Eligible entities must submit applications on or before March 1, 2012, to receive consideration for conservation easement funding in fiscal year 2012. Only eligible entities may submit applications of eligible farm and ranch land. Eligible entities are State, Tribal, or local governments and non-government organizations that meet specific requirements. The entities must have an established farm and ranch land protection program, have the authority to hold and manage conservation easements; have the capacity to acquire, manage, and enforce the easements; and the funds to match the Federal contribution.

The FRPP can provide up to fifty percent of the appraised fair market value of the conservation easement on the farm or ranch. Conservation and preservation of valuable farms and ranches is one way of habitat management, but it takes people working together. At least fifty percent of the appraised fair market value of the easement must be provided by the eligible entity. Landowners may accept less than the appraised fair market value of the easement; the difference between the appraised value and the purchase price the landowners are willing to accept is considered a landowner donation.

The eligible entity must provide at least twenty-five percent of the purchase price in cash. The eligible entity must also secure the appraisal, survey, and title search, prepare the conservation easement deed, and pay for the closing.

Land proposed for conservation funding in FRPP must meet one of three eligibility categories: contain at least fifty percent prime and unique farmland soils and soils of Statewide and local importance; contain historic or archeological resources; or contain land that supports the farm and ranch land protection policies of state or local programs.

Owners of the eligible lands must have an adjusted gross income of less than one million dollars and be in compliance with the USDA highly erodible land and wetland compliance requirements. FRPP has enrolled over 4,900 acres on 9 farms and ranches in Texas since Congress first authorized the program in 1996. More information including the application forms and ranking criteria can be found right here

These biologists will work with landowners, ranchers and farmers in the Texas Panhandle on habitat management and conservation measures to increase wild populations of lesser prairie chickens, pheasant, quail and other grasslands birds and animals. The state has seen populations slipping in recent years, but additional staffing centered on providing habitat will help get these birds back on track.

The wildlife management positions were created as a part of the multi-state Lesser Prairie Chicken Initiative by NRCS. The initiative’s goal is to reverse current lesser prairie chicken population declines due to the loss of native grasslands and prevent their listing as a threatened or endangered species. Nobody wants that, especially not the state or landowners.

Prior to this national initiative, fewer than 10 contracts a year were awarded for lesser prairie chicken habitat restoration work in Texas by NRCS. Since the initiative began in 2010, the number of contracts awarded has increased to more than 200 annually. These contracts are worth between $5 and $6 million in cost-share for private landowners interested in native grasslands restoration and habitat management benefiting the lesser prairie chicken and other grassland species of wildlife such as quail and pheasants.

The new habitat management biologists are listed below. For more information on these new positions visit the Pheasants Forever site at Pheasants Forever.

• Joshua Grace, who will be located in Canyon, Texas and will be providing conservation services in conjunction with NRCS Field offices in Randall, Deaf Smith, Bailey, Lamb, Swisher, Parmer and Castro counties. Josh received his BS in Wildlife and Fisheries from Texas A&M and his MS in Wildlife Ecology from Louisiana State where he studied plant communities, small mammals and white-tailed deer.

• Curtis Greene, who will be located in Pampa, Texas and will be providing conservation services in conjunction with NRCS Field offices in Gray, Donley, Wheeler, Collingsworth, Hemphill, Roberts, Lipscomb and Ochiltree counties. Curtis starts on November 14th. Curtis received his BS in Forestry and Wildlife Management from Stephen F. Austin State University. He is in the final stages of his MS in Range and Wildlife Management at Sul Ross State University where he has been studying Montezuma quail.

• Vicki Sybert, who will be located in Brownfield, Texas and will be providing conservation services in conjunction with NRCS Field offices in Terry, Cochran, Gaines, Yoakum, Andrews, Martin, Hockley and Dawson counties. Vicki received her BS in Microbiology and MS in Wildlife Biology from Texas State University-San Marcos. She also completed course work toward her Ed.D. from Texas Tech in curriculum and instruction for Science Education. She has a worked extensively for Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and has served in many capacities in working with Lesser Prairie Chickens.

The report, which represents the most up-to-date, comprehensive assessment of wetland and waterfowl habitat in the United States, documents substantial losses in forested wetlands (swamps) and coastal wetlands that serve as storm buffers, absorb pollution that would otherwise find its way into the nation’s drinking water, and provide vital habitat for America’s fish, wildlife and plants.

