Coalition for Conservation

December 27, 2006

Wildlife, landowner groups form "Coalition for Conservation" to support Farm Bill Conservation Programs; Coalition to encourage Congressional Delegation to support wildlife habitat improvement and natural resource conservation.

Oklahoma City: In an effort to help build support for USDA Natural Resource Conservation Programs in the next federal farm bill, over twenty wildlife, environmental, civic and landowner organizations along with several state agencies and private businesses today announced their formation of the ‘Coalition for Conservation,’ a cooperative organization to help educate the general public and policy makers on the benefits of Farm Bill Conservation Programs to landowners and the environment.

"When you consider that over 98% of Oklahoma is made up of privately held agricultural land, we must have a strong conservation title in the next Farm Bill if we’re going to have good wildlife habitat and a healthy environment," said Andy McDaniels, Executive Director of the Oklahoma Wildlife Federation. "Farmers, Ranchers and other landowners depend on these programs to conserve our natural resources and improve wildlife habitat. We support their efforts and that’s why we have formed this coalition.

Members of the Coalition include the Oklahoma Association of Conservation Districts, the Oklahoma Wildlife Federation, the Oklahoma station of the Safari Club International, Ducks Unlimited, the Oklahoma Sierra Club, Quail Unlimited, Pheasants Forever, Becoming an Outdoor Woman, Nature Works, the National Wild Turkey Federation, BassPro, the Boggy River Ranch, Cleveland County Audubon, Deep Fork Retrievers, the Oklahoma Department of Tourism, the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation, the Oklahoma Conservation Commission, Grasslander, Johnson Seed, Mcgrew Whitetails, The Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation, Oklahoma Christian Camps, Oklahoma Hunting and Fishing Tackle Show, On the Water in the Woods, Western Prairie Heritage Alliance, Weyerhauser, Oklahoma Sportsman Coalition, The Tulsa World, The Daily Oklahoman, the Bow Hunting Council of Oklahoma, Delta Waterfowl, Tucks Game Calls, Whitetails of Oklahoma, Sportsman’s Warehouse, RockyTop Ranch, Quail Forever, Specialty Outdoor Services, The Nature Conservancy, QDMA, and the Regional Food Bank.

Designed to help ‘spread the word’ on the benefits of the programs under the Conservation title of the Farm Bill to both the wildlife habitat in Oklahoma and the bottom line of Oklahoma’s agriculture producers and private landowners, the Coalition for Conservation will work to educate policy makers, wildlife groups, agriculture producers and other landowners, and the general public on the benefits of conservation work on private lands.

"When you see the improvement in wildlife habitat that has been brought about through programs like the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), the Environmental Quality Incentive Program (EQIP) and the Wildlife Habitat Improvement Program (WHIP), the value of USDA Conservation Programs to Oklahoma Wildlife speak for themselves. This, when combined with the fact we aren’t seeing another dust bowl during the driest year on record in Oklahoma history shows the benefits to the agriculture industry in Oklahoma and our environment," Said Clay Pope, Executive Director of the Oklahoma Association of Conservation Districts. "When you consider the help these programs give to producers and to the environment and when you see what this means for the quality of life of all Oklahomans as well as the bottom lines of our farmers and ranchers, it’s easy to come together to support the conservation title of the farm bill."

The Conservation Title of the Farm Bill primarily deals with locally-led, voluntary natural resource programs under the USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS). This title of law also deals with the Conservation Reserve Program under the USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA). These programs generally work with landowners through financial assistance in the form of cost-share dollars and technical assistance through NRCS technicians to help protect and conserve soil, water, air and wildlife habitats. Last year over $20 million in cost-share dollars were available to Oklahoma landowners through the Environmental Quality Incentive Program (EQIP) alone. Additional monies were also available to landowners through programs such as the Wildlife Habitat Incentive Program (WHIP) the Wetlands Reserve Program (WRP) and over 1 million Oklahoma acres are currently in the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP).

"Oklahoma land owners work hard to make a living for their families and we must give them an incentive to set aside parts of their property to support habitat for wildlife, not just game wildlife, but for all wildlife." Said Scott Holmes, President of the Oklahoma Station Chapter of Safari Club International. "If we are going to leave our children a heritage of God's handiwork, we must conserve nature's bounty so generations to come can enjoy and appreciate our great wildlife diversity in Oklahoma. The Conservation provisions of the Farm Bill accomplish that objective if funded as originally envisioned, but last year, only one in four land owners who applied for incentives were able to implement conservation measures due to lack of congressional funding."

"It great that Agriculture Producers and Wildlife groups are coming together to support these programs," Pope said. "Working together we can help better educate producers as to the programs that are available and we can help encourage our policy makers in Washington on the benefits of these voluntary, locally-led programs to the wildlife habitats in our state and the bottom line of our farmers and ranchers."

Coalition for Conservation December 27, 2006

Coalition for Conservation

December 27, 2006