USDA NRCS Offers Final Year of Funding for Monarch Initiative
The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) will offer a final year of funding for conservation efforts that help farmers and ranchers in Texas provide food and habitat for Monarch butterflies.
The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) will offer a final year of funding for conservation efforts that help farmers and ranchers in Texas provide food and habitat for Monarch butterflies. This targeted effort will invest $183,825 through the Conservation Stewardship Program in 2020 to help combat the species’ decline. The deadline to apply for this round of funding is June 5, 2020.
“Texas plays a critical role in conservation efforts aimed at increasing Monarch populations given the state’s strategic location along the species migratory pathway,” said Claude Ross, acting NRCS state conservationist for Texas. “Our agency has been working with private landowners and our conservation partners to establish and enhance desired and beneficial habitat for the winter and spring migrations of the Monarch butterfly.”
The focus of this project to implement enhancements/practices in order to improve/enhance habitat that will benefit the Monarch Butterfly, pollinators, and other wildlife as well as assisting to reduce erosion, control invasive species, enhance soil health, provide quality livestock forage, and make agricultural operations more resilient and productive.
Some of the key enhancements/practices are:
This conservation initiative is part of a 10-state national effort targeting the heart of the monarch’s migratory route, with Texas being a key state in that migration pattern.