Soil & Water Conservation Grants

Wetlands control nearby ground water and erosion.

Ancillary agencies of executive branch cabinet departments within the United States federal government disperse grants for soil and water conservation via a number of specialty administrative divisions under their supervision. The departments of Agriculture and Interior are two major players in promoting soil and water conservation efforts.

National Resources Conservation Service

As part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the National Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) administers a number of grants through the Conservation Innovation Grant Program. The purpose of the grant program, as stated by the NRCS, is to promote the development and practice of "innovative conservation approaches and technologies" while protecting the environment through refined agricultural techniques. Grants procured through the program must be partially financed up to 50 percent by the recipient of the award through cash and in-kind contributions. This particular program offers both a national and state competition for grant funds.

NRCS State Projects

Examples of programs funded by NRCS grants include those dispersed through the Agriculture and Land-Based Training Association, which have funded efforts to train beginning and disadvantaged California farmers in agricultural practices that utilize conservation techniques. Via the Forest Guild, NRCS grant awards have funded innovations in maintaining sustainable forests, an important component of soil conservation. For instance, in 2010, $147,057 was awarded to a project that worked toward improving forest sustainability. The project involved the states of Connecticut, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Vermont.

Fish and Wildlife Service

Under the umbrella of the U.S. Department of the Interior, the Fish and Wildlife Service manages a number of grants aimed toward conserving natural resources. Although many of the grant awards through the Fish and Wildlife Service go to fund projects that benefit ecosystems and endangered species, the results provide for soil and water conservation. A prime example is the North American Wetlands Conservation Act of 1989, which established funding to award matching grants to projects that support wetlands conservation, a crucial component of water conservation. The Wetland Conservation program funds both standard long-term regional projects and state-specific smaller projects.

National Park Service

Correspondingly, under the auspices of the Department of the Interior, the National Park Service administers the U.S. Land and Water Conservation Fund. Established in the early 1960s, funding via this entity goes "to assist states in planning, acquisition and development of recreation resources and to finance new federal recreation lands." Projects involving new and existing federal lands promote soil and water conservation through protection of natural resources on a wide scale.

References

• NRCS: Conservation Innovation Fact Sheet
• NRCS: Conservation Innovation Program Description
• National Park Service: State Land and Water Conservation Fund
• National Park Service: State Land and Water Conservation Fund History
• U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service: Grants
• U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service: North American Wetlands Conservation Act