Conservation
Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP)
“This initiative
is the largest long-term private lands conservation effort to improve
water quality and restore wildlife habitat in the Minnesota River and
its tributaries. I’m extremely proud of all of the efforts put forth
by people involved in this ambitious project.”
— Ron
Harnack, Executive Director, Minnesota
Board of Water and Soil Resources
In 1998, the largest, private-lands conservation effort in the state began on the Minnesota River. The purpose was to improve the river’s water quality and restore wildlife habitat. In just four years, more than 100,000 acres were secured into permanent conservation easements through the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) (see CREP map).
The Minnesota River
CREP combines the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Conservation
Reserve Program (CRP) with the state’s Reinvest in Minnesota Reserve
Program (RIM) to set aside environmentally sensitive land in the 37-county
Minnesota River Basin. Targeted acres included frequently flooded cropland
in the Minnesota River Valley and its principal tributaries, riparian
buffers along cropland identified as major pollution sources, and wetlands
that could be restored to provide water quality and wildlife benefits.
In addition, CREP improved the producers’ bottom lines by paying
competitive rates for marginal cropland. CREP officially ended in the
Minnesota River Basin in September 2002.
CREP helps farmers by providing an economically competitive option for
removing land from production and voluntarily enrolling land into a conservation
easement. Farmers receive an up-front "bonus" payment from RIM,
plus 15 years of guaranteed annual payments from the federal CRP program.
Actual payment rates are based on the USDA soil rental rate for the land.
Minnesota Board of
Water and Soil Resources (BWSR) administers the program at the state level.
Soil and Water Conservation Districts implement the program locally. Federal
partners are the Farm Service Agency and the Natural Resources Conservation
Service. Other state agencies and conservation groups have also participated
in the program.
For more information,
visit the Minnesota Board of Water and Soil Resources website:
CREP Factsheet - http://www.bwsr.state.mn.us/easements/crep/factsheet.html
CREP Easement Summary - http://www.bwsr.state.mn.us/easements/crep/easementsummary.html
This
page was last updated 1/05
Minnesota River Basin Data Center
Minnesota State University, Mankato
184 Trafton Science Center S, Mankato, MN 56001
Phone: (507)389-5492 FAX: (507)389-5493
Email: mrbdc@mnsu.edu