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Several USDA agencies, including the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), implement an extensive joint outreach effort with the Intertribal Agriculture Council (IAC) to increase awareness of USDA services available to American Indian and Alaska Native communities. The IAC is a nonprofit corporation of 61 member Indian tribes devoted to improving agriculture as a source of economic development for American Indian people. NRCS has designated a full-time American Indian Liaison in order to work more closely with the IAC. NRCS has worked with the IAC to help Indian tribes establish 33 full-time and 73 part-time NRCS offices at tribal headquarters and 15 American Indian Conservation Districts under tribal law, with an additional two Districts in the development phase. NRCS has conducted 20 “Working Effectively with American Indians" workshops; these sessions focus on historical, legal, and cultural issues that are significant for effective program delivery to American Indians and Alaska Natives.
The Forest Service has an American Indian and Alaska Native policy and has published a national tribal resource book entitled Forest Service National Resource Book on American Indian and Alaska Native Relations to promote cooperative relations with American Indian and Alaska Native tribes. The Forest Service works with Indian tribes to coordinate the management of national forest lands and resources with adjacent Indian tribes; to honor American Indian water rights and reserved rights to hunt, fish, gather, and graze on present-day national forests through consultation and agreement with affected Indian tribes; to engage in ongoing consultation with Indian tribes to accommodate traditional, cultural sites on public lands; and to provide research, technology transfer, and technical assistance to Indian tribes.
American Indians and Alaska Natives are eligible to participate in all Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) programs and may have special status as provided by statute or regulation. The demand for NRCS services by American Indian tribal groups continues to increase as the value of NRCS assistance becomes better understood.
Assistance provided includes, but is not limited to, the following: Conservation planning on cropland, pastureland, and rangeland and assistance to apply rangeland management and improvement practices, irrigation water development structures and management, brush control, erosion control structures, agriculture, forestry, salinity control, land treatment for watershed programs activities, no-till conservation tillage, soil interpretation for various land uses, farmland protection, wildlife habitat improvement, and wetlands restoration.
In addition to cost sharing available through the Farm Service Agency (FSA), as noted in the following pages, NRCS provides cost share assistance for conservation practices under certain programs, such as Public Law 83-566 Watershed Protection and Flood Prevention programs, the Wildlife Habitat Improvement Program (WHIP), and the Conservation Operations Program (COP), and administers on behalf of the Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) and the Wetlands Reserve Program (WRP).
Three actions have increased American Indian access to NRCS programs and assistance: (1) Authorization of Indian tribes to be legal sponsors of watershed projects; (2) the 1997 USDA Office of the General Counsel review of policy and the resulting determination that USDA can provide the same assistance, through conservation districts, to American Indians and Alaska Natives on their lands as it does to non-Indians; and (3) the establishment, in 1980, of the USDA policy to provide conservation assistance through conservation districts organized under tribal or Federal law.
One new action significantly increased American Indian access to programs and services: Section 2501(g) of the 1990 Food, Agriculture, Conservation, and Trade Act (the 1990 Act) required certain USDA agencies, including NRCS, Farm Service Agency (FSA), and Rural Development (RD), to establish suboffices at tribal headquarters, if requested by Indian tribes.
NRCS gives technical help in soil and water conservation to individual landowners and operators, organizations, city, county, and State governments, through nearly 3,000 local soil and water conservation districts. It provides technical and financial help for watershed protection and flood prevention, and through other conservation programs. Natural resource information is available to land use officials for planning and maintaining housing, schools, water supply, highways, and recreational facilities.
Assistance Available: Published soil surveys of counties or other comparably sized areas are available for use by interested Indian tribes, agencies, organizations, and individuals. Many of the soil surveys include American Indian land both on and off reservations. Soil surveys are in progress on other reservations. They contain basic and detailed information needed for agricultural and natural resource development programs.
How to Apply: An applicant should contact his or her tribal or county NRCS office, local Extension Service, the State Agricultural Experiment Station, the nearest USDA Agricultural Service Center or Conservation District Office, or local Member of Congress.
For More Information: Contact Director of Soils, NRCS, USDA, Washington, DC 20250; telephone: (202) 720-1820.
