We applaud the USDA’s announcement today that the Colorado and Mississippi River basins will be included as critical conservation areas in the agency’s new Regional Conservation Partnership Program. The new initiative, part of USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service, is a Farm Bill conservation program that will focus on locally-driven projects that restore rivers, improve water quality and support economies across the country.

The Colorado and Mississippi River basins are priority geographies for WFF’s environmental investments in the U.S. Through this initiative, WFF looks forward to continuing and expanding our partnership with USDA, leveraging our conservation investments with new federal dollars to accelerate conservation efforts on the ground.

This program will open up new opportunities for the foundation to collaborate with USDA and landowners in the Colorado and Mississippi River basins to:

• Increase the efficiency of irrigation practices to improve river flows and water quality in the Colorado River basin
• Remove invasive plants along rivers to restore native vegetation in the Colorado River basin
• Reduce nutrient loss and improve water quality in the Mississippi River basin
• Retire frequently flooded farmland to allow for wetlands restoration in the Mississippi River basin