Helping People Help the Land

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Restoring America’s Wetlands:

A Private Lands Conservation 

Success Story

Wetlands Reserve Program
2

 The Wetlands Reserve Program 

 (WRP) has helped private

 landowners voluntarily restore, 

 protect and enhance wetlands and 

 wildlife habitat on their lands 

since 1992. The cumulative benefits

of the wetlands restored through WRP reach well beyond their boundaries to 

improve watershed health, the vitality of agricultural lands, and aesthetics and 

economies of local communities. 

Wetlands are among the most biologically productive ecosystems in the world, 

comparable to tropical rainforests and coral reefs in the diversity of species they 

support. While wetlands only occupy about five percent of the continental U.S.

land surface, up to one-half of all North American bird species feed or nest in 

wetlands, more than one-third of Endangered and Threatened species rely on 

them, and wetlands are home to nearly one-third of our plant species. 

(Source: EPA)

WRP wetlands provide long-term benefits on a landscape 

scale: 

	 •	 Provide habitat for migratory birds, fish and other wildlife

	 •	 Improve water quality and groundwater recharge

	 •	 Provide flood protection

	 •	 Offer farmers an alternative for frequently flooded cropland

	 •	 Provide education and recreational opportunities

	 •	 Sequester carbon to help reduce greenhouse gases

	 •	 Aid in the recovery and prevent listing of rare and declining species

	 •	 Protect cultural resources

	 •	 Promote open space, rural aesthetics and scenic vistas

	 •	 Help local economies

The Wetlands

Reserve

Program

at 20 Years

Over the last 20 years, 

WRP’s voluntary, private 

lands approach has 

made it the Federal 

Government’s premier 

wetland conservation 

program. Year after 

year, WRP has delivered 

benefits to both the 

individual participating 

and the American public 

from the services WRP 

wetlands provide.

Restoring America’s Wetlands:

A Private Lands Conservation

Success Story

More than 11,000 of 

America’s private landowners 

have enrolled over 2.3 million 

acres into the Wetlands 

Reserve Program.
page 3

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Just the Beginning

WRP is revitalizing our Nation’s wetland resources, but the work has just begun. 

In the continental U.S., we have lost over 50 percent of the historical 220 million

wetland acres. Some states have lost over 90 percent of their wetland acreage.

The greatest potential for wetland restoration exists on private lands since over 

70 percent of our land is in private hands. Programs like WRP offer landowners

an opportunity to engage in this important recovery. 

Congress first authorized WRP in the 1990 Farm Bill and has reauthorized it

with little change in the three Farm Bills since. WRP began as a pilot in nine

states in 1992, and was first offered nationwide in 1995. Since then, the USDA

Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) has worked with landowners 

to voluntarily enroll over 2.3 million acres of wetlands and associated habitats 

on private lands through WRP.

WRP is most suited for frequently flooded agricultural lands, where planned

restoration will maximize habitat for migratory birds and other wildlife, and 

improve water quality. Owners of private and tribal lands are eligible.

The program offers a permanent easement, 30-year easement or contract, and

a restoration cost-share agreement. Depending on the enrollment option, NRCS

may pay 75 to 100 percent of the easement and restoration costs. Easement

compensation is based on the lower of fair market value, a geographic area rate 

cap, or landowner offer. Landowners pay taxes on the property, retain title to the 

land and thus, the right to control access and recreational use.

“I believe this is the best use for this 

land, which is an area that is increasingly 

in need of protected land to support the 

community and the environment.” 

—Matthew Rhodes, Massachusetts, 

on his 125-acre permanent easement

“The contributions of NRCS Farm 

Bill programs toward Joint Venture 

objectives cannot be overstated. We 

have science-based objectives for habitat 

protection, restoration and enhancement. 

The Wetlands Reserve Program has 

contributed greatly to our objectives, 

while also providing benefits for a host 

of resident species of wildlife, some of 

which are Threatened or Endangered.” 

—Bob Shaffer, Central Valley

Joint Venture, California

“I look at wetland restoration and the 

WRP program as a tool that individuals 

can look at. If it fits their economic 

situation, it can provide them greater 

stability. In addition, if you enjoy wildlife, 

there are huge aesthetic benefits.” 

