The application deadline has been extended in Missouri for the United States Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service Emergency Watershed Protection Program.
The deadline has been extended to November 27, 2019, due to the addition of 14 Missouri counties recently added to a federal disaster declaration following flooding this year.
Missouri State Conservationist J. R. Flores previously announced landowners in 69 other Missouri federally-declared disaster counties were eligible to apply for the Emergency Watershed Protection Program. Those include all of the Green Hills counties as well as Adair, Carroll, Chariton, Gentry, Macon, Ray, and Schuyler.
Flores says the NRCS “felt it was appropriate” to extend the application cutoff to November 27th “to allow more time for landowners to research their options.” and added the “easement program provides stress relief from operating in a floodplain while offering the benefit of retaining property ownership.”
Applicants eligible for the Emergency Watershed Protection Program voluntarily agree to sell a permanent conservation easement to the United States through NRCS. Compensation is determined by an appraisal or market analysis. The easements may occur on public or private agricultural land or residential properties damaged by flooding and natural disasters. NRCS will work to restore the easement to its natural floodplain condition.
Missouri landowners can contact their local NRCS field offices to apply or learn more about the floodplain easement opportunities.
