Easement Restoration and Stewardship
The Natural Resources Conservation Service supports restoration, stewardship, and onsite and offsite assessments of protected wetland and floodplain easements.
Funder: Natural Resources Conservation Service
Due Dates: November 19, 2026 (Application deadline, 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time)
Funding Amounts: $250,000–$5,000,000 per award for four to five years; $5,000,000 anticipated total funding
Summary: Supports restoration, stewardship, and condition assessments of NRCS-protected wetland and floodplain easements.
Key Information: Applications must come from a single non-Federal entity; specific easements are identified during selection, not beforehand.
Description
The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) funds cooperative agreements to restore, enhance, maintain, manage, and assess protected wetlands, floodplains, and associated habitats. Work supports Agricultural Conservation Easement Program–Wetland Reserve Easements (ACEP-WRE), Emergency Watershed Protection Program–Floodplain Easements (EWPP-FPE), and Wetlands Reserve Program (WRP) easements.
Awardees work with NRCS personnel, partners, and landowners on technical surveys, engineering and vegetative restoration designs, implementation, repairs, and ongoing stewardship. Onsite and offsite assessments document ecological conditions and compliance with easement deed terms, informing management or remediation plans when needed. Applicants may propose one, multiple, or all components and subcomponents. The program directs resources toward degraded wetlands, floodplains, and associated forestlands, with work performed in close coordination with NRCS state and field staff.