—Mark Knaupp, Oregon, with

320 acres in WRP permanent easement
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Science-Based 

Assistance and 

Landscape-Scale 

Conservation

NRCS technical specialists work 

cooperatively with landowners, and 

use the latest wetland restoration 

science to maximize wetland and 

wildlife benefits. NRCS specialists

collaborate with federal and state 

wildlife agencies, researchers and 

universities, conservation districts, 

and nongovernmental organizations 

to develop and implement the most 

effective hydrologic and vegetative 

restoration, and management 

techniques. 

NRCS strives for a diversity of native 

plant and animal communities through 

restoration and management of 

wetland hydrology and vegetation. 

Restored WRP projects provide a 

variety of water depths and habitat 

types for wetland-dependent wildlife, 

including birds, amphibians, reptiles 

and mammals. 

The voluntary nature of WRP allows 

effective integration of wetland 

restoration on working landscapes, 

providing benefits to farmers and

ranchers who enroll in the program, 

as well as benefits to the local and

rural communities where the 

wetlands exist. 

Over the last 20 years, WRP has

catalyzed true landscape-scale 

conservation. Individual WRP

easements, which can range from 

two to 26,000 acres, are often

adjacent to other WRP easements,

or protected areas such as refuges 

and parks. The linking of these 

projects has resulted in the creation 

of significant wetland and wildlife corridors. 

WRP funds helped restore wetland habitat in a Michigan Audubon Society 

sanctuary, famous for thousands of Sandhill cranes who visit during their migration 

and for Massasauga rattlesnake habitat, a state Species of Concern. Partners included 

Ducks Unlimited, Michigan and Jackson Audubon Societies, Michigan Department of 

Natural Resources and the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. 

Waterfowl rise up out of a WRP project in south central Kansas.
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Water Quality

Healthy wetlands serve as the 

“kidneys” of our landscape. 

Wetlands decrease soil erosion and 

filter out sediments, chemicals and

nutrients by capturing and slowing 

water. Research shows that many 

wetlands can trap at least 50 percent

of dissolved phosphate and 70 percent

of dissolved nitrates running off nearby 

lands before they enter our Nation’s 

waterways, and ground and surface 

water supplies. 

Studies from the Prairie Pothole 

Region in North Dakota, South 

Dakota and Minnesota show that 

WRP projects in these states have 

the potential to reduce soil loss by 

as much as 124,000 tons per year.

That’s enough soil to fill over 3,600

dump trucks. The amount of soil could 

prevent over 400 tons of nitrogen and

5.5 tons of phosphorus from washing

downstream in the area alone. 

(Tangen 2008)

Improving Water Quality in Florida’s 

Everglades 

Five properties of over 26,000 acres

owned by four landowners along 

Fisheating Creek in the Northern

Everglades Watershed have created 

one of the largest WRP easement 

areas in the Nation. Fisheating

Creek is one of the last free-flowing

waterways entering Lake Okechobee,

a favored recreational spot and 

an area with an impact on water 

quality and quantity concerns in the

Everglades. This landscape also 

supports 19 Federally Endangered

and Threatened species, including the 

red-cockaded woodpecker, wood stork 

and Florida panther.

“The goals of the Wetlands Reserve Program met our goals perfectly. We wanted to 

create the best wetland out there, and the Wetlands Reserve Program provided us the 

technical and financial assistance to make that happen.”

—Don Cox, Nebraska,

with 387 acres of WRP permanent easements.

WRP wetland habitat is helping with 

erosion control in the Prairie Pothole 

region of North Dakota in addition to 

providing critical waterfowl breeding and 

nesting habitat. 

Over 26,000 acres of seasonal and 

forested wetland habitat was protected 

as part of the Fisheating Creek WRP 

project in Florida. 
6

Flood Prevention

WRP wetlands can help reduce downstream flooding and lessen damaging

impacts from floods. Wetlands provide a safe area not occupied by homes or

farms to spread, slow and store floodwaters. A one-acre wetland typically stores

about three-acre feet of water, or one million gallons. Trees and other wetland 

vegetation also slow flood waters. This action, combined with water storage, can

lower flood heights and reduce the water’s destructive potential. Wetlands also

allow water to be absorbed into the soil providing groundwater recharge and 

more moderate stream and river flows over longer periods of time.

