A landowner with qualifying land applies for the Wetland Reserve Easement (WRE) to the NRCS at the local office, also called a District Office.
NRCS accepts applications for enrollment in the WRE at the District Office. Landowners interested in applying for funding should contact their local NRCS office to begin the application process, which can take up to 2 years to complete (application to approval). Applications are accepted throughout the year.
Wetland Reserve Easements in the Batture
Wildlife Mississippi, the Mississippi River Trust (MRT), and the Lower Mississippi River Conservation Committee (LMRCC) are continuing their partnership with the NRCS to assist them in protecting and restoring bottomland hardwood forests and wetlands in the Lower Mississippi River batture, or the active floodplain between the river and levees or bluffs.
What We Do
The MRT’s obligations under the program are to
- Conduct outreach to eligible landowners
- Help landowners apply for WRE in the batture
- Restore the land to bottomland hardwoods
