WASHINGTON D.C. — The USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) and its partners will invest nearly $32 million this year in financial and technical assistance for five water quality and wetlands improvements projects, said USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack.

The projects will be in seven Mississippi River Basin states. “Across the country we have announced a series of targeted initiatives which were designed to work with farmers, ranchers and forest owners to address some of the most pressing natural resource issues we face in this country, particularly as it relates to water and water quality and soil quality and soil erosion,” Vilsack said.

 The projects were selected after USDA issued a request for proposals in January for wetland restoration under the Wetland Reserve Enhancement Program (WREP), he said. This is part of the ongoing Mississippi River Basin Healthy Watersheds Initiative begun in 2010.

“Through this particular initiative we’re announcing that NRCS and its partners will be helping producers in those priority watersheds that are being designated to voluntarily implement systems that avoid, control and trap nutrient runoff, restore wetlands and improve wildlife habitat,” Vilsack said. “We believe we can do this without compromising agriculture productivity.”

This will help fund an estimated 14,000 acres of wetland wildlife habitat areas, he said. It will increase the scope of wetland restoration investments by adding $32 million to the existing $17.8 million announced from previous years. The five projects and the partners involved are:

•Arkansas, the Boeuf River Watershed; NRCS and the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, $2.18 million. This project will provide nearly 1,000 acres of watershed protection in 2012 and expanding up to 3,400 acres as the project unfolds, Vilsack said.

•Arkansas, the Cache/L’Anguille River; NRCS and Craighead County Conservation District, $214,748. The goal is to restore 100 acres of wetland habitat in 2012 leading ultimately to 600 acres by the project’s end, Vilsack said. This is focused on reducing sediment and nutrient delivery.

•Arkansas, the Cache River and Lower Whit-Bayou Des Arc wetlands restoration; NRCS and The Nature Conservancy, $3.03 million. This project will assist landowners in protecting and restoring 2,000 acres of wetland habitat in 2012 and 6,000 when the project is fully implemented, Vilsack said.

•Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, Mississippi, Tennessee; Lower Mississippi River Batture hardwood forests and wetlands restoration; NRCS and Mississippi River Trust, $20.2 million. This project hopes to restore roughly 7,280 acres of bottomland hardwoods in 2012, up to 30,000 acres when the project is fully completed, Vilsack said.

•Iowa, North Raccoon River Wetland Initiative; NRCS and the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, $6.18 million. “We look to see improvements in about 1,020 acres in the prairie pothole region of Iowa,” Vilsack said.

“We believe this will ultimately improve water quality and wildlife habitat. It should also assist flood-affected landowners by providing some flood relief opportunities in the Raccoon and Des Moines River watersheds.”

Landowners interested in applying for funding should contact their local NRCS office. To find a location, visit www.nrcs.usda.gov and click on the “NRCS state offices” link on the left. Signup dates may vary based on the individual project.