Funding for Land Stewardship Activities

 
 
 
 
Private landowners own approximately 95% of the land in Texas. This means that they are caring for our natural resources – water, wildlife, agricultural lands, and recreational and scenic assets – on behalf of all Texans. And, they are not being fairly compensated for all they do, day to day.

Thankfully, there are numerous programs to assist private landowners with stewardship activities, including brush management, overseeding of native plants, improving livestock and wildlife watering facilities, adding cross-fencing, etc. Some of the programs that have been used by Hill Country Conservancy’s landowner partners include the following:

• The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Partners Program provides up to 50% funding for habitat enhancement and restoration activities such as brush management, prescribed fire, and fencing of sensitive riparian areas. Ranking and contact details are provided at the bottom of this page.
• The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department’s Landowner Incentive Program (LIP) provides up to 50% funding for conservation practices that benefit native wildlife, and up to 65% funding for activities benefitting endangered species and other “species of concern”. Contact your local TPWD biologist for details.
• The Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) provides financial and technical assistance for stewardship activities related to improving water quality, reducing erosion and sedimentation, and enhancing or restoring wildlife habitat. Examples include brush management, overseeding of native species, etc. Find your local NRCS agent here.
• LCRA’s Creekside Conservation Program pays up to 50 percent of the cost of land management projects, such as brush management and adding cross-fencing, within its service area. Grants are administered by your local NRCS office, with funding coming from both NRCS and LCRA. Contact your local NRCS office for details. (You can find a good example of an approved Creekside Conservation Project here.)
• The Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board’s Water Supply Enhancement Program provides funding for selective brush management aimed at improving water quality and quantity. For more information, contact your local Soil & Water Conservation District office.
• The Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) includes annual payments for a variety of land stewardship activities that may already take place on your property. You can obtain more information from your local NRCS office.
• The Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) provides annual payments to landowners in exchange for removing environmentally sensitive land from agricultural production and planting species that will improve environmental health and quality. Contracts for land enrolled in CRP are 10-15 years in length. Contact your local NRCS office for details.

If you are a rural landowner within Hill Country Conservancy’s focus area, please feel free to contact us with questions about these programs. HCC’s goal is to ensure you have the resources to keep your land intact and productive, for many years to come.