By TIM ALEXANDER
Illinois Correspondent CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — The USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) is in the process of acquiring permanent easements on eight flood-prone parcels of land located in floodplains in Illinois, for repair and restoration.
Planning and work will begin soon on the sites, which were approved for funding following the first-ever national sign-up for floodplain easements under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009. The repairs will positively impact a total of 864 acres of wildlife habitat and cropland located along Illinois rivers and creeks, according to the Illinois NRCS.
“We are working to ensure the most effective use of the funds by enrolling land with the greatest benefit to protect against future floods, improve water quality, enhance wildlife habitat and reduce the need for future disaster assistance,” said Bill Gradle, NRCS state conservationist. Published on Sept. 30, 2009
Landowners in Adams, Clark, Kendall, Lawrence and Pope counties in Illinois were selected from 289 applications nationwide. Landowners will retain limited rights to the properties, including quiet enjoyment, control of public access and undeveloped recreational use, according to an Illinois NRCS news release.
Total floodplain easements purchased in the U.S. will cover more than 36,000 acres in 36 states, U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said when announcing the sign-up in June. Though Vilsack touted the creation of jobs as a result of the program, no information was offered regarding the number of jobs, the length of their durations or their estimated economic impact.
Vilsack pointed to a 490-acre project involving three easements in Wabash County, Ind. that will convert oft-flooded cropland damaged by erosion into permanent native vegetation as an example of how the program will work. “In addition to reducing flood damage to the floodplain, these restoration activities will protect the habitats of two state-listed threatened and endangered species, increase available carbon sequestration, restore riparian habitats and reduce commodity payments on 260 acres of cropland,” Vilsack said in a USDA news release.
The USDA received $145 million to acquire the easements through the ARRA. Land selected for the program must have been damaged by flooding at least once in the past twelve months or twice in the past ten years. Once the easements are established, work will begin to restore the floodplains to their natural state.
Of ten applications received from Illinois, the eight sites selected are located in Adams, Clark, Kendall, Lawrence and Pope counties. The total cost of easement and restoration for the sites is set at $2,716,883, according to the Illinois NRCS. Flood disaster measures approved by Gov. Quinn Though the purchase of easements to repair floodplains in Illinois was recently announced by Vilsack, the action comes a little too late for Illinois farmers who suffered crop losses because of excessive rain and flooding this year. However, Illinois Gov. Patrick Quinn recently announced that federal disaster assistance is available through the USDA for farmers in 58 Illinois counties, with those in 30 other contiguous counties also qualified to receive aid that includes low-interest, emergency loans.
“The loans that this declaration triggers will help those farmers who weren’t able to plant a crop,” said Quinn. “They can be used not only to pay production costs, but also to refinance existing debt and cover essential family living expenses.”
The period from April to July of 2009 was the ninth-wettest on record in Illinois, leaving around 100,000 acres of corn for grain or silage unharvested in parts of the state, according to the National Agricultural Statistics Service/Illinois Field Office.
Farmers who believe they may be eligible for federal disaster assistance should contact their local FSA office. |
