Iowa Wetlands Reserve Program

Iowa Wetlands Information

• Iowa Wetlands Reserve Program Information

Overview

The USDA Wetlands Reserve Program (WRP), Emergency Wetlands Reserve Program and a few other wetlands restoration programs are being credited with turning the tide of wetlands loss in Iowa to the extent that the state may no longer have a net loss of wetlands each year but a net gain.

Wetlands restoration in Iowa is focused in the 35 county area in north central Iowa called the Prairie Pothole area, and along river and stream corridors throughout the state.

                                                                      

 


Site before and after restoration

As of December 13, 2000, NRCS total wetland projects in some stage of restoration in Iowa numbered 909, covering 102,707 acres. Of those restored wetlands projects, 423 are WRP projects, covering 45,886 acres.

Iowa landowners are interested in the wetland restoration programs for both environmental and economic reasons. The primary reason for participation is economic. Continuing to farm wet or frequently flooded marginal soils gives less financial return than does a wetland easement in a USDA program.  Also important to the farmers entering the programs are the benefits wetlands give to wildlife and water quality.

Iowa's wetland restoration goal is to reestablish wetland ecosystems. Restoration activities typically include tile breaks, ditch plugs, shallow excavations, water control structures, and seedings of native grasses and forbs.

Benefits

Most noticeable benefits are increases in wildlife, educational use, recreational use, and in many cases reduced damages from flooding.

Landowner Interest High

While Iowa farmers lead the nation in number of WRP easements, there is still a backlog of farmers waiting to enter the program. There are 369 landowners who have unfunded, ranked applications, and many others who have not signed applications because they would rank lower.  Iowa landowners have an interest in wildlife habitat and in cleaner water, but the driving force behind wetlands restoration is an economic one.  Farmers restoring wetlands say the margin of profit in farming incompletely drained or frequently flooded land is just too small.  They are tired of fighting frequent floods and wet soils in the areas they are restoring as wetlands.

The WRP ranking approach in Iowa favors sites that maximize environmental and wildlife benefits.  Favorable projects include larger linear blocks of land that enable NRCS to efficiently restore and manage the project area and that result in large, non-fragmented wildlife areas.

Partnerships

Primary partners of the USDA/NRCS and their wetland restoration role are as follows:

US Fish and Wildlife Service - Helps with easement development and fee title ownership, including appraisals, title clearing, and recording; closes on fee title acquisition with the landowner.

Iowa Department of Natural Resources - Helps locate interested landowners; facilitates application, easement development and exchange of fee title; helps set program priorities.

Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation - Helps locate landowners; easement development by helping landowners make land trades; in some cases serves as the holder of lands for landowners until the easement is recorded.

County Conservation Boards - Helps locate eligible sites; in some cases acquires fee title; assists in restoration and site management.

Soil and Water Conservation Districts - Helps designate priority areas; promotes WRP to landowners and others; provides staff for technical assistance in restoration and management.

Pheasants Forever - Promotes WRP through local chapters; provides native warm season grass and forb seed to landowners for restoration activities; provides management help to landowners.

Ducks Unlimited - Provides funds for certain restorations; helps fund a field person in a critical four county area in northern Iowa.

Contact

Marty Adkins, 515-284-4769

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