Florida landowners in the St. Marks and Aucilla watersheds interested in protecting the conservation values of their land are being reminded the application deadline for conservation easement funding through the Red Hills to the Coast – Connecting Land and Water project is Friday, March 17, 2023.
Led by the Tall Timbers Research Station and Land Conservancy, in partnership with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP), the project area includes the entirety of the St. Marks and Aucilla watersheds and covers portions of Leon, Wakulla, Jefferson, and Madison counties.
As part of the project, Tall Timbers has funding to pay landowners up to 50 percent of the value of a conservation easement placed upon their land. Tall Timbers will be the conservation easement holder.
Lands eligible for RCPP funding include non-industrial forest lands, agricultural lands, lands with natural habitats, or a mix of all three.
Due to the complex nature of conservation easement projects, landowners interested in this funding are strongly encouraged to contact Tall Timbers to discuss this funding option prior to submitting an application. If interested in conserving your land in partnership with Tall Timbers and NRCS, contact Peter Kleinhenz, conservation coordinator at Tall Timbers, at pkleinhenz@talltimbers.org or (850) 508-0777.