(Source: EPA)

Minimizing Flooding in the Red River Valley

Significant flooding has occurred in Minnesota’s Red River Valley over the last

few years, causing damage to cropland and infrastructure. WRP projects are 

helping slow and store floodwaters. Research shows restored WRP wetlands in

the Prairie Pothole Region have a water storage capacity of over 23,000 acrefeet—this would cover 46,000 acres, or an area the size of Washington D.C., in

six inches of water. (Gleason 2008)

Wetlands can help slow and store floodwaters from nearby streams and rivers.
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Fish & Wildlife Habitat

WRP provides habitat for a wide 

diversity of plants and animals that 

depend upon wetlands, and wetlandassociated forests and grasslands. 

One-half of all bird species in North

America and more than one third of all 

federally listed species depend upon 

wetlands during part of their lifecycle. 

Habitat loss and fragmentation has 

caused the decline of many species, 

and habitat restoration is needed 

for many of these species to return 

to viable populations. WRP projects 

are providing critical habitat for, and 

aiding in the recovery of, a wide range 

of these rare and declining species, 

including wood storks, whooping 

cranes, Indiana bats and bog turtles.

“I see the Canada geese nesting here, the 

wood ducks and all the shorebirds. When 

I was a boy, you never saw them around 

here.” 

—Palmer Traynham, California, 

who manages 340 acres in WRP

permanent easement.

Improving Wood Stork Populations 

Currently listed as a federally 

Endangered species, wood storks nest 

in colonies or rookeries in cypress 

swamps. During the 1970s, when the

population was at its lowest, the storks 

primarily nested near the Florida

Everglades. In 2010, a colony of over

125 wood stork nests, 580 cattle

egrets and various other waterbirds 

were discovered on a WRP project 

in southwest Georgia. Since these 

southern restored wetlands are so 

valuable to these birds, WRP is 

considered essential to the federal 

Wood Stork Recovery Action Plan.

Landowner Palmer Traynham (right) with NRCS biologist Tim Hermansen, California. 
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Restoring Natural Tidal Flows

WRP is considered a ‘Lifeline for 

Fisheries.’ For example, Gooseneck

Cove in Rhode Island is now restored

after decades of degradation. 

Restoration brought back the natural 

tidal flow in the marsh, along with

native vegetation, and improved 

habitat for striped bass, bluefish and

numerous water birds.

More Louisiana Black Bears

Due to habitat loss, the Louisiana

black bear’s population was severely 

diminished to roughly 100 bears by the

1950s in Louisiana. Listed as federally

Threatened in 1992, WRP helped 

reverse the bear’s decline, with the 

first documented litter found on a WRP

easement in 2004. With continued

utilization of WRP habitat, the bear’s 

population in Louisiana, Arkansas, 

Mississippi and Georgia is now 

estimated at 500 bears and growing

steadily. 

WRP Creating Swan Habitat 

Trumpeter swans, one of the largest 

native North American birds, were 

extinct in most of the U.S. by the

early 1900s and are now making a

comeback. In fact, trumpeter swans

successfully nested on a WRP wetland 

site in Appanoose County, Iowa—

the first time in this location for over

100 years.
page 9

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Restoring Habitat for Whooping 

Cranes

The federally Endangered whooping 

crane is dependent upon wetland 

habitat. Once found throughout

the Midwest, the results of habitat 

loss and hunting diminished the 

population to only 21 cranes by 1941. 

Conservation efforts including WRP 

have played a critical role in the 

survival of the whooping crane. There 

are now over 400 whooping cranes,

some of which have been documented 

using WRP wetlands in Wisconsin, 

Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Texas, and

Florida.
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Providing Waterfowl Habitat in the 

Rainwater Basin

Historically, over 200,000 acres of

wetlands existed in Nebraska’s 21 

counties making up the Rainwater 

Basin (RWB). While only 17 percent

of those wetlands remain, millions 

of migrating waterfowl in the Central 

Flyway still stop there each year. To

date, WRP has restored over 5,000

acres of wetlands in the RWB. WRP

wetlands provide over 12 percent of 

the much-needed, wetland-derived 

food for migrating waterfowl while 

they are in the RWB. (CEAP study,

2008) In addition, the U.S. Fish and

Wildlife Service estimates that WRP 

wetlands in the neighboring Prairie 

Pothole Region of the Dakotas havea

potential waterfowl carrying capacity of 

over 48,000 pairs of ducks per year.