Assistance Available: Through its field offices, local conservation districts, and Tribal Conservation Districts, NRCS helps farm and ranch owners and operators plan and apply more than 100 conservation practices to manage, conserve, improve, and develop soil, water, and related resources. NRCS has expertise in resource assessment and planning, agronomy, range management, forestry, agricultural engineering, soils, water management, wildlife habitat management, recreation, aquaculture, rural development, resource inventories, and watershed and flood protection.
The Service provides technical assistance to American Indian communities through Tribal Conservation Districts and Tribal Governments handling natural resource conservation programs and other rural development activities.
Technical assistance is coordinated at the national level by the NRCS Conservation Operations Division. Field office personnel provide assistance upon request to individuals, district cooperators, Indian tribes, Tribal Councils, or other community leadership. Through participation in national, State, and local Field Advisory Committees (FAC's), NRCS can help American Indian community leaders access USDA program benefits.
How to Apply: Contact the county or tribal NRCS Office, Tribal Conservation District, Conservation District Office, or the nearest USDA Agricultural Service Center.
For More Information: Contact the Director of Conservation Operations Division, NRCS, USDA, Washington, DC 20250; telephone: (202) 720-1845.
Assistance Available: Technical assistance is available to help local people initiate and carry out long-range programs of Resource Conservation and Development (RC&D).
Indian tribes have the option of forming RC&Ds based on reservation boundaries and tribal law. RC&D assistance may be used on reservation lands for public water-based recreation and fish and wildlife developments or on private lands owned or operated by American Indians for flood prevention, sedimentation and erosion control, farm irrigation, water quality management, and control and abatement of agriculture-related pollution. The RC&D Project Steering Committee and local leadership plan and carry out associated project measures funded by other non-USDA entities, both Federal and private. Associated measures deal with any project the RC&D and local people need and approve.
How to Apply: Contact the county or tribal NRCS Office, Tribal Conservation District, Conservation District Office, RC&D Coordinator's Office, or the nearest USDA Agricultural Service Center.
For More Information: Contact Director of Resource Conservation and Development Division, NRCS, USDA, Washington, DC 20250; telephone: (202) 720-2241.
Assistance Available: NRCS has an American Indian Liaison located at National Headquarters. The Liaison's role is to work with Indian tribes and various American Indian groups to improve technical assistance to American Indians and to increase their participation in NRCS and USDA programs.
For More Information or Assistance: Contact the American Indian Liaison, Community Assistance and Rural Development Division, NRCS, USDA, Washington, DC 20250; telephone: (202) 720-8576.
Assistance Available: Watershed projects begin with local initiative and responsibility. Local proposals are reviewed by the State, which may make financial and other assistance available. Federal technical and financial assistance is also available.
State agencies, Indian tribes, and nonprofit local organizations can sponsor a watershed project. Watershed projects help cities, towns, and rural areas stimulate economic growth. Where projects are developed for multiple purposes, both urban and rural areas benefit. Control of flooding, erosion, and siltation reduces risks in farming and lowers the cost of maintaining roads and bridges. It also reduces reservoir sedimentation and prevents costly flood damage in urban communities.
Reservoirs built through watershed projects provide opportunities for fishing, boating, swimming, and other recreation. They supply water for irrigation, municipal use, and industry.
A watershed project has an immediate and positive effect on the economy and rural communities, and it often acts as a catalyst for a wide range of rural development actions.
Watershed works of improvement (flood control dams, diversion channels, land treatment, etc.) provide multiple rural development benefits that can best be optimized when the projects are included in local rural development plans.
How to Apply: Contact the county or tribal NRCS office, or the nearest USDA Agricultural Service Center.
For More Information: Contact the Director of Watershed and Wetlands Division, NRCS, USDA, Washington, DC 20250; telephone: (202) 720-3527.
Nature and Purpose: The primary purpose of the Plant Material Centers is to develop materials and plant science technology for conservation of resources. An important activity is to select from plants observed to be the best range of adaptability, growth rate, and hardiness and increase their numbers so they can be released to those people who wish to reestablish native plants. The Plant Material Centers also provide “seed" on plants that are of cultural and religious significance to American Indian people, such as sweet grass in the northern plains.
