BOULDER, Colo. — The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced a plan to invest $500 million over the next five years into wildlife conservation programs, with a focus on the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) and Working Lands for Wildlife (WLFW).
Its budget includes “at least $40 million” to be directed into existing plans for migratory big game habitat preservation, part of the USDA’s partnership with the state of Wyoming, plus an expansion into Idaho and Montana.
“When you find a conservation approach that works, double down—and that’s what we’re doing with Working Lands for Wildlife,” USDA’s Under Secretary for Farm Production and Conservation Robert Bonnie said at the Western Governors Association meeting.
“America’s farmers, ranchers, forest owners and tribes steward the majority of our nation’s wildlife habitat, and our work with them has yielded enormous gains for sage grouse, longleaf pine and other species and ecosystems,” Bonnie said. “We pledge to keep building the policy, funding and human capacity to deliver large-scale, working-lands conservation well into the future.”
Additional funds will be dedicated to conserving the bobwhite quail in central and eastern states.
Read the full announcement on the USDA’s website.
