Sage Grouse Initiative – Fiscal Year 2012

Program Description

The California Sage Grouse Initiative is offered through the EQIP conservation program to provide accelerated financial and technical assistance to producers who want to enhance sage grouse habitat and populations on ranches and farms in California. This initiative is being offered in 10 other states: Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming. Farmers and ranchers in the following California counties are eligible for this Initiative: Modoc, Lassen, Inyo, Mono and Washoe County Nevada. For more information please visit the Sage Grouse Initiative website.

The Sage Grouse Initiative provides financial and technical assistance to producers to voluntarily meet agency requirements for installation of approved conservation practices that address program priorities. The Sage Grouse Initiative provides payment assistance for specific practices that provide significant resource benefit to create, improve, or enhance wildlife habitat. The approved practice list is included in this document. Applications will be screened and ranked at the field office level using factors that address the above cited objectives and provide the most environmental benefit towards protecting or improving wildlife habitat. The ranking criteria for this initiative are available for viewing in this document. 

Eligible producers have until April 16, 2012 to submit the required documentation to be considered for this fiscal year's funding cycle. Applications will continue to be accepted after this deadline, but ranking will be deferred until the next funding cycle. 

Where to Apply

For application assistance or for more information regarding the Sage Grouse Initiative and other EQIP county and statewide initiatives contact your closest NRCS office, which can be obtained at the NRCS California web site: http://www.ca.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/.

Program Application

To be eligible for the Sage Grouse Initiative a complete application must be submitted to the local NRCS office by close-of-business (COB) April 16, 2012. Program applications are accepted on a continuous basis. A complete application submitted to the local NRCS office by close-of-business (COB) April 16, 2012 will be evaluated for funding in a ranking evaluation period between April 17, 2012 and May 18, 2012. Applications submitted after the April 16, 2012 date will be evaluated in the next ranking and funding period. Incomplete applications may be re-submitted for the next ranking and funding period. For application assistance, including a downloadable application, or for more information regarding the California programs county and statewide initiatives contact your closest NRCS office, which can be obtained at the NRCS California web site: http://offices.sc.egov.usda.gov/locator/app?state=ca.

To be eligible for program funds, applicants must be established in Service Center Information System (SCIMS), have the following certifications completed and filed at the USDA service center: Form AD-1026, "Highly Erodible Land Conservation and Wetland Conservation Certification;" Form CCC-931, "Average Adjusted Gross Income Statement;" and Form CCC-901, "Member's Information" (for legal entity and joint operations only), and meet EQIP program eligibility requirements.

• Applicant Eligibility for EQIP
• Land Eligibility for EQIP
• List of items that must be included with a complete application

Approved Practice List, Screening and Ranking Criteria

• Sage Grouse Initiative Approved Practice List, Screening and Ranking Criteria
  

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Sage Grouse Initiative Program Description (PDF; 78 KB)

This document contains the program description, application, approved practice list, screening and ranking information.

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