In November, agricultural producers and private forest landowners can apply for funding to enhance conservation efforts in the greater Spokane River Watershed. Approximately 1.8 million dollars of funding is being made available through NRCS (which is part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture). Including financial incentives made available through the Washington State Conservation Commission, total funding will be over 2.3 million dollars. Up to 20 applications are expected to be approved in January.

Those interested in applying are encouraged to attend one of three workshops and/or contact Charlie Peterson with the Spokane Conservation District for more information. Click here for program flyer. Click here for workshop information.

This is the first of four rounds of funding being made available as part of the Greater Spokane River Watershed Regional Conservation Participation Program (RCPP). Last spring, NRCS awarded 7.7 million dollars of funding to enhance conservation efforts across nearly 4 million acres in the watershed, which stretches across Washington and Idaho. Although many of these projects will be in areas little seen by the public, they will result in reducing nonpoint source pollution that contributes to poor fish habitat, dissolved oxygen, algae blooms and other environmental issues effecting waterways that are very much in the public eye, e.g.-Lake Coeur d'Alene, the Spokane River and Lake Spokane.

Said Walt Edelen, the Water Resources Manager for the Spokane Conservation District, "NRCS made this funding available by combining resources from several programs. When you combine their funding with additional financial incentives and in-kind contributions, we can be really strategic about meeting the needs of both the environment and farmers." Read More