Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns today announced $4 million is available in financial assistance for Wetlands Reserve Enhancement Program (WREP) partnership proposals that restore and protect habitat for migratory birds and other wildlife that depend on wetland.

The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) has issued a request for proposals (RFP) for single or multi-year projects that don't exceed three years. Proposals must include nonfederal funding for at least 50% of the project's technical assistance cost.

Applicants will have 45 days to submit proposals.

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Funds will be awarded through a nationwide competition that also includes the Pacific Basin and Caribbean Area.

For fiscal year 2005, NRCS will focus on WREP proposals that address wetland creation and enhancement efforts on prior-year enrolled contracts, those where partners will contribute significantly to WRP delivery and technical assistance costs, and easement management projects.

$1 million earmarked for bog turtle and Ivory-billed woodpecker habitat

Of the $4 million available for WREP, a minimum of $500,000 will be available for partnership proposals that address bog turtle habitat in the east and $500,000 for Ivory-billed woodpecker habitat in Arkansas.

These funds are a portion of the $1.5 million in Wetlands Reserve Program (WRP) funds and $1 million in Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program funds announced last month as part of USDA's contribution to help save the rare Ivory-billed woodpecker.

The bog turtle is a threatened species, scattered from New York and Massachusetts south to southern Tennessee and Georgia. Population declines are due mainly to loss of habitat, which is wet meadows and other shallow, sunny wetlands, and encroachment of vegetation, USDA says.

Bog turtle proposals will compete only with other bog turtle proposals.

The recently rediscovered Ivory-billed woodpecker, which was thought to be extinct, is the largest woodpecker in the US. Found in Arkansas, conservation projects and practices to improve and restore the bird's native habitat are necessary for its survival, USDA says.

Local WREP projects that could potentially benefit the Ivory-billed woodpecker are being requested. These projects will only compete against other projects determined to have potential benefits to the rare bird.

The WREP request for proposals, which includes an overview of the program, proposal requirements, evaluation criteria and application information, is available at http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/wrp.