Private Forest Landowners Eligible for Federal Funding

Two Weeks Left to Apply for Land Management Dollars

CHEBOYGAN, MI — July 20, 2009 — The Nature Conservancy was recently selected to partner with the Natural Resource Conservation Service as part of the Cooperative Conservation Partnership Initiative (CCPI), which will set aside $300,000 over the next five years for projects that contribute to conservation priorities throughout the 982,700-acre Cheboygan River Watershed.

The program provides cost share assistance for natural resource management on private lands in portions of Charlevoix, Cheboygan, Emmet, Montmorency, Otsego and Presque Isle Counties. Landowners may be eligible for the first year of cost share assistance if they apply before July 29.

Priority will be given to lands and projects that contribute to the conservation of:

• Forest types: beech/maple/hemlock, hemlock/ white pine, cedar swamp, mixed conifer swamp, white pine/red pine, and spruce/fir/cedar forests;
• Groundwater-driven streams and riparian (river) corridors;
• Lakes and associated wetlands;
• Lake sturgeon (spawning habitat); and
• Bogs and fens.

First priority for funding will be given to those who own land with one or more of those natural features. Funding will help landowners to better manage their land by providing financial and technical assistance for practices such as forest management plan development, timber stand improvements, invasive species control, restoring and managing habitat with rare or declining species, improving stream crossings, protecting shoreline, among other land management practices.

Partners in the CCPI include: The Nature Conservancy, Huron Pines RC&D, Little Traverse Conservancy, Headwaters Land Conservancy, Tip of the Mitt Watershed Council, US Fish & Wildlife Service, Michigan Dept. of Natural Resources, Michigan State University Extension and Michigan United Conservation Clubs.

The partners first joined together in 2002 to develop a conservation action plan for the Cheboygan River Watershed. Through that process, conservation priorities and strategies were identified. The goal of the partnership is to improve the quality and condition of private forest lands to reduce fragmentation and conversion of the land to non-forest uses.

“We’re thrilled to finally be putting some of our long-term planning into on-the-ground practices,” said Matt Kleitch, Northern Lower Peninsula Project Director for The Nature Conservancy. “We really hope some landowners take advantage of this opportunity.”

For more information on enrolling in the program contact NRCS at (989) 732-6526 or (989) 733-8323. More information can be found online at: http://www.mi.nrcs.usda.gov/news/09%20NewsReleases/CCPI%20Sign-Up.html

The Nature Conservancy is a leading conservation organization working around the world to protect ecologically important lands and waters for nature and people. The Conservancy and its more than 1 million members have protected nearly 120 million acres worldwide. Visit The Nature Conservancy on the Web at www.nature.org.