On Thursday, December 16, USDA issued a special request for proposals for $3.5 million in FY2011 funding under the Cooperative Conservation Partnership Initiative (CCPI) for the Chesapeake Bay Region. The funding will be drawn from the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) and the Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program (WHIP).
Special priority will be given to applications for projects in the Patuxent, Potomac, Shenandoah, and Susquehanna river basins that focus on improving water quality, water conservation, or state, regional or national conservation initiatives.
The agency is seeking CCPI project proposals for agreements with partners who will assist producers enrolled in WHIP or EQIP in the targeted river basins. Partners are also expected to conduct monitoring and evaluation of conservation practices, enhancements and activities.
Entities eligible to submit CCPI proposals include:
- State and local governments
- Federally recognized Indian Tribes
- Producer associations
- Farmer cooperatives
- Institutions of higher education
- Nongovernmental organizations with a history of working cooperatively with producers.
Applications are due January 31, 2011.
USDA recently issued a request for proposals for FY2011 funding for the general CCPI program and for the Agricultural Water Enhancement Program, as well as a request for proposals for FY2011 funding for the special Mississippi River Basin Healthy Watersheds Initiative CCPI and Wetlands Reserve Enhancement Program.