DAVIS, Calif., April 9, 2025 - The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in California is accepting Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) applications for the following initiatives: Working Lands for Wildlife – Sage Grouse Initiative (SGI), Tricolored Blackbird, Joint Chiefs Landscape Restoration Project (JCLRP), National Water Quality Initiative (NWQI), WaterSmart Initiative and Livestock-Predator Interaction Management through May 30, 2025. Applications will be selected based on available funding for projects within each initiative.

“NRCS California remains committed to expanding our technical and financial and assistance programs and engaging with more farmers and ranchers to protect valuable resources at the same time ensuring their farming and ranching goals are being met” said NRCS California State Conservationist Carlos Suarez.

SGI focuses on enhancing sagebrush habitat on private lands by addressing negative impacts to grazing operations while concurrently maximizing benefits to sage grouse populations. In California, invading conifers and invasive annual grasses can degrade annual rangelands. Eligible producers must operate within the Sage Grouse Priority Area, which includes parts of Modoc, Mono, Lassen, Plumas, Sierra, Alpine and Inyo counties, and the eastern edge of Tuolumne, Madera and Fresno counties.

In partnership with Audubon California, the Tricolored Blackbird Initiative assists farmers with Tricolored Blackbird nesting in their winter silage fields by providing incentive payments to delay harvest until the young birds have fledged. Eligible producers for the EQIP Tricolored Blackbird initiative must have Tricolored Blackbirds present on their property in a winter silage crop.

JCLRP is a collaboration between NRCS, US Forest Service, and local partners to reduce wildfire threat, protect water quality and improve wildlife habitat. Eligible producers must operate within one of the following California JCLRP project areas: Forest Health and Fire Resilient Rural Communities in Trinity County or Eagle Lake Susan River Watersheds in Lassen and Plumas counties.

NWQI targets small watersheds with impaired waterbodies. Producers in the NWQI watersheds are encouraged to apply for conservation practices that promote soil health, reduce erosion and reduce nutrient runoff. Eligible producers operate within the following priority watersheds: Calleguas Creek, Clear Lake, Lower Salinas, Pescadero Creek and Salt River.

The WaterSmart Initiative is a collaboration between NRCS and the United States Bureau of Reclamation (USBR) to partner with water districts (WD), Water Storage District (WSD), Irrigation District (ID), Water Conservation District (WCD), Groundwater Sustainability Agency (GSA), to improve water conservation and drought resilience. Eligible producers operate within WaterSmart priority areas, defined by water district boundaries for each approved project. Project areas include: Westlands WD, Buena Vista WSD, Delano-Earlimart ID, Fresno ID, Ivanhoe ID, Kaweah Delta WCD, Lower Tule River ID, Madera ID, Merced ID, North Kern WSD, Pixley ID, Rosedale-Rio Bravo WSD, Tranquillity ID, Tulare ID, Eastern Municipal WD and McMullin Area GSA.

Livestock-Predator Interaction Management focuses on areas of known predator presence and proximity to confirmed depredation of livestock. The initiative is focused on reducing conflict between livestock and wolves by utilizing non-lethal deterrents and provide assistance for better management of livestock to reduce interactions with predators. Eligible counties are determined by California Department Fish and Wildlife monitoring and include Butte, Del Norte, Fresno, Humboldt, Lassen, Mendocino, Modoc, Nevada, Placer, Plumas, Shasta, Sierra, Siskiyou, Tehama, Trinity and Tulare counties.

How to Apply
For questions regarding eligible practices and the application process, please contact your local NRCS Service Center.

The deadline to apply for these initiatives is May 30, 2025.

Since its inception in 1935, NRCS has worked in partnership with private landowners and a variety of local, state, and federal conservation partners to deliver conservation based on specific, local needs. Please visit www.ca.nrcs.usda.gov for more information about NRCS.
 

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