Type of Assistance: The purpose of this program is to select and grow plants which naturally occur in the wild and then provide them to those persons who wish to reestablish native plants.
Local Contacts: Indian tribes or Cultural Committees should contact the NRCS office serving the reservation or the NRCS State Conservationist.
Washington Contact: American Indian Liaison. Community Assistance and Rural Development Division, NRCS, USDA, Washington, DC 20250; telephone: (202) 720-8576.
Nature and Purpose: Participants who want to implement practices that will improve habitat condition for wildlife may enter into cost-share agreements for a 5- to 10-year period. Since there is a time lag between the installation of a practice and the actual wildlife benefits, participants will receive cost-share assistance as practices are established but must maintain the practice for the practice lifespan which may expand beyond the agreement period.
Type of Assistance: The Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program (WHIP) will provide participants with the technical expertise to successfully establish realistic wildlife goals for their land, as well as provide financial assistance in the form of cost-share agreements to help establish practices.
Local Contacts: Closest NRCS local office, Tribal Conservation District, or local conservation district.
Nature and Purpose: The purpose of the Conservation of Private Grazing Land program is to ensure that technical education and related assistance is provided to those who own private grazing lands. Assistance is available for: better grazing land management, soil protection, more energy efficiency, water conservation, providing wildlife habitat, sustaining forage and grazing plants, using plants to sequester greenhouse grasses and increase organic matter, and using grazing land as a source of biomass energy and raw materials for industrial products.
Type of Assistance: Conservation technical assistance funds.
Local Contacts: Your USDA Service Center, Tribal Conservation District, or your local conservation district.
Nature and Purpose: The Wetlands Reserve Program (WRP) is a voluntary program to restore and protect wetlands on private property. It is an opportunity for landowners to receive financial incentives to enhance wetlands in exchange for retiring marginal agricultural land. Landowners who choose to participate in WRP may sell a conservation easement or enter into a cost-share restoration agreement with USDA to restore and protect wetlands. The landowner voluntarily limits future use of the land, yet retains private ownership. The landowner and NRCS develop a plan for the restoration and maintenance of the wetland. The program offers landowners three options: permanent easements, 30-year easements, and restoration cost-share agreements of a minimum 10-year duration.
Eligibility Requirements: Program is available in all States. Eligible acreage would include cropped and grazed wetlands, certain riparian areas, and other restored wetlands.
Local Contacts: To receive more information, contact the local NRCS Office, Tribal Conservation District, or local conservation district office.
Nature of Program: EQIP is a program which helps farmers and ranchers install enduring natural resource conservation and pollution abatement practices. The program provides technical, educational, and financial assistance to eligible farmers and ranchers to address soil, water, and related natural resources on their lands in an environmentally beneficial and cost-effective manner. The purposes of the program are achieved through implementation of a conservation plan which identifies the structural, vegetative, and land management practices which will be applied on the eligible land. Five- to ten-year contracts are made with eligible producers. The program is carried out primarily in priority areas that may be watersheds, regions of multi-state areas, and for significant statewide natural resource concerns that are outside geographic priority areas.
Eligibility Requirements: Individual/family farmers and ranchers who face serious threats to soil, water, and related natural resources, or who need assistance with complying with Federal and State environmental laws are eligible to apply for EQIP. A participant may be an owner, landlord, operator, or tenant of eligible agricultural lands. Eligible agricultural land may include tribal, allotted, or American Indian trust land. Limited-resource producers, small-scale producers, producers of minority groups, federally recognized Indian tribal governments, Alaska Natives, and Pacific Islanders are encouraged to apply.
How To Apply: Program participation is voluntary. The applicant applies at the local USDA Service Center on Form CCC-1200. Applications may be filed at any time during the year. The participant develops and submits a conservation plan for the farm or ranching unit of concern. The participant's conservation plan serves as the basis for the EQIP contract. Technical assistance, educational assistance, and cost-share or incentive payments may be provided to apply the needed conservation practices and land use adjustments within a time schedule specified by the conservation plan. A contract with a participant may apply one or more land management practices or one or more structural or vegetative practices or both.
Local Contacts: The NRCS or the Farm Service Agency at the local USDA Service Center, Tribal Conservation District, or the local conservation district.
