Fed Wildlife Habitat Assistance Available to Mass.Land Owners

[EditorBob]

Federal program available to help Massachusetts landowners improve wildlife habitat

AMHERST, Mass. (December 4, 2009) — Massachusetts landowners who would like technical and financial help protecting wildlife habitat and valuable ecosystems on their property should sign-up for the federal Wildlife Habitat Incentive Program (WHIP) by February 1, 2010. WHIP is a voluntary program administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS).

While WHIP sign-up is continuous throughout the year, land owners are encouraged to apply now in order for their applications to be reviewed and ranked for possible funding from the total $98,000 currently available for Massachusetts projects.

Interested landowners should contact their local NRCS field office at a USDA service center for more information. USDA service centers are listed on-line at http://offices.usda.gov or in the phone book under Federal Government, U.S. Department of Agriculture. General program information is available on the NRCS Massachusetts website at www.ma.nrcs.usda.gov.

Examples of eligible lands in Massachusetts include privately owned grasslands, shrub lands, and young forest, freshwater wetlands, upland oak forest, pitch pine/scrub oak habitat, coastal habitats, and rivers and streams.

Through the 2008 Farm Bill, WHIP now offers additional conservation practices to benefit forest land and pollinator habitat. The new Farm Bill also provides higher payment rates to beginning, socially disadvantaged and limited-resource farmers.

This year, landowners in areas of Barnstable, Berkshire, Hampden and Plymouth counties where known populations of the New England Cottontail rabbit exist may be eligible for a higher rate of compensation for adopting certain conservation practices for a minimum of 15 years.

The region’s only native rabbit, the New England Cottontail’s populations are declining because its preferred habitat – known as early successional habitat or thickets – has been reduced by aging forests, introduction of invasive plant species and development.

“In the last federal fiscal year, some 46 Massachusetts WHIP projects received a total of nearly $1.4 million for conservation practices that addressed early successional habitat, oak regeneration, timber stand improvement and pollinator habitat,” said Christine S. Clarke, State Conservationist for NRCS in Massachusetts. “USDA is committed to providing conservation tools and resources to ensure that Bay State land remains healthy and productive.”

The Natural Resources Conservation Service is an agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture that helps people conserve, maintain, and improve our natural resources and environment. NRCS has seven Massachusetts field offices in Greenfield, Hadley, Holden, Hyannis, Pittsfield, Westford, and West Wareham, which work with local conservation districts and other partners to serve farmers and landowners throughout the commonwealth.

If you have any questions or need more information, please call the public affairs contact above or your local office below.

BARNSTABLE FIELD OFFICE
270 Communications Way, Unit 1G
Hyannis, MA 02601
508-771-6476
Serving Cape Cod and the Islands

GREENFIELD FIELD OFFICE
55 Federal Street, Room 290
Greenfield, MA 01301
413-772-0384 ext 3
Serving Franklin County

HADLEY FIELD OFFICE
195 Russell Street, Suite B6
Hadley, MA 01035
413-585-1000 ext 3
Serving Hampden and Hampshire counties

HOLDEN FIELD OFFICE
52 Boyden Road, Room 10
Holden, MA 01520
508-829-4477 ext 3
Serving Worcester County

PITTSFIELD FIELD OFFICE
78 Center Street, Suite 206,
Pittsfield, MA 01201
413-443-1776 ext 3
Serving Berkshire County

WESTFORD FIELD OFFICE
319 Littleton Road, Suite 205
Westford, MA 01886
978-692-1904 ext 3
Serving Essex, Middlesex and Suffolk counties

WEST WAREHAM FIELD OFFICE
15 Cranberry Highway
West Wareham, MA 02576
508-295-5151 ext 2
Serving Bristol, Norfolk and Plymouth counties



Para informacion en español: 508-829-4477 ext. 110.


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Diane Baedeker Petit
Public Affairs Officer
United States Department of Agriculture
Natural Resources Conservation Service
451 West Street, Amherst, MA 01002
413-253-4371 phone
413-253-4375 fax
413-835-1276 cell
www.ma.nrcs.usda.gov