“Wetlands are at a tipping point,” said Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar. “While we have made great strides in conserving and restoring wetlands since the 1950s when we were losing an area equal to half the size of Rhode Island each year, we remain on a downward trend that is alarming. This report, and the threats to places like the Mississippi River Delta, should serve as a call to action to renew our focus on conservation and restoration efforts hand in hand with states, tribes and other partners.”

The net wetland habitat loss was estimated to be 62,300 acres between 2004 and 2009, bringing the nation’s total wetlands acreage to just over 110 million acres in the continental United States, excluding Alaska and Hawaii. The rate of gains from reestablishment of wetland habitat increased by 17 percent from the previous study period (1998 to 2004), but the wetland loss rate increased 140 percent during the same time period. As a consequence, national wetland losses have outpaced gains.

The net loss includes a combination of gains in certain types of wetlands and losses in other types, especially forested wetlands.

“In a five year period, we lost over 630,000 acres of forested wetlands, mostly in the Southeast. This is an area equal to half a million football fields each year,” Director Ashe said. “We should all be concerned about the substantial loss of this diminishing resource, which helps ensure good water quality for local communities and provides vital wildlife habitat for a diversity of important animal species.” The southeast United States, primarily freshwater wetlands of the Atlantic and Gulf coastal plain, and the Lower Mississippi River experienced the greatest losses.

Wetlands provide a multitude of ecological, economic and social benefits. They provide habitat for fish, wildlife, and a variety of plants. Wetlands are nurseries for many saltwater and freshwater fishes and shellfish of commercial and recreational importance, such as wildlife viewing, duck hunting and kayaking. Wetlands are also important landscape features because they hold and slowly release flood water and snow melt, recharge groundwater, act as filters to cleanse water of impurities, recycle nutrients, and provide recreational opportunities for millions of people. Wetland conservation and wetland management have been talked about for decades, maybe it’s time we get to work on reversing the trend.

Topics to be covered include deer management techniques, age and sex ratios, herd health, habitat management, food plots, trophy scoring, data collection, record keeping and census techniques. An optional spotlight deer survey will also be offered for landowners interested in learning more about this survey method to estimate deer populations on their property.

The deer and habitat management workshop at Engeling WMA is limited to the first 60 people to register and registration is open until September 19. To reserve a spot, mail a check for $12 per person, payable to the Henderson County Wildlife Committee, to Gus Engeling WMA, 16149 N. US 287, Tennessee Colony, TX 75861, and include an e-mail address for receipt and workshop information. The $12 fee includes refreshments and a hamburger dinner. For more information contact Eric Woolverton at 903-928-2251.

“The first step in deer management, and one often overlooked, is the establishment of a clear, well defined objective. Deciding on what is to be accomplished is essential because there is no single ideal deer management program. Different objectives may require totally different management actions. For example, if the objective is to increase the number of deer in an area where there are few or no deer, absolute protection from all causes of mortality is the most important management action.

If the objective is to produce trophy quality bucks, important management actions are to keep the herd in balance with food supplies through adequate harvest of doe deer, to protect yearling bucks until they reach an older age when antler development is maximum, and possibly to initiate habitat improvements that increase available food. Where the objective is to reduce serious damage in agricultural crops, important management actions are to increase harvest of antlerless deer and to arrange for adequate hunter access to insure that enough deer are harvested.”

In addition, the course combines lecture, group discussion, teamwork, individual projects and field work to increase each student’s knowledge of fire weather, fire behavior, physical properties and characteristics of fuels, and the effects of fire on habitat, wildlife and soils. Students will become aware of the risks associated with prescribed burning, including smoke risks and the risk of fire escape. Laws pertaining to the use of prescribed fire and their influence on a burn manager’s planning and decisions will be explained.

So, what exactly will you take away from this prescribed burn course? Upon completion of the course, a student should be able to recognize different fuel models important for rangeland burning. The student should have the ability to determine fuel load and reliably estimate live and dead fuel moisture, as well as fire rate of spread and flame length. The individual should have acquired an introductory knowledge of the use of fire equipment for ignition and suppression. Each student will have developed a fire prescription, addressing multiple variables, to meet specific land management objectives, and will have created a prescribed burn plan that includes the use of natural and artificial fire breaks.

This prescribed fire course meets the minimum training requirements set forth by the Texas Prescribed Burning Board for the Certified Prescribed Burn Manager program. (Texas Administrative Code; Title 4; Part 13; Chapter 228). Five CEU’s/day (Mon-Thurs) are available for current Certified Burn Managers. Visit this site for more information on registering for the prescribed fire class.