Funding available for landowner conservation projects across Missouri

Conservation Funding Opportunities in Missouri

JEFFERSON CITY, MO, OCT. 23, 2023 – The Missouri Department of Natural Resources encourages landowners who are interested in supporting conservation efforts to consider several funding opportunities now available.

The list below includes seven projects with the Regional Conservation Partnership Program of the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service. Applications for this round of program funding must be received by Nov. 17, 2023. Visit farmers.gov/working-with-us/service-center-locator to find and contact your local NRCS office for more information about these programs and projects.

Program Restoring & Improving Monarch Ecosystems

The Program Restoring & Improving Monarch Ecosystems aims to increase monarch and pollinator habitat in northwest Missouri through land management practices, targeting lands currently enrolled in and expiring from the Conservation Reserve Program. Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever are the lead partners on this project. It is open to landowners in the following counties:

• Andrew
• Atchison
• Benton
• Buchanan
• Caldwell
• Carroll
• Cass
• Clay
• Clinton
• Daviess
• DeKalb
• Gentry
• Grundy
• Harrison
• Henry
• Holt
• Jackson
• Johnson
• Lafayette
• Livingston
• Mercer
• Nodaway
• Pettis
• Platte
• Ray
• Saline
• Worth

Precision Farm Data & Strategic Buffer Project

The Precision Farm Data & Strategic Buffer Project focuses on utilizing on-farm yield data to identify non-profitable or marginal cropland acres to strategically establish field borders, pollinator habitat, wetlands, and maximize profitability while improving water quality and wildlife habitat. The Missouri Department of Conservation is the lead partner on this project. It is open to landowners in the following counties:

• Chariton
• Lafayette
• Linn
• Macon
• Pettis
• Randolph
• Saline

Restoring Glade and Woodland Communities for Threatened Species in the Ozarks of Southeast Missouri

The Restoring Glade and Woodland Communities for Threatened Species in the Ozarks of Southeast Missouri is a restoration effort for glade, woodland, and forest habitats on private land for at-risk species such as the Indiana Bat, Gray Bat, Mead’s Milkweed, Hine’s Emerald Dragonfly, Ozark Hellbender, and the Grotto Sculpin. The Missouri Department of Conservation is the lead partner on this project. It is open to landowners in the following counties:

• Bollinger
• Butler
• Carter
• Iron
• Madison
• Oregon
• Perry
• Reynolds
• Ripley
• Shannon
• St. Francois
• Ste. Genevieve
• Wayne

Sand Prairie Restoration Partnership Program

The Sand Prairie Restoration Partnership Program focuses on restoring and protecting sand prairie communities on private land through voluntary perpetual easements. The Missouri Department of Conservation is the lead partner on this project. It is open to landowners in the following counties:

• Butler
• Dunklin
• Mississippi
• New Madrid
• Pemiscot
• Scott
• Stoddard

Missouri Targeted Conservation

Missouri Targeted Conservation aims to identify areas within a watershed where identified conservation practices can achieve the most economically efficient loss reductions for sediment, nutrients, and pathogens into waterways. The Missouri Department of Natural Resources is the lead partner on this project. The following watersheds have been identified as the focus areas in Missouri:

1. Blackwater
2. Cahokia-Joachim
3. South Fork Salt
4. Little Osage
5. Thompson
6. Upper Grand
7. Little River Ditches
8. Lower Missouri-Moreau

James River Headwaters RCPP

James River Headwaters RCPP supports the protection of clean drinking water, improving farming communities, and assisting municipalities in meeting federal water-quality requirements to improve aquatic ecosystems within the James River headwaters area. The Watershed Committee of the Ozarks Inc. is the lead partner on this project. It is open to landowners in the following counties:

• Greene
• Webster

East Locust Creek Source Water Protection Project

The East Locust Creek Source Water Protection Project aims to prevent nonpoint source runoff from entering the East Locust Creek Reservoir. The North Central Missouri Regional Water Commission is the lead partner on this project. It is open to landowners in the following counties:

• Sullivan County
• Putnam County

Another opportunity open to Missouri landowners is applying to the Fishers & Farmers Partnership for the Upper Mississippi River Basin for up to $100,000 of funding for projects designed

SDGs, Targets, and Indicators in the Article

1. SDGs Addressed or Connected to the Issues Highlighted in the Article

• SDG 15: Life on Land – The article discusses various conservation efforts and projects aimed at restoring and improving ecosystems, protecting habitats, and promoting sustainable land management practices.
• SDG 14: Life Below Water – The article mentions a funding opportunity for projects designed to improve fish habitats in the Upper Mississippi River Basin.
• SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation – The article highlights projects focused on protecting water sources, improving water quality, and reducing nonpoint source runoff.

2. Specific Targets Under Those SDGs Based on the Article’s Content

• SDG 15.1: By 2020, ensure the conservation, restoration, and sustainable use of terrestrial and inland freshwater ecosystems and their services, in particular forests, wetlands, mountains, and drylands, in line with obligations under international agreements. (Target relevant to the restoration and improvement of ecosystems mentioned in the article)
• SDG 14.2: By 2020, sustainably manage and protect marine and coastal ecosystems to avoid significant adverse impacts, including by strengthening their resilience, and take action for their restoration to achieve healthy and productive oceans. (Target relevant to the funding opportunity for improving fish habitats mentioned in the article)
• SDG 6.3: By 2030, improve water quality by reducing pollution, eliminating dumping and minimizing release of hazardous chemicals and materials, halving the proportion of untreated wastewater, and substantially increasing recycling and safe reuse globally. (Target relevant to the projects focused on protecting water sources and improving water quality mentioned in the article)

3. Indicators Mentioned or Implied in the Article

• Number of acres of monarch and pollinator habitat increased in northwest Missouri (indicator for SDG 15.1)
• Number of non-profitable or marginal cropland acres identified and converted into field borders, pollinator habitat, and wetlands (indicator for SDG 15.1)
• Number of glade, woodland, and forest habitats restored on private land in Southeast Missouri (indicator for SDG 15.1)
• Number of sand prairie communities restored and protected on private land (indicator for SDG 15.1)
• Reduction in sediment, nutrients, and pathogens entering waterways in identified focus areas (indicator for SDG 6.3)
• Improvement in water quality in the East Locust Creek Reservoir (indicator for SDG 6.3)
• Number of projects implemented to improve fish habitats in priority watersheds (indicator for SDG 14.2)

Table: SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

Behold! This splendid article springs forth from the wellspring of knowledge, shaped by a wondrous proprietary AI technology that delved into a vast ocean of data, illuminating the path towards the Sustainable Development Goals. Remember that all rights are reserved by SDG Investors LLC, empowering us to champion progress together.

Source: dnr.mo.gov

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