Tuesday, April 8, 2014

Longleaf Partnership Council Meeting

Biloxi, Mississippi

Longleaf Regional Conservation

Partnership Program

• Establishes a new partnership program which consolidates four previous programs into one to support projects that improve soil quality, water quality and quantity, and/or wildlife habitat on a regional scale.

• 8 critical conservation areas (CCA) to be identified

• Avoid regulatory challenges (CWA, CAA, ESA)

• Regional, watershed, resource scale

• Longleaf potential CCA

• How can we best leverage new opportunities in farm bill to provide more $$ on the ground for longleaf? What are the key needs/gaps?

REGIONAL CONSERVATION PARTNERSHIPPROGRAM (RCPP)

• Increase acreage of prescribed burning and other improvements on private lands.

• Increase capacity and coordination of private landowner technical assistance and outreach.

• Support Local Implementation Team capacity to understand needs and enhance conservation delivery.

• Improve verification and monitoring on private lands to ensure working toward better outcomes.

• Increase involvement of large landowners in restoration and maintenance of longleaf.

LONGLEAF RCPP KEY NEEDS –PRIVATE LANDS

• NRCS Interests• Leverage• Ability to convene multiple partners and implement well

coordinated strategy

• NFWF Opportunity• $5 – 7 million new funds for longleaf• Needs to be levered up significantly with add’l new funds• Contribute to long-term work with large-scale impact

• Longleaf Stewardship Fund?

LONGLEAF RCPPOPPORTUNITY/POTENTIAL MECHANISM

• RFP- end of May/mid June, due in Sept.?

• Establish working group – what can we accomplish?

• Develop proposal, get feedback

LONGLEAF RCPPNEXT STEPS