Programs

Farm Bill

Pacific Islands - West Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program (WHIP) FY2007

General Program Description

Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program Sign-ups Underway!

The Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program is a voluntary program for landowners who want to develop and improve wildlife habitats that support wildlife populations of National, State and local significance primarily on private land. Through WHIP USDA NRCS provides both technical assistance and up to 75 percent cost-share assistance to landowners to develop upland, wetland, riparian, and aquatic habitat areas on their property. WHIP agreements between NRCS and the participant generally last from 5 to 10 years from the date the agreement is signed.

WHIP sign-up is currently underway in the Pacific Islands – West (PI-West) at the Guam and Saipan Field Offices. Individuals or entities can apply for cost sharing of many types of structural and management conservation practices, which address the following wildlife priority habitats identified by the State Technical Advisory Committee and Local Work Groups:

• Native forest/riparian acres adjacent or connected to existing high quality native forest reserves, wildlife refuges, or other preservation areas and increase their extent
• Native forests where burning, invasive species or noxious weeds replaced the original habitat
• Create, restore and/or enhance coastal beach strand habitats that support at-risk, threatened or endangered plants, fruit bats or birds
• Coastal habitats that support at-risk seabirds, monk seals or turtles
• At-risk, threatened or endangered species habitat (vertebrates, invertebrates, plants)
• Protect and/or improve habitat from the damages of soil erosion and sedimentation that affect the health of native organisms in our river systems and coral reefs through implementation of sound land conservation practices

The Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 reauthorized WHIP as a voluntary approach to improving wildlife habitat in our Nation. Program administration of WHIP is provided under the Natural Resources Conservation Service.

Eligibility

A WHIP applicant must furnish acceptable evidence of control of the land for the duration of the cost-share agreement. Acceptable evidence of control of the land includes, but is not limited to, a land title, deed, lease, notarized statement signed by the owner, or power of attorney.
Eligible lands include privately owned lands, tribal lands, state, county, or local government owned lands with concurrence from the State Conservationist, and federal lands where the benefit is primarily on private lands, but must include some federal land to meet the Wildlife Habitat Development Plan (WHDP).

Cost Share Rates

WHIP will reimburse landowners/lessees up to 75 percent of the average cost of the conservation practices planned. There are hold-down rates for practices. Typically, contracts are 5 to 10 years. At least one essential cost-share practice must be started the first year. There is no maximum funding cap.

Sign-up and Application Information

Interested individuals in the PI-West may apply in person at any USDA Service Center in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands or Guam. Applicants may also request WHIP assistance by telephone, fax, e-mail or letter. Click on the link to USDA Service Centers to find the office nearest to you. The cutoff date for FY2007 is January 16, 2007.

Ranking of Applications

Ranking of eligible applications will be completed after the application sign-up period has been announced and the cutoff date is past. Scoring of approved applications will follow the established process and use the approved PI-West WHIP ranking criteria. Applications will be selected for plan development and contracting in ranked order according to the score as available funds allow. If insufficient funds are available to fund all eligible applications, applications will be held in a waiting list and may be ranked with any subsequently received applications during FY2007.

Conservation Practices

Essential conservation practices approved for cost share are included in the program for the restoration, creation, enhancement, or management of identified wildlife habitats. Among them are, tree and shrub establishment, wetland enhancement, use exclusion, sediment basin, riparian forest buffer, and streambank and shoreline protection. The list of approved practices for the PI-West is posted on this web site in the PI-West FY2007 WHIP Cost List.
Installation of conservation practices must meet NRCS technical standards. The approved WHIP program participant will receive technical assistance for the planning and application of the conservation practices.

Local Participation and Work Groups

NRCS supports the locally led conservation effort in the delivery of conservation programs. The USDA Local Work Group (LWG) serves as the starting point in the development and coordination of NRCS conservation assistance programs to provide an integral approach for addressing local natural resource concerns. The LWG ensures that the conservation needs assessment is developed using input from interested partners especially those with wildlife expertise. Using the assessment process, the LWG identifies wildlife habitat priorities, recommends a process for reviewing applications and making approvals, and helps establish the average cost for practices.