Wetland Reserve Easement program for landowners available

The 2023 Application Deadline for the USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service' Wetland Reserve Easement Program is Feb. 17. The WRE program is a voluntary program in which landowners can enter into an agreement with NRCS to restore wetlands on their land. Wetland Reserve Easements provide habitat for fish and wildlife, including threatened and endangered species; improve water quality by filtering sediments and chemicals; reduce flooding; recharge groundwater; protect biological diversity; provide resilience to climate change; and provide opportunities for educational, scientific and limited recreational activities. Land eligible for wetland reserve easements includes privately held farmed or converted wetland that can be successfully and cost-effectively restored. NRCS will prioritize applications based on the easement's potential for protecting and enhancing habitat for migratory birds and other wildlife. Wetland Reserve enrollment options include: Permanent easements : Permanent easements are conservation easements in perpetuity. NRCS pays 100 percent of the easement value for the purchase of the easement. Additionally, in Ohio, NRCS pays 100 percent of the restoration costs. 30-year easements: Thirty-year easements expire after 30 years. Under 30-year easements, in Ohio, NRCS pays 75 percent of the easement value for the purchase of the easement. Additionally, NRCS pays 75 percent of the restoration costs. 30-year contracts: Thirty-year contracts are only available to enroll acreage owned by Indian tribes and program payment rates are commensurate with 30-year easements. Please call your local NRCS Service Center for more information at 440-323-5648, ext. 3. SWCD annual meeting held in Wellington Recently the Lorain Soil & Water Conservation District in cooperation with the Lorain County Farm Bureau held its annual meeting at the Wellington Eagles Aerie 2051 in Wellington. Highlights of the meeting included the election of two supervisors to the district's board of supervisors. Incumbent William Schlechter and newcomer Ian Wilkshire were elected to serve three-year terms beginning Jan. 1. They both will be serving alongside current Lorain SWCD Board members Jessica Doehr, Roger Nikiforow and Angela Schriver. The board would like to thank William "Bill" Forthofer for his three years of serving on the board. Larry & Ron Baumann's Firelands Farms received recognition as the Conservation Cooperator of the Year. The Conservation Cooperator of the Year award is the premier conservation award that the Lorain SWCD awards annually since the 1940s. Recipients over the years have been a who's who of Lorain County agricultural conservation innovators. The award is presented annually to individual landowners who do an outstanding job of protecting and promoting soil stewardship.