Wetland Reserve Easements Tour NRCS Washington Office – Easement Program Division

The Tri-state Conservation Partnership (TCP) continues to advance the critically important habitat restoration work accomplished through NRCS’s Wetland Reserve Easements (WRE) program. The TCP hosted a tour, Feb 27 - Mar 3, of WRE/WRP sites in AR, LA & MS for the Washington Office (WO) Easement Program Division (EPD) staff. 

The tri-state tour’s primary purpose was to familiarize the WO EPD staff and leadership with work performed through NRCS easement programs and related partnerships in the Mississippi Alluvial Valley (MAV). The tour provided NRCS leaders in the three states, along with other key TCP partners, an opportunity to meet and talk with EPD staff to learn more about their priorities, goals, and objectives for the program. It also afforded a unique opportunity to highlight successes and challenges associated with delivering and managing the WRE program in the MAV. These include program process and delivery challenges, along with evolving opportunities and critical considerations associated with managing the breadth of existing easements established throughout the 30+-year-old program. The Tri-State area of AR, LA, and MS holds approximately a third (~750K) of the nation’s WRE/WRP acres.

The tour afforded an excellent opportunity, allowing partners to share success stories, experiences, and challenges with EPD leaders. There were approximately 30 NRCS staff and other TCP partners involved in the weeklong event. It also included a social on the second night that involved an additional 20 partners who work in support of the program in the MAV. Along with thanks to the many NRCS staff and other TCP partners who made the event a great success, special thanks are given to the Walton Family Foundation for its substantial financial support of the tour.