The Land Trust is thrilled to report that the US Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) has decided to award $6.765 million to fund Oregon land protection projects as part of the Agricultural Conservation Easement Program.

This unprecedented investment will allow landowners and land trusts to protect nearly 15,000 acres of farm and ranch land across Oregon. The funding will match the newly appropriated state funds from the Oregon Agricultural Heritage Program.

The NRCS’s program has been critical to helping protect agricultural lands and the important public benefits they provide. This includes protecting streams, grasslands, and forests, and helping capture carbon, improve water quality and soil health, and protect wildlife habitat and scenic views.

The Land Trust hopes to use a portion of these funds for a couple of exciting new projects. "The additional funding from NRCS is a critical federal match to the state funding provided through the Oregon Agricultural Heritage Program," said Land Trust conservation director Natasha Bellis. "It will help the Land Trust protect more than 3,900 acres of local working farms—strengthening our rural communities and helping to maintain vital wildlife habitat."

Stay tuned for more as these projects move forward!