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Kentucky Receives $9.4M to Acquire and Restore Mississippi River Wetlands

Anthony
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Flickr (Creative Commons License)

Kentucky will receive $9.4 million in federal funds to restore wetlands along the Mississippi River.  

It’s part of a $30 million U.S. Department of Agriculture grant to conservation groups in six Mississippi River-adjacent states to protect, restore and enhance over 19,000 acres of wetland.

The USDA grant is funded under the Wetland Reserve Enhancement Partnership authorized by the 2014 Farm Bill. The funds are distributed by the USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Services.

Western Kentucky watersheds are some of the highest contributors of nitrogen, phosphorus and sediment runoffs in the state flowing into the Mississippi River which contributes to gulf hypoxia, which is the depletion of oxygen in aquatic environments and could results in ecological dead zones.

State Nature Conservancy West Kentucky Project Director Shelly Morris says the group first received federal funding in 2011 for the project.  

“We’ve already been able to protect and restore over about 4,300 acres in this watershed since 2011," said Morris. "So it’s very exciting to have this next pot of funding to go forward and continue our land protection efforts in this area.”

Morris says the NRCS funds will be used to help with acquisition and easement of private land from owners to restore wetland vegetation, wildlife habitats and water quality.  

"Basically, what we're trying to do is find these places that are eligible for the program and put them back into trees," said Morris. "These areas were cleared of trees, tiled, ditched and drained and converted to agriculture and we're trying to turn those areas back into hardwood forest. Whenever we can, we restore hydrology by plugging ditches, breaking levies. Basically, the things that have been done over the years to make these areas more farmable and to get the water off the land quicker. It’s not a matter of going in to flood everything but it’s a matter of going in and doing restoration measures that will help the water stay on the land longer.

"So the restoration that we do help to reduce sediment runoff and also help reduce the inputs of these nutrients that contribute to gulf hypoxia, as well as providing wildlife habitat."

The Kentucky Indiana Bat Fund will support the Nature Conservancy with the matching funds needed to receive the grant.

Tennessee is receiving $8.4 million of the project funds to acquire wetlands in a Hypoxia Task Force priority watershed of the lower Mississippi River.  That project area also includes areas along the Mississippi River in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Kentucky and Missouri.  26 of the 35 counties in the project area are identified by the USDA as Persistent Poverty Strike Force Counties, where assistance to combat rural poverty will be targeted. 
This is the second phase of work that began in 2012 with the target to enroll 15,000 acres by 2016.  The NRCS plans to invest $8.4M in the project.  
Iowa, Mississippi, Missouri and Nebraska are also receiving funds for similar easement and wetland restoration projects.  

Rob Canning is a native of Murray, KY, a 2015 TV Production grad of Murray State. At MSU, he served as team captain of the Murray State Rowing Club. Rob's goal is to become a screenwriter, film director or producer and looks to the likes of Quentin Tarantino and Guy Ritchie for inspiration. He appreciates good music, mainly favoring British rock n' roll, and approves of anything with Jack White's name on it. When not studying, rowing or writing, Rob enjoys spending his free time with a book or guitar.
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