Producers Have Jan. 15 Deadline to Apply for Grassland Bird Habitat Funding

LINCOLN – Producers in south central and southeastern Nebraska have until Jan. 15 to apply for funding to help improve grasslands for grazing and wildlife.

A partnership has been formed among the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, the U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), Pheasants Forever, Audubon Nebraska, and other entities through the Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP). The Grassland Bird Initiative will provide RCPP funding to 15 counties.

Through the Grassland Bird Initiative, NRCS provides financial and technical assistance to farmers and ranchers to improve habitat for grassland birds such as bobwhite quail and greater prairie-chicken. Eligible lands include cropland, rangeland, pastureland, and odd areas.

Producers in the Grassland Bird Initiative area may apply for RCPP funding by visiting an NRCS office in the Initiative area. The Grassland Bird Initiative area encompasses the following counties: Franklin, Furnas, Gage, Harlan, Jefferson, Johnson, Lancaster, Nemaha, Nuckolls, Otoe, Pawnee, Richardson, Saline, Thayer, and Webster.

Cost share of up to 75 percent is available to install management practices. Management practices eligible for financial assistance include: payment for resting rangeland, prescribed fire, fencing materials and watering facilities for livestock, brush management, converting cropland to grassland bird habitat, grazing management and more.

For more information about the RCPP or to find an NRCS office, visit: http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/site/ne/home/.