Thanks to funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Natural Resources Conservation Service's Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP), Sand County Foundation has been helping landowners make land management improvements in the ecologically important Driftless Area.   

By targeting conservation funding and technical assistance to oak savanna and grassland restoration, Sand County Foundation's work is reducing erosion from vulnerable landscapes, and increasing habitat for grassland birds and pollinators.

Key partners in the project include: Valley Stewardship Network, Driftless Area Land Conservancy, Southern Driftless Grasslands, Savanna Institute, Applied Ecological Services, The Nature Conservancy in Wisconsin, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, and Southern Wisconsin Land Conservancy.

In 2021, NRCS invested $330 million in 85 locally driven, public-private partnerships to address climate change, improve the nation’s water quality, combat drought, enhance soil health, support wildlife habitat and protect agricultural viability.

Projects were awarded through the RCPP. RCPP partners offer value-added contributions to amplify the impact of RCPP funding. Throughout its history, RCPP has leveraged partner contributions of more than $1 for every $1 invested by USDA, resulting in nearly $3 billion collectively invested in natural resource conservation on private lands.

“The Regional Conservation Partnership Program is public-private partnership working at its best,” said Terry Cosby, Chief of USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service. “These new projects will harness the power of partnership to help bring about solutions to natural resource concerns across the country while supporting our efforts to combat the climate crisis.”

For more information on RCPP, visit the RCPP website.