Available Assistance: Structural and vegetative practices can be funded by cost sharing up to 75 percent of the total cost of establishing the practice. Incentive payments can be made for land management practices in an amount and rate that NRCS determines is necessary to encourage a participant to perform the practice that would not otherwise be initiated without government assistance. Other practices may be required to be installed without program payments. The contract period is between 5 and 10 years, depending on the conservation systems that need to be applied. Obligations for assistance are tied to the schedule for applying conservation practices included in the conservation plan used as the basis for the contract. Payments are made when the participant and NRCS certify that a conservation practice is completed in accordance with the contract.
Use Restrictions: Technical assistance is provided for conservation planning to eligible participants. Education and financial assistance is provided for implementation of structural, vegetative, and land management conservation practices. Fifty percent of the funding available nationally for technical, cost-share payments, incentive payments, and education will be targeted at practices relating to livestock production. Cost-share and incentive payments are limited to $10,000 per person per fiscal year and to $50,000 for any contract. In relation to contracts on tribal land, Indian trust land, or land allotted by the Bureau of Indian Affairs, payments exceeding the above limitation may be made to the tribal venture if an official of the BIA or tribal official certifies that no one person directly or indirectly will receive more than the limitation. Expenditures under a contract entered into during a fiscal year will not be made to the participant until the subsequent fiscal year.
Nature of Program: The FPP allows the Federal Government to establish partnerships with State, tribal, or local government entities to acquire conservation easements or other interests in farmland to limit conversion to non-agricultural uses. The program provides funds to States, Indian tribes, or local government entities to leverage their farmland protection programs. The program is carried out through existing farmland protection programs in the State, tribal, or local government entities.
Eligibility Requirements: Any local or State agency, county or groups of counties, municipality, town or township, soil and water conservation district, or Indian tribe or tribal organization, that has a farmland protection program that purchases conservation easements for the purpose of protecting topsoil by limiting conversion to non-agricultural uses of land, and that has pending offers with willing landowners may apply for funds. Potential participating entities must provide written evidence of their commitment to the long-term conservation of agricultural lands through the use of legal devices, such as right-to-farm laws, agricultural districts, zoning, or land use plans; the use of voluntary approaches to protect farmland from conversion to non-agricultural uses; of their capability to acquire, manage, and enforce easement rights or other interests in land; and show that at least 50 percent of the cost of the total easement acquisition is available. Eligible agricultural lands are lands with prime, unique, or other productive soils that have sufficient agricultural support systems and suffer urban development pressure. Individuals must apply through their local agency that handles the purchase of development rights programs.
How To Apply: A Notice of Request for Proposals is published in the Federal Register to announce the application window. Any local or State agency, county or groups of counties, municipality, town or township, soil and water conservation district, or Indian tribe or tribal organization may submit a proposal to an appropriate NRCS State Office to request funds. The application information will be available from the NRCS State Offices and the homepages of the Federal Register (http://www.access.gpo.gov). USDA NRCS (http://www.nrcs.usda.gov). and the Farmland Information Library (http://farmlandinfo.org).
Local Contacts: The NRCS or the Farm Service Agency at the local USDA Service Center, Tribal Conservation District, or local conservation district office.
Available Assistance: Federal funds are obligated through a Cooperative Agreement signed by the USDA and the selected State, Indian tribe, or local entity. Federal funds must be disbursed within 2 years after signing the Agreement.Technical assistance is provided to the landowners in planning, designing, and installing conservation practices.
Authorization: The 1996 Federal Agriculture Improvement and Reform Act, Section 388.
Use Restrictions: The Federal share for any easement acquisition shall not exceed 50 percent of the fair market value of the easement. Each cooperating agency is to fund its own administrative costs of acquiring these easements, such as survey or title search, and the costs of managing and enforcing them. Federal funds cannot be used for these administrative costs. Acquisition of an easement or other interests in land is for a minimum duration of 30 years, preferably in perpetuity. A conservation plan is required to ensure responsible land stewardship. A contingent remainder right must be incorporated in the easement deed for the protection of the Federal investment. A failure to abide by the terms of the Cooperative Agreement or of the recorded easement deed may result in the easement rights being vested in the United States and/or for the cooperating entity to reimburse the United States for the Federal share of the easement value.
