Portland, Ore., May 13, 2022 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) awarded NRCS Oregon $13,322,220 in additional funding for the Agricultural Conservation Easement Program – Wetland Reserve Easements (ACEP-WRE). The WRE program protects wetlands from development.

The additional funds will allow NRCS to continue work with private landowners, The Nature Conservancy and other partners to protect, in perpetuity, the remaining 10,735 acres of the 30,539 Sycan Marsh preserve in Klamath Basin. The preserve is home to thousands of birds, threatened fish and aquatic species.

May is American Wetlands Month. NRCS Oregon celebrates the work private landowners have done to help wetlands thrive across the state. In Oregon, private landowners have worked with NRCS to enroll 60,365 acres in wetlands easements.

Wetland easements have helped many species rebound after being threatened or listed on the Endangered Species List. In April 2022, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service proposed to delist Nelson’s checker-mallow from the Endangered Species Act. This success largely occurred on private lands enrolled in conservation easement programs across Oregon's Willamette Valley. (The delisting announcement is open for public comment through June 27, 2022.)

Wetlands are one of our most productive ecosystems, protecting plants and providing habitat for wildlife to include endangered or threatened species. They filter water, reduce soil loss, sequester carbon from the atmosphere, reduce flooding and recharge groundwater. Wetlands even provide recreational opportunities like hunting and fishing.

NRCS accepts WRE applications year-round. Contact your local USDA Service Center to learn more and apply. 

Release No.: 2022-05-003
Contact: Chris Chapa
503-414-3248
Chris.Chapa@usda.gov

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