North Dakota Agriculture Commissioner Doug Goehring has announced a new program to help landowners enhance their property and restore habitat damaged by overland flooding, erosion, and infestation by noxious and invasive species.
“The Land Enhancement and Habitat Renewal Program is designed to help private land owners restore their land or to make it more productive,” Goehring said. “The program will provide up to 50 percent reimbursement of most costs associated with reclamation, landscaping, soil conditioning, revegetation and weed control.”
Goehring announced the new program Wednesday, at a public meeting in Granville, where many area farms were heavily impacted by the 2011 Mouse River floods.
Proposed projects must involve land that has at least 10 percent woody vegetation or be adjacent to wooded vegetation. Control of noxious weeds and invasive species is the focus of all proposed projects. Application forms and a complete description of requirements are available on the NDDA website at www.nd.gov/ndda or by calling Rachel Seifert-Spilde at (701) 328-2983.
“The deadline for the first round of applications is Sept. 13,” Goehring said. “Each application will be judged on its merits and on a case-by-case basis.”
Goehring said priority will be given to projects that:
- Work cooperatively with state and private landowners
- Employ Best Management Practices
- Restore habitat
- Prevent and reduce the establishment of noxious and invasive weeds
- Utilize integrated pest management
- Enhance future land use and access
