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Sunset at grasslands.
Grasslands The Prairie Coteau is one of the nation’s largest and best remaining grasslands located in southern North Dakota, eastern South Dakota and western Minnesota. © Richard Hamilton Smith

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TNC Receives $102.5 Million for Conservation Work Across Six States

USDA awards for work including grassland conservation, emissions reductions

October 23, 2024 | Arlington, VA

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Keeping streams in Maine free flowing for fish to thrive and preserving landscapes across the West are just some of the conservation projects that will ramp up thanks to $102.5 million in federal awards to The Nature Conservancy today.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced TNC received six awards under the Regional Conservation Partnership Program, or RCPP. The program empowers communities to find local, innovative solutions to complex natural resource challenges for watersheds and landscapes in partnership with agricultural producers.

The six awards to TNC are part of $1.5 billion awarded today to 92 partner-driven conservation projects by RCPP. The funding—made available through funding from both the Farm Bill and the Inflation Reduction Act—will enable work to conserve natural resources and combat climate change across the country.

“The Regional Conservation Partnership Program is one of the United States’ most important conservation tools for working lands,” said Bridget Collins, TNC’s senior policy advisor for agriculture. “It supports the work of those on the ground to do conservation that not only leads to real results but also makes sense for farmers, ranchers, forest landowners and communities.

“The infusion of funds from the Inflation Reduction Act and the Farm Bill has enabled a historic increase in the scale of impact of these awards and will benefit people and nature alike. We’re grateful to the U.S. Department of Agriculture for our long-term partnership and the faith the department has put in today’s awards. These are investments in our communities, our natural world and our shared future.”

Aerial of river.
Wabash River Basin Indiana received $15.7 million from the RCPP to influence broad adoption of edge-of-field and in-field conservation practices for the central Wabash River Basin. © Fauna Creative

Awarded projects:

  • Idaho - $19.4 million: To conserve 20,000 acres of climate-resilient landscapes and 40 stream miles through conservation easements.
  • Indiana - $15.7 million: To influence broad adoption of edge-of-field and in-field conservation practices for the central Wabash River Basin to address degraded water quality, inadequate habitat and necessary climate action.
  • Maine - $24.9 million: To improve native fish and wildlife species throughout Maine by upgrading road-stream crossings and other means of improved fish passage.
  • New Hampshire - $10 million: To help landowners implement climate-smart forest management practices.
  • Ohio - $12.6 million: To reduce enteric methane emissions from more than 51,000 milking cows by 20-30% in Ohio, Idaho, Indiana and Kansas.
  • South Dakota - $19.6 million: To conserve large uninterrupted spans of quality grasslands necessary to support current populations of wildlife, store carbon and increase the resiliency of South Dakota’s ranching community.

The Nature Conservancy is a global conservation organization dedicated to conserving the lands and waters on which all life depends. Guided by science, we create innovative, on-the-ground solutions to our world’s toughest challenges so that nature and people can thrive together. We are tackling climate change, conserving lands, waters and oceans at an unprecedented scale, providing food and water sustainably and helping make cities more sustainable. The Nature Conservancy is working to make a lasting difference around the world in 81 countries and territories (40 by direct conservation impact and 41 through partners) through a collaborative approach that engages local communities, governments, the private sector, and other partners. To learn more, visit nature.org or follow @nature_press on X.

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