Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP)
Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) supports Virginia farmers in restoring streamside buffers and wetlands on agricultural land to improve water quality and wildlife habitat.
Funder: Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation
Due Dates: No deadline stated
Funding Amounts: Up to 85% cost-share on eligible costs; rental and maintenance payments over 10 or 15 years
Summary: CREP helps Virginia farmers restore streamside buffers and wetlands to improve water quality and wildlife habitat.
Key Information: Nearly all Virginia land is eligible, except portions of hydrologic units in Dickenson County; FSA determines land eligibility.
Description
Virginia’s Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) is a federal-state partnership presented by the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation. It offers financial incentives, cost-share reimbursements and rental payments to farmers who voluntarily restore riparian forest buffers, grass and shrub buffers, and wetlands on agricultural land. An enhancement of the federal Conservation Reserve Program, it focuses on reducing nutrient and sediment pollution in Virginia’s waterways while improving wildlife habitat.
The Chesapeake Bay CREP covers Virginia’s bay watershed; the Southern Rivers CREP covers watersheds outside it. Supported practices include planting hardwood trees, native warm-season grasses, and approved shrubs and grasses on enrolled pasture or cropland, as well as restoring wetlands and installing fencing or alternative watering systems associated with eligible conservation practices.
