Articles tagged under: wetlands
Grants Awarded in Prairie Pothole Region
Published May 29, 2020
The Migratory Bird Conservation Commission has approved $22 million to conserve or restore more than 160,000 acres of wetlands and habitat. Multi-million dollar grants will target the Prairie Pothole Region in North Dakota, Minnesota and South Dakota. Land will be…FWS Finalizes Wetlands Appeals Process
Published March 10, 2020
A new appeals process is in place for farmers and ranchers impacted by wetlands easements. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has finalized the administrative process for appealing the wetlands maps and resolve questions about conservation compliance. The agency has…Abuse Cited for Wetland Determination Appeals
Published September 19, 2019
American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall is urging USDA to change its appeals process for wetland determinations. The letter follows a recent federal court decision that found fault with the NRCS appeals process. Duvall said farmers and ranchers are…More Transparency Promised in Wetlands Determinations
Published May 15, 2019
USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service is meeting with stakeholders and working through the public comments on the interim wetlands rule. Conservation compliance and water management regulations have caused heartburn in the past, particularly in the Prairie Pothole Region. NRCS Chair…ND Farmers Looking for Certainty in Wetland Regulations
Published February 14, 2019
Earlier this year, North Dakota agriculture groups filed comments on USDA’s interim final rule on wetlands. Attorney Kale Van Bruggen says the NRCS was really trying to say they want to make existing policies more permanent. He is unclear on the…Wetland Mitigation Milestone in SD
Published January 10, 2019
The first wetland mitigation credits have been released in South Dakota. The South Dakota Farm Bureau is administrating a federal USDA grant for the wetland mitigation bank. The first land in the program is located in Deuel County.USDA Updating Its Conservation Compliance Rule
Published December 10, 2018
The interim rule does not change the definition of a wetland for farm program purposes, but provides more consistency in how NRCS makes determinations nationwide. USDA Undersecretary Bill Northey says the Agriculture Department listened to its stakeholders to make these…Trump Administration May Make Changes to Wetlands Determinations
Published July 23, 2018
Agri-Pulse is reporting that USDA will soon announce an interim final rule that will make changes for wetlands determination. The changes include the certification of wetlands determinations made between 1990 and 1996 and streamline the Swampbuster exemptions that can be…