Mitigating Natural and Man-Made 

Disasters

NRCS established the Migratory Bird

Habitat Initiative (MBHI) to increase

habitat for migratory birds impacted 

by the Deepwater Horizon/BP oil

spill. As part of this, NRCS specialists 

collaborated with private landowners 

and conservation partners to boost 

open water and available food for 

the migrating birds. WRP projects 

made upa significant portion of the

nearly 500,000 acres NRCS enrolled

in MBHI, providing more habitat for

the over 50 million birds that migrate

the Mississippi, Central, and Atlantic 

flyways each year.
page 11

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Recovering At-Risk Species

WRP habitat can help prevent the 

listing, and accelerate the recovery, of 

at-risk species. A collaborative effort in 

Oregon’s Willamette River Watershed

where 62 landowners enrolled 7,600

acres into WRP improved Oregon

chub survival. The habitat restoration 

and subsequent population increase

helped the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

decide to down-list the chub from 

Endangered to Threatened. Other

species also benefitted, such as the

Upper Willamette Spring Chinook

salmon, Fender’s blue butterfly and

Nelson’s checkermallow. 

Habitat for the Bog Turtle

WRP is providing habitat for the bog 

turtle in eastern states with specific

focus in Pennsylvania. This small, 

semi-aquatic turtle has been listed

as a federally Threatened species 

since 1997.

Restoring Forested Wetlands

The Mississippi Alluvial Valley is the

Nation’s largest floodplain and a

critical region for numerous species of 

waterfowl, including wintering mallards 

and wood ducks. However, the region 

had lost 75 percent of its historical

forested ecosystem by the 1970s.

WRP work has restored over 530,000

acres in the floodplain. On WRP

easements in the valley alone, enough 

foraging habitat now exists for 136,000

ducks for 100 days. (King et. al. 2006)
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Recreation & Education

A growing human population has a greater need for recreation, opportunities 

to enjoy natural settings, enhance health and wellness, and connect with 

family and friends. Wetlands can serve as outdoor classrooms where 

ecological principles and appreciation for natural and cultural resources can 

be taught. Many WRP wetlands provide recreational bird-watching and hunting 

opportunities for landowners. 

Inspiring Community Involvement 

In Indiana, a BioBlitz was held at the Goose Pond Fish and Wildlife Area WRP

with teams of scientists and community volunteers scouring the site to tally 

species of birds, amphibians, reptiles, mammals, insects and plants. After a 

two-day search, the teams recorded over 1,000 species on the property.

“[The] wildlife gives us hours of enjoyment. 

And as a hunter, I want to enhance the 

land, where it can benefit everybody. The 

benefits will last long after I’m gone and 

my grandkids will have something to look 

forward to.” 

—John Walker, Delaware landowner,

with an 8-acre 30-year WRP easement.
page 13

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Outdoor classroom in Montana’s Silver Potawatomi Tribe WRP project.

Springs WRP.

Outdoor Education Possibilities

With landowner cooperation, many 

restored WRP sites provide outdoor 

classrooms for local schoolchildren. 

Here, schoolchildren from the 

Sheridan High School explore the 

Silver Springs WRP in southwestern 

Montana. 

Restoring Tribal Lands

In Indiana, the Pokagon Band of the

Potawatomi Tribe has utilized WRP to 

restore over 1,100 acres of their native

land back to historic marsh conditions. 

The project included re-establishing 

traditional wild rice beds historically 

important to their members.

WRP wetlands can offer their landowners a variety of recreational opportunities.
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Helping the Economy

WRP provides farmers and ranchers a voluntary option for addressing marginal 

or frequently flooded cropland. WRP’s financial assistance has helped some

farmers and ranchers bridge the gap to stay in business, keep their land or 

diversify their operations through for-fee recreation opportunities. In addition, the

added open space adds to rural character and local community aesthetics. 