Nature of Program: The Emergency Watershed Protection (EWP) program is designed to reduce threats to life and property in the wake of natural disasters. It provides technical and cost sharing assistance.
Available Assistance: Assistance includes both removing and establishing vegetative cover; gully control; installing streambank protection devices; removing debris and sediment; and stabilizing levees, channels, and gullies. In subsequent storms, EWP projects protect homes, businesses, highways, and public facilities from further damage. Floodplain easements under EWP may be purchased by the Federal Government to help prevent future losses due to natural disasters.
Use Restrictions: The opportunity to participate in this program depends upon whether each individual Indian tribe's constitution permits it to commit to a long-term easement.
Local Contacts: The NRCS office serving the reservation or the appropriate NRCS State Conservationist.
Washington Contact: American Indian Liaison, Community Assistance and Rural Development Division, NRCS, USDA, Washington, DC 20250, telephone: (202) 720-8576.
The Wetland Conservation Provisions of the Food Security Act of
1985, as Amended (Swampbuster)
Swampbuster has reduced the loss of wetlands resulting from
agricultural activities to the lowest levels on record. Swampbuster
helps preserve the environmental functions and values of wetlands,
including flood control, sediment control, ground water recharge,
water quality, wildlife habitat, recreation, and aesthetics.
The Federal Agriculture Improvement and Reform Act of 1996 (the 1996 Act) changed Swampbuster to give producers greater flexibility to comply with wetland conservation requirements and to make wetlands more valuable and functional. The 1996 Act changed the following Swampbuster provisions:
Wetland Determinations
Upon request, NRCS will determine if a producer's or Indian tribe's
land has areas subject to Swampbuster. The agency maintains a list of
the plants and combinations of soils and plants found in wetlands and
uses these technical tools, along with the hydrology of the area, to
conduct determinations. These determinations stay in effect as long as
the land is used for agricultural purposes (unless a violation occurs)
or until the producer or Indian tribe requests a review due to natural
events. NRCS certifies previous wetland determinations upon request.
Mitigation (Offsetting Losses)
Landowners have more opportunities to work with USDA, tribal or local
conservation districts, or others to choose the best ways to mitigate
wetland losses.
Wetland conversions authorized by Section 404 of the Clean Water Act will be accepted if the conversion activities were properly mitigated.
“Minimal Effect" Determinations
Practices that alter wetlands can now be put on a “fast track"
for approval if NRCS determines that a planned activity is on the list
of “categorical minimal effects." Activities on this list
have an insignificant impact on the functions and values of the
landowner's wetland and other wetlands in the area.
Abandonment
The 1996 Act revised the concept of abandonment. Now, as long as land
is used for agriculture and met prior converted cropland criteria on
December 23, 1985, the designation remains in effect. When there is an
approved plan, landowners with farmed wetlands and farmed wetland
pasture may allow an area to revert to wetland status and convert it
back to a farmed wetland or farmed wetland pasture for agricultural
purposes without violating Swampbuster. In addition, areas that met
prior converted cropland criteria on December 23, 1985, may be
certified as prior converted cropland upon request by the landowner.
Authority of the Secretary of Agriculture
The Secretary of Agriculture now has the authority to waive
ineligibility status, grant time to restore converted wetlands, and,
for individual producers, identify which USDA programs are affected by
Swampbuster violations and the amount of sanctions to be assessed.
Maintaining USDA Program Eligibility
To maintain eligibility, participants must certify that they have not
produced crops on converted wetlands after December 23, 1985, and did
not convert a wetland after November 28, 1990, to make agricultural
production possible.
If Swampbuster is violated. USDA farm program benefits may be lost. If participants produce a crop on a converted wetland, they may lose benefits for that year. If participants convert a wetland after November 28, 1990, they risk loss of benefits for the year the conversion took place, and for the years that follow until the wetland's functions and values are restored.
Local Contacts: The NRCS office serving the reservation or the appropriate NRCS State Conservationist.
Washington Contact: American Indian Liaison, Community Assistance and Rural Development Division, NRCS, USDA, Washington, DC 20250; telephone: (202) 720-8576.
