The U.S. Department of Agriculture is accepting applications from landowners to restore and preserve wetlands in the Western Lake Erie Basin. The USDA wants to restore wetlands in the watershed to improve water quality as well as provide wildlife habitat and other conservation benefits.

USDA accepting applications for wetland easements

The USDA has $562,400 in funding from the Regional Conservation Partnership Program to purchase easements and restore wetlands in the Western Lake Erie Basin. Landowners with land that was once a wetland can apply to enroll land into a wetland reserve easement. Applications must be submitted to the USDA by March 15. In Michigan, the Western Lake Erie Basin includes Lenawee and Monroe counties and portions of Branch, Hillsdale, Jackson, Washtenaw and Wayne counties.

Through the Agricultural Conservation Easement Program the USDA purchases either a 30-year or permanent easement from the landowner and pays all or a portion of the cost of restoring the wetland. The landowner retains ownership of the land, controls access to the property, and can use the land for recreational purposes such as hunting and fishing.

Applications received by the USDA for wetland reserve easements are selected on a competitive basis based on if the land can be cost-effectively restored and its potential for protecting and enhancing wildlife habitat. Restoring wetlands has many conservation benefits including; improving water quality by filtering runoff following rain and snow melt, reducing the frequency and magnitude of floods by storing water, recharging ground water, and providing valuable habitat for waterfowl, amphibians and other plants and animals.

Landowners interested in enrolling land in wetland reserve easement should contact their local USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service office. A listing of NRCS offices can be found online at www.mi.nrcs.usda.gov.