The Mississippi Trustee Implementation Group recently approved the Upper Pascagoula Water Quality Enhancement Project for funding. Now the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) is requesting applications from land owners or controllers interested in financial assistance to participate in the project.
If selected, participants will help develop and implement plans that reduce nutrient and sediment runoff into Mississippi’s coastal waters.
The NRCS is seeking applicants from Clarke, Jasper, Kemper, Lauderdale, Neshoba, and Newton counties to implement the project in the Chunky-Okatibbee watersheds. Applicants must have control of land being proposed to participate and it must be in compliance with USDA’s laws and provisions, specifically related to highly erodible land and wetland conservation.
Applications will be accepted on a continuous basis with more specific rolling deadlines to establish to rankings and priorities. Priorities will be based on location within the watershed, proximity to tributaries most in need of nutrient reduction and other guidelines. The initial deadline for the first ranking period is March 1, 2018.
Those who want to participate can apply at their nearest NRCS office, and there will be an outreach meeting on February 21 in Meridian, Mississippi to discuss the project and application process. Register for the meeting here.
More information can be found at the NRCS website, or in a recent press release.