USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS)
The mission of the NRCS is delivering products and services that enable people to be good stewards of the Nation's soil, water, and related natural resources on private land. The NRCS assists land managers and communities in taking a comprehensive approach to the use and protection of natural resources.
Originally established as the Soil Conservation Service (SCS), the NRCS has expanded to become a conservation leader for all natural resources, ensuring private lands are conserved, restored, and more resilient to environmental challenges, like climate change. NRCS succeeds through partnerships, working with landowners, conservation districts, government agencies, Tribes and other groups through conservation planning and assistance designed to benefit the soil, water, air, plants, and animals that result in productive lands and healthy ecosystems.
The Cooperative Conservation Partnership Initiative (CCPI) is a voluntary conservation initiative that enables the use of certain conservation programs along with resources of eligible partners to provide financial and technical assistance to owners and operators of agricultural and nonindustrial private forest lands. In fiscal year (FY) 2010, NRCS will make Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP), Wetlands Reserve Program (WRP), and Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program (WHIP) funds available to those owners and operators who participate in approved CCPI project areas. These NRCS conservation voluntary programs have considerable potential to be used to address natural resources adaptation objectives, and Farm Bill language allows prioritization of conservation program funding for projects that address conservation priorities identified by federal, state or local planning efforts.
The NRCS focuses global climate change efforts in several areas: 1) quantifying the effects of conservation practices on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and carbon sequestration; 2) refining incentives in conservation programs to address the effects of climate change on agriculture; 3) developing and encouraging the use of conservation practices and systems that reduce GHG emissions; and 4) enhancing opportunities to increase farm profitability on the emerging voluntary emissions trading markets.
> Strategic Plans
NRCS Strategic Plans and 2005-2010 Strategic Plan progress report and update; includes strategic initiatives for climate change adaptation and mitigation and new targets for 2011 to 2015
> Activities, Actions: GHG Emission Reduction and Carbon Sequestration; Air Quality Management
NRCS Global Climate Change homepage: reducing greenhouse gas emissions and sequestering carbon; and NRCS climate change activities and global change research program (January 1998)
Opportunities for managing carbon sequestration and GHG emissions in agriculture (NRCS, 2006)
Potential for carbon sequestration on arid rangelands (NRCS, April 2010)
NRCS Air Quality and Atmospheric Change homepage: air resource conservation issues, activities
NRCS, NEDC online conservation courses: air quality, climate change and energy
Air quality, atmospheric change and energy considerations in conservation planning;
AQAC and ETD team presentation, NRCS National Technology Support Center Portland OR
Agricultural Air Quality Task Force (AAQTF) Emerging Issues Committee assessment of climate change impact on agricultural community and recommendations for action
USDA AAQTF meeting information and documents, pre-2005 to 2010
California strategies to address climate change and GHG emissions due to agricultural practices
California's climate change initiative (USDA AAQTF meeting, San Diego, May 2007)
Oregon resource concerns, recommendations: climate change mitigation and adaptation through agriculture (Oregon Technical Advisory Committee, OTAC)
- http://www.or.nrcs.usda.gov/partnerships/otac/otac_data/2010/State_Resource_Concern_Category.pdf
- http://www.or.nrcs.usda.gov/partnerships/otac/otac_data/2010/March_OTAC_minutes.pdf
Soil carbon sequestration opportunities for Montana producers (NRCS, Feb. 2008)
Quantifying change in GHG emissions due to conservation applications in Indiana (NRCS, 2002)
Connecticut food systems; assisting farmers in climate change adaptation
Chesapeake Bay protection and restoration, including a strategy to adapt to climate change
> Initiatives, Programs
NRCS farm bill conservation programs: technical and financial assistance to help producers mitigate the effects of climate change through various approaches to conservation planning
CCPI fact sheet (NRCS, April 2010)
CCPI, partner proposal evaluation guidance (NRCS, April 2010)
CCPI proposal criteria, with overview and program purposes (Oregon/Utah NRCS, March 2009)
- http://www.or.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/ccpi/ccpi_data/2009/2009Oregon_CCPI_Proposal_Criteria.pdf
- http://www.ut.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/ccpi_data/fy09/Utah_CCPI_Factsheet_09.pdf
CCPI, request for proposals, (Rhode Island NRCS, FY 2010)
Federal Register notices, rules and regulations
CCPI: request for proposals and public comment (March 10, 2009)
EQIP and WHIP interim final rule corrections, (March 12, 2009)
- http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/farmbill/2008/pdfs/EQIP_Correction.pdf
- http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/Programs/farmbill/2008/pdfs/whip_Correction.pdf
WHIP: comments on interim final rule by Environmental Defense Fund (April 17, 2009)
> Other Programs, Resources
Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Units (CESU) Network
The CESU national network has been established with an overarching goal of improving the scientific base for managing federal lands by providing high-quality scientific research, technical assistance, and education to resource and environmental managers. It is a nationwide consortium of federal agencies, universities, conservation organizations, and other partners working together to support agency missions and informed public trust resource stewardship. One objective is to build capacity and enhance coordination of climate change management and adaptation efforts among management agencies.
CESUs are based at host universities and focused on biogeographic regions of the country. To date the nation had been divided into 17 biogeographic regions, each served by a distinct CESU that is structured as a working collaboration among partners. Each regional unit operates independently and in association with one national network and is directed by specific mission, vision, goals and objectives and a strategic plan.
- http://www.cesu.psu.edu/, for CESU homepage with national network map and regional CESU networks
