The Wetlands Reserve Program is a voluntary program offering landowners the opportunity to protect, restore, and enhance wetlands on their property. The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) provides technical and financial support to help landowners with their wetland restoration efforts. The NRCS goal is to achieve the greatest wetland functions and values, along with optimum wildlife habitat, on every acre enrolled in the program. This program offers landowners an opportunity to establish long-term conservation and wildlife practices and protection.

The Wetlands Reserve Program (WRP) was established by the 1990 Farm Bill. The program has become a popular, cost-effective, and ecologically successful voluntary, incentive-based wetlands restoration program. WRP provides incentives to farmers and ranchers to stop cultivating areas that were once wetlands and make them wetlands again. WRP met the acreage limit established prior to the 2002 Farm Bill. However, Congress raised the program’s total acreage enrollment limit to 2,275,000 acres. This action enables WRP to continue to be a viable option for the nation’s private landowners who want to restore wetlands through 2007. As of fiscal year 2004, 8396 projects have been enrolled on 1,633,398 acres. Landowner interest in the program remains strong. NRCS anticipates enrolling 154,500 acres in fiscal year 2005. On Earth Day 2004, President George W. Bush announced a new strategy for increasing wetlands acres and quality and established an aggressive new national goal—moving beyond the “no net loss” of wetlands to have an overall increase of wetlands each year. The President’s goal is to create, improve, and protect at least three million wetland acres over the next five years. WRP can help accomplish this. For more information, visit www.whitehouse.gov/infocus/environment/index-cont.html

Landowners have three program participation options:

• Short-term 10-year restoration cost-share agreements,
• Mid-term 30-year conservation easements, and
• Permanent easements.

NRCS provides financial assistance in the form of easement payments and restoration cost-share assistance, and technical assistance for restoration and wetland management.

Enrolled lands are mostly marginal, high-risk, flood prone restorable agricultural wetlands. All states and Puerto Rico have active WRP projects. The top 10 states in terms of enrollment are Louisiana, Arkansas, Mississippi, California, Florida, Missouri, Iowa, Texas, Minnesota, and Oklahoma. Nationally, the full average project cost per acre is approximately $1,470. In FY 2004 the average project size was approximately 188 acres.

Landowners participating in WRP continue to control access, have use of non-developed recreational activities such as hunting and fishing, and maintain the right to lease the recreational uses of their land for financial gain. At any time during the contract period, landowners may request NRCS approval of other uses that are compatible with wetland and wildlife conservation objectives of the program. WRP funds and subsequent lease revenue provide financial relief to landowners and reduce future disaster assistance needs.

-- Source: NRCS / Florida NRCS

Available Resources

• NRCS Policy: Conservation Programs Manual - WRP - Part 514

Fact Sheet (50.04 KB) - Under Revision
Questions and Answers (48.74 KB) - Under Revision
Key Points (46.93 KB)
Program Description (54.54 KB) - Under Revision
Final Rule, 2002 Farm Bill — 7 CFR Part 1467 — June 7, 2002
Wetlands Reserve Enhancement Program

The Following Forms Are Available Online

Form AD-1153, Application for Long-Term Contracted Assistance

Form AD-1159, Notice of Intent to Continue

Form AD-1161, Application for Payment

USDA Service Center EForms Web Site - for instructions and information

For other Easement Forms, please contact your local USDA Service Center.

Florida Program Contact

Ken Murray, Assistant State Conservationist, 352-338-9509