Nature of Program: A significant component of American Indian and Alaska Native self-government is the opportunity to form Tribal Conservation Districts under tribal law.
Available Assistance: NRCS will provide all American Indian and Alaska Native Governments with information on conservation district options and processes for their consideration. The ultimate decision regarding which option an American Indian tribe or Alaska Native Corporation chooses rests with the Indian tribe and the Secretary of Agriculture. If a Tribal Conservation District is formed, NRCS will work with the newly formed district and the Indian tribe or Alaska Native Corporation to establish a cooperative working agreement between the Indian tribe, the Tribal Conservation District, and the NRCS State Conservationist(s). The cooperative working agreement provides an opportunity to establish levels of service from NRCS, the tribal government's role, and to resolve other issues between the tribe and NRCS.
A Tribal Conservation District provides guidance to NRCS for prioritizing program assistance. Under the locally led initiative, a Tribal Conservation District may call the USDA local advisory committee meeting, which establishes local conservation priorities for USDA programs.
Local Contacts: The appropriate NRCS State Conservationist.
Washington Contact: American Indian Liaison, Community Assistance and Rural Development Division, NRCS, USDA, Washington, DC 20250; telephone: (202) 720-8576.
The Forest Service (FS), a leader in the conservation and wise use of the Nation's forests and rangelands, is the steward of 156 national forests comprising 191 million acres in 42 States. It also administers 83 experimental forests and ranges, 19 grasslands, and 15 land utilization projects. The Forest Service works with State forestry organizations to help private landowners, including Indian tribes and landowners, to apply good forest practices. The Forest Service performs research to find better ways to manage and use our Nation's resources and provides technical assistance. The Forest Service works with indigenous people in other parts of the world through its Office of International Programs.
The Forest Service is increasingly working with American Indian and Alaska Native tribes and individuals on activities and programs.
First, the Forest Service has established a Tribal Government Policy and Program to strengthen growing relationships with American Indian and Alaska Native tribes. The program is located in the State and Private Forestry Deputy Area at the Washington Office. Each region and some research stations have Tribal Government staff (Tribal Liaisons). The guiding policy for this program is located in Forest Service Manual directive 1563. The Washington Office Tribal Government Liaison may be contacted at: (202) 205-0892.
The Forest Service National Resource Book on American Indian and Alaska Native Relations promotes cooperative relations with American Indian and Alaska Native tribes. The initial publication of 3,000 books was exhausted in 6 weeks and it has been reprinted. Initial distribution was to Forest Service units, and through the units to federally recognized Indian tribes. The Forest Service intends that the FS line officer will provide the book to the Indian tribes in his/her area and discuss it with them. Copies are available from the Forest Service Office of Communica tion at (202) 205-0819.
A second agency action has been the agency-wide employment of American Indians and Alaska Natives. Currently, the FS work force includes about 1,500 American Indians. This figure equals 5.0 percent of the total FS work force of 30,000 people. This compares favorably with the 1.0 percent availability as reflected in the Bureau of the Census, Civilian Labor Force estimates.
Third, specific programs help the agency improve its relationships or partnerships with American Indians and Alaska Natives. Some examples are:
(a) A recruitment partnership with Haskell Indian Nations University (Lawrence, Kansas) which involves establishing a natural resource curriculum. Transfer agreements have been established with 4-year colleges and universities so that the students beginning at Haskell can receive bachelor of arts or advanced degrees.
(b) A partnership has been established with the Southwest Indian Polytechnic Institute (Albuquerque, New Mexico), which established a natural resource technical program and student summer employment program in the region.
(c) A Native American Education Liaison Program has been established in the Office of Civil Rights in the Washington Office. This program assists in the development of research and environmental programs with tribal colleges, extending agency programs to tribal governments and exchanging and sharing technical staffs and skills.
(d) Numerous field practicums, some in cosponsorship with Indian tribes, provide a field natural resource exercise and experience for American Indian and Alaska Native youth. These practicums are: Enhancing tribal relationships, inspiring youth interest in natural resource and environmental management, providing career options, and providing knowledge of the management and care of the national forests and rangelands.
(e) The employment of American Indian and Alaska Native fire crews continues to benefit both the agency, in fire management programs and activities, and individual crew members. This relationship is a long-standing and rewarding one for all involved.
