The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) said the initiative, established in the 2008 farm bill, brings together funding from two different federal programs.
"The idea behind CCPI is to allow partners to pull from different program funding to approach conservation goals comprehensively," said Ed Burton, state conservationist for NRCS in California.
Six percent of the funds made available through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) and the Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program (WHIP) are set aside to be used in projects proposed by successful CCPI applicants.
NRCS said 90 percent of CCPI funds are available at the state level and 10 percent are available nationally. Applicants should apply for national funds if the proposed projects targets two or more states.
Agricultural producers covered by selected CCPI projects will be invited to apply for EQIP or WHIP to support the goals of the project.
The deadline for proposals is April 23rd, 2009. Applicants should submit proposals to Lincoln "Ed" Burton, NRCS state conservationist, for California, or Dave White, chief of the NRCS, for multi-state or national proposals.