Wetlands provide a variety of environmental benefits increasingly valued by

society. Studies suggest that American citizens generally value the benefits of

wetlands at the following estimated amounts:

	 •	 the wetland’s ability to improve water quality and quantity for the local

	 	 community, over $800 per acre;

	 •	 the value of bird watching and hunting, over $500 per acre;

	 •	 the capability of the wetland to act as a freshwater marsh and contribute

	 	 to nearby sustainable commercial and recreational fishing, over $400 per

	 	 acre; and

	 •	 other benefits, such as flood control and the effect on land values in

	 	 particular areas, over $200 per acre.

“I’ve been able to improve my ground and even increase the actual farm value with the 

wetland acres.” 

—Cliff McMahan, Illinois,

with 200 acres in a permanent WRP easement.

“We’ve really enjoyed seeing the wildlife using the area, plus it beats fighting to keep 

water off the cropland.” 

—Max Leininger, discussing his WRP 

easement in Nebraska’s Rainwater Basin.

Carbon Sequestration

Wetlands store carbon in their soils, organic material and vegetation. In the

Prairie Pothole Region, estimates show that over 41,000 tons of carbon are

sequestered or stored in the plants on WRP lands. On average, it is estimated

that every acre of replanted floodplain forests will sequester 2.5 tons of carbon

each year. (Birdsey 1996) Conservative estimates show that, WRP easements

could account for over 1.2 billion pounds of sequestered carbon annually. This

equals the amount of carbon emissions from over 360,000 cars, or enough to

line cars up from New York to Los Angeles. 

Waterfowl rest on a 404-acre WRP site in 

Arkansas. The state is second to Louisiana 

with more than 200,000 acres enrolled in 

WRP on over 500 easements.

Katie Lemke, NRCS Soil Conservationist, 

with landowner Max Leininger on his WRP 

easement in Nebraska’s Rainwater Basin.
page 15

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More Benefits to Come

WRP wetlands provide long-term 

benefits on a landscape-scale—to

help heal lands after natural disasters, 

provide critical habitat for a long list of 

wildlife species, filter out toxins from

our drinking water and much more. 

The cumulative benefits of WRP also

improve the vitality of agricultural 

lands, and the aesthetics and 

economies of local communities. 

Restoring and protecting our Nation’s 

wetland resources in a thoughtful way 

that maximizes the benefits for all who

depend on them will take substantial 

and continued effort, and require longterm engagement of private citizens 

and conservation agencies and 

organizations. WRP offers a highly 

successful model for the way forward.

WRP has become the preeminent 

federal private lands program for 

protecting and restoring wetlands—it 

is a true conservation success 

story. Several U.S. Presidents have

mentioned WRP as a critical wetland 

restoration program, and WRP now 

provides a foundation for other 

programs and landscape-scale plans 

conducted by state, federal and 

nongovernmental organizations.

The key to WRP’s success is its 

involvement and enthusiasm from 

private landowners and NRCS 

conservation partners. Landowners 

across the country have watched 

wetland habitat positively transform 

their land and, their community. There 

are thousands of acres still on the 

enrollment waiting list. WRP has 

proven to be a program where NRCS, 

landowners and many various partners 

can work together to achieve truly 

cooperative conservation resulting 

in long-term benefits on a landscape

scale that will ensure our wetland 

resources are available for future 

generations.

The Boundary Creek WRP in northern Idaho provides habitat for the white sturgeon, 

caribou and grizzly bear. Photo by Idaho Department of Fish & Game.

Remnant of a cypress/tupelo wetland 

in central Mississippi as part of a 

WRP easement.

A 211-acre WRP easement in the 

Mississippi River Drainage area of 

western Kentucky is only a half-mile from 

the Reelfoot National Wildlife Refuge. 
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www.nrcs.usda.gov

USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer. 

(Left) A 618-acre WRP easement in Oklahoma provides migratory bird and upland wildlife 

habitat near the Arkansas River and Sooner Lake. Habitat work has included bottomland 

hardwood tree plantings and a tallgrass prairie restoration. Landowners Mark Sharp and 

his family enjoy the area as avid duck hunters. 

References sited in this publication are available on the NRCS website at 

www.nrcs.usda.gov