North Central Florida Landowners and Producers Encouraged to Apply for 2025 Conservation Financial Assistance
August 28, 2024
Prescribed burn on private lands.
Gainesville, Florida – Alachua Conservation Trust (ACT) is accepting applications from private landowners for conservation and management across nearly 13 counties in North Florida. Landowners can now sign up through Friday, November 1, 2024 for financial assistance to implement land management practices benefiting wildlife habitat, timber stand improvement, and to protect water quality. Eligible lands include non-industrial forests, grazing lands, and some crop lands.
As part of its Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) through the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), ACT is focused on two specific geographic areas known as the Forest to Gulf with up to $400,000 available, and Surface to Springs with approximately $200,000 available in financial assistance to landowners in 2025. Learn more about these two RCPP projects here.
These project areas include portions of Alachua, Bradford, Citrus, Columbia, Gilchrist, Hernando, Lafayette, Levy, Marion, Putnam, Sumter, Suwannee and Union counties.
The USDA-NRCS and ACT partner through RCPP to address on-farm, watershed, and regional natural resource concerns in the Lake to Lagoon, Forest to Gulf and Surface to Springs RCPP Project Areas. By leveraging collective resources and collaborating on common goals, RCPP demonstrates the power of public-private partnerships in delivering results for agriculture and conservation.
RCPP land management contracts are administered by USDA-NRCS and are similar to other USDA-NRCS financial assistance programs, such as the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP). To be eligible, landowners must register with the Farm Service Agency.
The Forest to Gulf, and Surface to Springs projects focus on conservation of forest and grassland habitat for wildlife, and groundwater protection. Priority land management practices include, but are not limited to, prescribed burning, tree planting, brush management, well decommissioning, prescribed grazing, irrigation water management, nutrient management, and pasture/hay planting.
Interested landowners in the Forest to Gulf and Surface to Springs areas can contact ACT at (352) 373-1078 or by email at forest2gulfrcpp@alachuaconservationtrust.org or surface2springsrcpp@alachuaconservationtrust.org. ACT staff is available to assist landowners with understanding USDA procedures, submitting applications and planning prior to contracting.
Since 2022, ACT has facilitated more than $638,000 in NRCS financial assistance contracts to 34 landowners to treat resources concerns in the Forest to Gulf and Surface to Springs project areas.
ACT is also leading a new five-year Lake to Lagoon RCPP project in East Central Florida with a focus on enhancing climate resiliency through land management as well as a conservation easement purchase program to protect environmentally sensitive landscapes and working lands. Details about open enrollment for the Lake to Lagoon RCPP project can be found here.
THE SIGN UP DEADLINE IS FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 2024
Contact ACT or your local NRCS office for more information and application.
Alachua Conservation Trust
7204 SE County Rd 234
Gainesville, FL 32641
Phone: (352) 373-1078
Forest to Gulf RCPP Email: forest2gulfrcpp@alachuaconservationtrust.org
Surface to Springs RCPP Email: surface2springsrcpp@alachuaconservationtrust.org
Map of all three ACT RCPP working areas.
USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender.
ABOUT ALACHUA CONSERVATION TRUST
ACT is an accredited regional non-profit land trust working to protect the natural, historic, scenic and recreational resources in and around North Central Florida. Since 1988, ACT has been instrumental in facilitating the conservation of 60,000 acres of Florida land, including the direct purchase and protection of over 27,000 acres. ACT primarily works in 22 counties, owns and manages over 6,000 acres, and has collaborated with private landowners to protect an additional 6,850 acres through conservation easements.
ABOUT NRCS RCPP
Since inception, RCPP has made 717 awards involving over 4,000 partner organizations.
Inflation Reduction Act Boosts Voluntary Conservation Programs. Through the Inflation Reduction Act, USDA has enrolled more farmers and more acres in voluntary conservation programs than at any point in history, following a backlog that has existed for years. In 2023, USDA enrolled nearly 5,300 additional producers in conservation programs across all 50 states (above what otherwise would have been possible through Farm Bill and appropriations funding), which will provide significant climate mitigation benefits. This includes:
● $100 million through the Agricultural Conservation Easement Program (ACEP);
● $250 million through the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP); and
● $250 million through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP).
Banner image by Alison Blakeslee.
