Deadline nears for migratory bird habitat program

With more concern growing for the wildlife that has been directly or indirectly impacted by the BP oil spill, Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) has devised an initiative to keep wildlife conservation at the forefront of relief efforts.

The Migratory Bird Habitat Initiative (MBHI), which was introduced on June 28, provides payment incentives to landowners in the Mississippi Flyway for lands that can provide immediate habitat for wildlife, to help replace the marshes damaged by the spill.

According to Agriculture and Forestry Commissioner Mike Strain, D.V.M. said landowners who wish to participate in the initiative must apply by Aug. 1.

“It’s an opportunity for Louisiana farmers, foresters and ranchers to help create habitats for migratory birds, and so far, our landowners have responded in record numbers,” Strain said in a press release.

Kevin Norton, state conservationist for Louisiana’s NRCS said 1,472 applications to enroll over 302,000 acres have been received since June 28.

“We expect there will be great interest from our farmers and ranchers who want to do something positive to help the migrating birds-not only this fall, but next spring and in subsequent years as well,” Norton stated on NRCS’s website.

The positive outreach isn’t expected to be limited to Louisiana, however.

“There’s a lot of sentiment about how oil is destroying some of the marshes, and I think NRCS is expanding the habitat program to include the Southeast Gulf states,” said Andrew Barrow, water quality program coordinator for Barataria Terrebonne National Estuary Program (BTNEP). “We certainly support these types of programs.”

The initiative includes parts of Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, and Texas. NRCS has already identified priority areas in each state that offer the best potential habitat for various migrating bird populations.

“We have more of the water fowl that have migrated north for summer migrating back south for the winter,” Barrow said. “[NRCS] wants to increase the total number of acres that are homes or habitats for migratory birds, and to make sure ones being directly impacted by the oil spill have places to reproduce and places that would provide food and water.”

USDA will use conservation programs administered by the NRCS, which, according to its website, is coordinating with state and private organizations and will assist producers in developing, enhancing and managing habitat for the migratory birds expected to pass through two major North American flyways to the Gulf in the coming months.

“With some marshes and shorelines already degraded and the potential for larger-scale oil impacts in the coming months, it is essential that we provide inland and coastal food, water, and cover for migratory birds before they reach the oil-impacted areas,” Norton said.

Interested producers are encouraged to contact their local USDA Service Center for additional information, and to log on to: www.la.nrcs.usda.gov.