Preserve Rhode Island’s Ag Lands, Forestlands and Wetlands with USDA Conservation Easements

ACEP helps landowners, land trusts, and other entities protect, restore, and enhance wetlands or protect farmland and ranchland through conservation easements. ACEP has two components:

• Agricultural Land Easements (ALE) help private and tribal landowners, land trusts, and state and local governments to protect croplands and grasslands on working farms and ranches through conservation easements. Ag land easements can protect the long-term viability of Rhode Island’s food supply by preventing conversion of productive farmland to non-agricultural uses. Easements are crucial to protecting farmland from urban encroachment. Easements also can be used to protect floodplains, grasslands, and forests, providing public benefits like carbon sequestration, water quality, historic preservation, wildlife habitat, and open space protection.
• Wetland Reserve Easements (WRE) help private and tribal landowners protect, restore, and enhance wetlands that have been previously degraded by agricultural uses. Wetland easements enhance and protect habitat for wildlife, reduce flooding impacts, recharge groundwater, protect biological diversity, and provide outdoor recreational and educational opportunities. NRCS provides technical and financial assistance directly to private and tribal landowners to restore, protect, and enhance wetlands by purchasing easements, and eligible landowners can choose to enroll in a permanent or 30-year easement.

The RI Forest Health Works RCPP project aims to permanently protect over 1,300 acres of Rhode Island’s critical, privately owned forest lands to combat fragmentation and improve wildlife habitat. The project is currently accepting applications to protect forestland through U.S.-held easements, where landowners contract with NRCS to place a conservation easement.

NRCS accepts applications for conservation programs year-round but sets specific ranking dates to evaluate applications for funding. These dates account for farmer needs, staff workload and ensure potential participants have ample opportunity to apply.

• Easement applications for the RI Forest Health Works RCPP that meet eligibility and ranking criteria in targeted areas that are received by Nov. 13, 2024, will be considered for this first round of fiscal year 2025 funding.
• Applications for ACEP Ag Land Easements or Wetland Reserve Easements that meet eligibility and ranking criteria that are received by Dec. 20, 2024, will be considered for the second round of fiscal year 2025 funding.

Applications received after these ranking dates will be automatically deferred to the next funding period. Call or visit your local NRCS Field Office or Conservation District Office for more information. 

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