A fourth area of significant relationship with American Indian and Alaska Native tribes has been in the area of forestry technical assistance. With and through the Bureau of Indian Affairs, U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI), Indian tribes have received assistance in such areas as utilization and marketing of natural resources, watershed programs, forestation and tree improvement, general natural resource planning and development, and pest management.
Assistance Available: Grazing permits are granted, but few permits are available by simply asking. Although an applicant has a slight chance of receiving a permit by applying directly to the Forest Service, the most likely opportunity is through the "permit waiver" process. An applicant must buy either (1) the permitted livestock or (2) the base property of an established permittee who signs a waiver to the Forest Service for the permit. The agency then issues a permit to the eligible and qualified buyer of the permitted livestock or base property. The permit waiver process is established by Federal law and regulation.
How To Apply and for More Information: Contact the nearest national forest or ranger district.
Assistance Available: A special use permit or other appropriate authorization is required to occupy and use National Forest System lands for specific purposes and under specific conditions. Such uses include pastures, fences, roads and trails, buildings, water developments, resorts, and commercial enterprises.
Eligibility: Any person, partnership, group, or other business entity, and any agency of the Federal, State, or local government may be considered for a special use authorization.
How To Apply: Persons proposing use on lands within a national forest or national grassland should contact--in person if possible--the local Forest Service office responsible for the affected lands to identify potential constraints, have the proposal considered in light of land management plans, and so that the Forest Service can schedule application processing. Applications may be made by bid, in response to a prospectus, or by letter and are filed with the district ranger or forest supervisor having jurisdiction over the affected land. The district ranger or forest supervisor may need additional information before approving or denying an application and will inform the applicant in a timely fashion if the application has been approved or denied. No privileges are conveyed until a special use permit is issued.
For More Information: Write or call the Lands Staff, USDA Forest Service, P.O. Box 96090, Washington, DC 20090-6090 (202) 205-1248.
Assistance Available: National forest timber including logs for lumber and plywood, wood fiber for paper, fuelwood, posts, poles, and Christmas trees is available for sale to interested parties. The local district ranger handles such transactions.
How To Apply: Contact the district ranger or the forest supervisor at the nearest Forest Service location.
For More Information: Write or call: Forest Management, USDA Forest Service, P.O. Box 96090, Washington DC 20090-6090. (202) 205-0893.
Assistance Available: The Forest Service may grant free use of timber from the national forests to residents of the area where a national forest is located. This timber may be used for nonprofit purposes only.
How To Apply: Contact the district ranger or the forest supervisor at the nearest Forest Service location.
For More Information: Write or call: Forest Management, USDA Forest Service, P.O. Box 96090, Washington DC 20090-6090. (202) 205-0893.
Assistance Available: Provides technical and financial assistance for detecting, evaluating, and controlling outbreaks of forest insects and diseases on tribal lands.
How To Apply: For technical assistance on how to prevent and deal with forest insect and disease outbreaks, contact your nearest Forest Service Forest Health Protection Office. To apply for financial assistance contact your BIA area office.
Assistance Available: Provides cost-sharing (50 percent matching funds) to rural areas and to communities with populations under 10,000 for organizing, training, and equipping rural firefighting forces. Unprotected or poorly protected communities receive priority. Federal excess property is available to rural communities for firefighting; it may need modification or upgrading.
For More Information and How To Apply: Contact a State forester or local State forestry office.
For More Information: Write or call Cooperative Forestry, USDA Forest Service, P.O. Box 96090, Washington DC 20090-6090. (202) 205-1389.
Assistance Available: Provides cost-sharing to private nonindustrial forest landowners, including Indian tribes, for tree planting and timber stand improvement. To qualify, a person must:
How To Apply: Contact your local State forestry or FSA office.
For More Information: Write or call: Cooperative Forestry, USDA Forest Service, P.O. Box 96090, Washington DC 20090-6090. (202) 205-1389.
Assistance Available: Provides technical assistance to private nonindustrial forest landowners including Indian tribes, to prepare landowners' forest stewardship plans to meet landowner objectives and to address actions needed to protect and improve soil, water, range, aesthetics, recreation, timber, and fish and wildlife resources.
