USDA Release No. 0586.09 Contact: Brad Fisher (202) 720-4024 SECRETARY VILSACK ANNOUNCES 41 WATERSHEDS TO TAKE PART IN MISSISSIPPI RIVER BASIN INITIATIVE Initiative Will Provide Approximately $320 Million in USDA Assistance In Basin Area WASHINGTON, November 23, 2009 - Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced that 41 watersheds in 12 states, known as Focus Areas, have been selected to participate in a new initiative to improve water quality and the overall health of the Mississippi River Basin. The selected watersheds cover over 42 million acres, or more than 5 percent of the Basin's land area. "The USDA is committed to working cooperatively with agricultural producers, partner organizations and State and local agencies to improve water quality and the quality of life for the tens of millions of people who live in the Mississippi River Basin, the Mississippi River Basin Healthy Watersheds Initiative will help" Vilsack said. "Today's announcement is another step toward achieving this goal, and I encourage as many eligible participants as possible to join us in this major conservation effort." The Mississippi River Basin Healthy Watersheds Initiative (MRBI), which was announced on September 24, 2009, will provide approximately $320 million in USDA financial assistance over the next four years for voluntary projects in priority watersheds in Arkansas, Kentucky, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Ohio, Tennessee and Wisconsin. MRBI will help producers implement conservation and management practices that prevent, control and trap nutrient runoff from agricultural land. USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) manages the initiative. NRCS State Conservationists from the 12 watershed states selected the watersheds with guidance from State Technical Committees and state water quality agencies. Selections were based on the potential for managing nitrogen and phosphorus -- nutrients associated with water quality problems in the Basin -- while maintaining agricultural productivity and benefiting wildlife. Next, smaller watershed projects will be selected through a competitive process under NRCS' Cooperative Conservation Partnership Initiative (CCPI). NRCS assistance will be leveraged with contributions from partners, expanding the capacity available to improve water quality throughout the Basin. Three requests for project proposals will be announced in the next several weeks, including one for CCPI. Funding for CCPI projects will come from NRCS' Environmental Quality Incentives Program, Conservation Stewardship Program and Wildlife Habitat Incentive Program. Two other requests for proposals will fund projects through the Wetlands Reserve Enhancement Program and Conservation Innovation Grants. For information about these programs, visit www.nrcs.usda.gov/programs . State(s) Watershed Arkansas/Missouri - Cache Arkansas - Lake Conway-Point Remove Arkansas - L'Anguille Arkansas/Missouri - Lower St. Francis Illinois - Lower Illinois - Senachwine Lake Illinois - Upper Illinois Illinois - Vermilion (Upper Mississippi River sub-basin) Illinois/Indiana - Vermilion (Upper Ohio River sub-basin) Indiana - Eel Indiana - Upper East Fork White Indiana - Wildcat Indiana/Ohio - Upper Wabash Iowa - Boone Iowa - Maquoketa Iowa - North Raccoon Iowa/Minnesota - Upper Cedar Kentucky/Tennessee - Bayou De Chien-Mayfield Kentucky - Licking Kentucky - Lower Green Louisiana - Mermentau Louisiana/Arkansas - Bayou Macon Louisiana/Arkansas - Boeuf River Minnesota - Middle Minnesota Minnesota - Root Minnesota - Sauk Mississippi - Big Sunflower Mississippi/Louisiana/Arkansas - Deer-Steele Mississippi - Upper Yazoo Missouri/Iowa - Lower Grand Missouri - North Fork Salt Missouri - South Fork Salt Missouri/Arkansas - Little River Ditches Ohio/Indiana - Upper Great Miami Ohio - Upper Scioto Tennessee - Forked Deer Tennessee/Kentucky - Obion Tennessee - South Fork Obion Tennessee/Kentucky - Red River Wisconsin/Illinois - Sugar Wisconsin/Illinois - Upper Rock Wisconsin/Illinois - Pecatonica For information about the Mississippi River Basin Healthy Watersheds Initiative, including eligibility requirements, please visit the MRBI web page at http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/mrbi/mrbi_overview.html or your USDA Service Center. A map of the project area is available the MRBI Programs webpage www.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/mrbi/mrbi_watersheds_maps_and_list_page.html . Subscribe to NRCS news releases and get other agency information at www.nrcs.usda.gov or contact NRCS Public Affairs at 202-720-3210. NRCS celebrates its 75th year of service in 2010. # USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer and lender. To file a complaint of discrimination, write: USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Ave., S.W., Washington, D.C. 20250-9410 or call (800) 795-3272(voice), or (202) 720-6382 (TDD). # [USDA news releases are available in the "Newsroom" section at http://www.usda.gov/ .] *********************************************** Enviro-News is a service of the Water Quality Information Center at the National Agricultural Library. The center's Web site is at http://www.nal.usda.gov/wqic/. The Enviro-News list facilitates information exchange. Inclusion of an item in Enviro-News does not imply United States Department of Agriculture(USDA) agreement, nor does USDA attest to the accuracy or completeness of the item. See http://www.nal.usda.gov/wqic/environews.shtml#disclaimer You can contact the list owner at [log in to unmask] *********************************************** ------------------------------------------------------------------------ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - To unsubscribe from the IOWA-TOPICS list, send any message to: [log in to unmask] Check out our Listserv Lists support site for more information: http://www.sierraclub.org/lists/faq.asp