USDA to spend $32 million on wetlands restoration

A $32 million set of projects across seven states in the Mississippi River Basin, from Iowa to Louisiana, will restore a variety of wetland types. The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced this morning its plans to work with state agencies and private groups to embark upon water quality and wetlands restoration projects. The bulk of the money, $20 million, will go to restoration of hardwood bottomland along the Mississippi River, from Wickliff, Ky., to Baton Rouge. The work will focus on acreage in the batture, or land between the water’s edge and the levee. The rich land floods regularly and supports a variety of wildlife. The project will involve more than 7,280 acres this year and up to 30,000 acres when completed. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack says the program—run through the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service and including enlistment of private landowners to help restore wetlands they own—is targeting areas with “pressing natural resources issues.” The project along the Mississippi River will be carried out with the Mississippi River Trust as a partner. The trust is a charitable partner that works with private landowners often to create conservation easements: A landowner can receive tax benefits while helping to preserve ecologically sensitive land.