Cramer Announces $50M Investment in Red River Basin
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today Congressman Kevin Cramer announced the Red River of the North Basin will receive up to $50 million in targeted funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). Over the next five years, funds will be used to minimize flooding through water retention, increase soil health and water quality, and improve wildlife habitats. Cramer joined Secretary Vilsack in Moorhead, Minnesota this morning to make the announcement.
The Red River of the North Basin is recognized by the USDA as a 25 million-acre critical watershed. It is included as part of the nation’s Prairie Pothole region, known for its landscape features which provide habitat for waterfowl and other migratory birds. The funds will come from the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) within the USDA, which will utilize conservation program tools and partnerships with area farmers and landowners provided for in the 2014 Farm Bill.
According to USDA, the efforts include providing technical and financial assistance for wide range of conservation practices such as grassed waterways, conservation tillage, nutrient management, drainage water management and riparian restoration, incentives for farmers and ranchers who are already using NRCS programs to take their conservation activities to the next level, and incentive payments for landowners who restore and protect wetlands and grasslands. Applications for these programs are accepted at local USDA service centers on a continuous basis.
“The Red River Basin is home to some of the most productive soil in the world, but it is also some of the most flood-prone land in the world. To protect this great resource, these improvements will help retain more water in multiple acres throughout the basin to minimize flooding,” said Cramer. “Today I also cosponsored a House resolution expressing support for voluntary, incentive-based, private land conservation implemented through cooperation with our local soil and water conservation districts. These organizations are vital to carrying out these flood protection and conservation efforts.”
In May the USDA announced the Red River Valley has been included in the newly designated Prairie Grasslands critical conservation area as part of the Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) created in the most recent farm bill. The new recognition will open up additional resources for conservation and flood protection efforts proposed by locals through public-private partnerships, allowing businesses, universities, non-profit organizations, and local governments to work with the federal government.