Wetland Reserve Program Special Project Area

The summary for the Wetland Reserve Program Special Project Area grant is detailed below. This summary states who is eligible for the grant, how much grant money will be awarded, current and past deadlines, Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) numbers, and a sampling of similar government grants. Verify the accuracy of the data FederalGrants.com provides by visiting the webpage noted in the Link to Full Announcement section or by contacting the appropriate person listed as the Grant Announcement Contact. If any section is incomplete, please visit the website for the Raleigh State Office, which is the U.S. government agency offering this grant.

Wetland Reserve Program Special Project Area: The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), North Carolina is requesting proposals for technical assistance to be made available on a continuous basis (Multi Year) to support Wetlands Reserve Program (WRP) applications and enrollment. Individual project assignments will be made by NRCS. The actual extent of project assignments will vary depending upon program applications within the sign up period. The objective of this assistance is to improve the timeliness of technical assistance for North Carolina landowners in the Upper Tar River Basin who want to receive assistance from WRP by increasing the level of technical assistance available to support the application, ranking, and easement acquisition activities associated with WRP. The objective of WRP is to help eligible landowners protect, restore, and enhance the original hydrology, native vegetation, and natural topography of eligible lands; restore and protect the functions and values of wetlands in the agricultural landscape; help achieve the national goal of no net loss of wetlands; and improve the general environment of the country. NRCS has designated the Upper Tar River as a WRP Special Projects Area and intends to acquire WRP easements over riparian corridor areas in the Upper Tar. The Upper Tar River ranks as one of the most ecologically important watersheds in the eastern seaboard due to its healthy aquatic system that harbors more than sixteen rare and endangered aquatic species, including the federal endangered Dwarfwedge and Tar River Spiny Mussels. The Tar River Spiny mussel exists nowhere else in the world. As part of the WRP, NRCS intends to acquire conservation easements from willing owners of eligible land. The duration of a WRP easement is either permanent or 30 years. There will be substantial involvement between NRCS and the recipient during the performance of the work, establishing a ?partnership? during performance. EVALUATION CRITERA 1. Experience in facilitating public participation in voluntary land conservation programs that benefit wildlife habitat and protect water quality. Evaluation will be based on the extent of experience in successfully working with landowners to voluntarily enter into long term conservation easements to restore, preserve and protect wildlife habitat and water quality; and knowledge of the easement acquisition process. 2. Knowledge of the Upper Tar River Basin. Evaluation will be based on knowledge and experience specific to the Upper Tar River Basin related to benefiting unique habitat types; rare, threatened, or endangered species; and water quality impacted by agricultural non-point pollution. 3. Experience and understanding related to USDA conservation programs, specifically WRP. Evaluation will be based on knowledge and experience with Farm Bill programs and specifically the intent and provisions of WRP. 4. Capacity to accomplish anticipated workload. Evaluation will consider office location, staff size, staff disciplines, and experience with similar projects. Experience should be related to identification and evaluation of significant riparian or wetland sites, using an ecological ranking system to prioritize sites, communicating program policies to landowners, facilitating the appraisal and survey process, and facilitating closing services.