggregate, $50,000 per year.

Historically underserved producers, and Indian tribes may receive the applicable payment rate and an additional rate that is not less than 25 percent above the applicable rate, provided that this increase does not exceed 90 percent of the estimated incurred costs associated with the conservation practice.

The focus of this program in Rhode Island is to restore habitat types that have been identified by existing local, state, and federal restoration planning initiatives and NRCS partnerships. These habitats include:

Coastal Habitats (Anadromous/Catadromous Fish Runs, Coastal marshes, and Eelgrass meadows)

Freshwater Wetlands, Vernal Pools & Riparian Habitats (including rivers and floodplain buffers)

Upland Habitats of State significance-Early successional habitats- (such as warm season grasslands, early successional forest and shrub-scrub habitat) and Oak/pitch pine barrens, and unfragmented interior forest

Restoration of native habitats impacted by invasive species

To apply you must complete the following application materials (It looks like a lot, but this is actually very easy to complete):

NRCS CPA 1200 Conservation Program Application with signed Appendix

If necessary, CCC-501 Form Member information for businesses, entities, or joint operations

AD-1026 Highly Erodible Lands Conservation and Wetland Conservation Compliance form. To complete Contact the Farm Service Agency at 401-828-3120.

CCC-926 Adjusted Gross Income to be filed with the Farm Service Agency (To complete contact the Farm Service Agency at 401-828-3120).

http://www.ri.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/factsheets/WHIP.html . For assistance in completing applications contact Andrew Lipsky at 401-822-8842 or Joseph Bachand at 401-822-8818.

Please Submit Application Materials to:

USDA NRCS
60 Quaker Lane, Suite 46
Warwick, RI 02886
Fax: 401-828-0433
For more information please call:
Michael Kenyon - 401.822.8821

These documents requires Adobe Acrobat.