The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service is reminding landowners that the Wetland Reserve Enhancement Project deadline is April 24.

The NRCS is accepting applications for technical and financial assistance to help conservation partners and landowners protect, restore and enhance critical wetlands on agricultural lands.

Restored wetlands improve water quality downstream and improve wildlife habitat, while also providing flood prevention and recreational benefits to communities. Funding will be provided through the NRCS Wetland Reserve Enhancement Partnership (WREP), part of the Agricultural Conservation Easement Program (ACEP).

Over the years, Missouri has lost approximately 90% of its historical wetlands, according to J.R. Flores, state conservationist. The goal of WREP, he says, is to assist landowners in protecting, enhancing and restoring wetlands.

There are 1,094 WREP easements in Missouri. Easements enable landowners to adopt a variety of conservation practices that improve the function and condition of wetlands. The voluntary nature of the NRCS easement programs enables effective integration of wetland restoration on working landscapes, providing benefits to farmers and ranchers who enroll in the program, as well as benefits to the local and rural communities where the wetlands exist.

This year, NRCS is encouraging partners to propose projects that focus on improving water quality as well as habitat on working landscapes in high-priority areas. More information is available on NRCS' ACEP webpage.