National Association of Conservation Districts

News Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

USDA AWARDS SIGNIFICANT PORTION OF MRBI FUNDS TO CONSERVATION DISTRICTS

WASHINGTON, D.C.—June 15, 2010—Today conservation districts in the Mississippi River Basin received more than $11 million of the $30 million awarded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to carry out projects that will help landowners implement conservation practices that prevent, control and trap nutrient runoff from agricultural land. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced today the selection of 75 projects in 12 states, and conservation districts are leading or heavily involved in more than half of the selected projects.

“The funding announced today by USDA is great news for conservation districts and their landowner customers,” said Steve Robinson, a producer from Marysville, Ohio, and President of the National Association of Conservation Districts. “Conservation districts are already leaders in improving the health of the Mississippi River Basin, and these additional funds will allow them to further expand their conservation reach and impact.”

Under the Mississippi River Basin Healthy Watersheds Initiative (MRBI), USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) will provide both technical and financial assistance over a four-year period for projects in Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Ohio, Tennessee and Wisconsin. The MRBI builds on efforts to address nutrient loading in the Mississippi River Basin. Nutrient loading contributes to both local water quality problems and the hypoxic zone in the Gulf of Mexico. MRBI is implemented through the Cooperative Conservation Partnership Initiative, the Wetland Reserve Enhancement Program and Conservation Innovation Grants. Partner organizations also contribute additional financial resources.

The funding announced today will help producers implement a system of conservation practices that will control soil erosion, improve soil quality and provide wildlife habitat. “Conservation districts help landowners identify and install practices that achieve environmental benefits every day,” Robinson said. “These awards are an important demonstration of districts’ ability to deliver conservation on a landscape-scale.”

These multi-year watershed projects were selected through a competitive process. Awardees will receive additional funding over the next three fiscal years. A listing of the projects by state and additional information about the MRBI are available at www.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/mrbi/mrbi_overview.html.

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The National Association of Conservation Districts is the non-profit organization that represents the nation's 3,000 conservation districts and 17,000 men and women who serve on their governing boards. For almost 70 years, local conservation districts have worked with cooperating landowners and managers of private working lands to help them plan and apply effective conservation practices. NACD's website is at www.nacdnet.org.