How To Apply: Individual landowners and groups needing technical assistance should apply through their State forestry agency.
For More Information: Write or call Cooperative Forestry, USDA Forest Service, P.O. Box 96090, Washington DC 20090-6090. (202) 205-1389.
Assistance Available: Provides cost-sharing to eligible private nonindustrial landowners including Indian tribes, for tree planting and improvement, establishing windbreaks, protecting soil and water, improving fish and wildlife habitat, aesthetics, and forest recreation, To qualify, a person must:
How To Apply: Contact your local State forestry agency office or local FSA office.
For More Information: Write or call: Cooperative Forestry, USDA Forest Service, P.O. Box 96090, Washington DC 20090-6090. (202) 205-1389.
Assistance Available: Provides technical assistance to rural communities that are economically dependent upon forest resources and faced with acute economic problems associated with Federal or private sector land management decisions and policy to help them diversify their economies. Assistance is directed toward communities located in or near National Forest System Lands.
How To Apply: Contact the Forest Service's regional Rural Community Assistance Coordinator.
For More Information: Write or call: Cooperative Forestry, USDA Forest Service, P.O. Box 96090, Washington DC 20090-6090. (202) 205-1389.
Assistance Available: Addresses the long-term health of rural areas by pursuing ways to stimulate improvements in the economic, social, or environmental well-being of rural residents through technical and financial assistance.
How To Apply: Contact the Forest Service's regional Rural Community Assistance Coordinator.
For More Information: Write or call: Cooperative Forestry, USDA Forest Service, P.O. Box 96090, Washington DC 20090-6090. (202) 205-1389.
Assistance Available: Provides technical assistance to urban areas to establish, maintain, improve, expand, and protect urban and community-related forests and related greenspace; assists in sustaining healthy forest ecosystems and supporting viable cities, communities, and neighborhoods; and increases public awareness of, and participation in, improving the natural, social, and economic environments of the Nation's urban and community areas.
How To Apply: Contact the Urban and Community Forestry Coordinator at your nearest State Forestry Office.
For More Information: Write or call: Cooperative Forestry, USDA Forest Service, P.O. Box 96090, Washington DC 20090-6090. (202) 205-1389.
Assistance Available: Provides technical assistance, research, and data for technology transfer and marketing that integrates environmental protection with forest-based economic growth through value-added timber processing, new technologies, and recycling.
How To Apply: Contact State and Private Forestry in the Forest Service regional office.
For More Information: Write or call Cooperative Forestry, USDA Forest Service, P.O. Box 96090, Washington DC 20090-6090. (202) 205-1389.
Assistance Available: Offers technology transfer and value-added business development assistance for improved transportation and infrastructure and markets for wood. The program strengthens rural economies and increases the value of forests, particularly those with underutilized species.
How To Apply: Contact State and Private Forestry in the Forest Service regional office.
For More Information: Write or call Cooperative Forestry, USDA Forest Service, P.O. Box 96090, Washington DC 20090-6090. (202) 205-1389.
Assistance Available: Job Corps is America's oldest, largest, and most comprehensive residential training program for at-risk youth ages 16 to 24. It produces responsible, employable, and productive citizens by providing basic education and vocational education and by assisting in job placement. All programs are self-paced to best meet the needs of each student.
For More Information: Write or call Senior, Youth, Volunteer Programs, USDA Forest Service, P.O. Box 96090, Washington DC 20090-6090. (703) 235-8834.
Senior Community Service Employment Program
Assistance Available: The threefold purpose of this program is to:
Participants must be at least 55 years old and meet the low-income eligibility guidelines established by the Employment and Training Administration, U.S. Department of Labor.
How To Apply: Contact the local FS or Employment Service office.
For More Information: Write or call Senior, Youth, Volunteer Programs, USDA Forest Service, P.O. Box 96090, Washington, DC 20090-6090. (703) 235-8834.
Assistance Available: A summer employment program for young men and women to further develop the natural resources of the United States. Projects are located on lands administered by the Forest Service and the Department of the Interior’s National Park Service and Fish and Wildlife Service. Applicants must be 15-18 years old, must be permanent residents of the United States, its territories or possessions, must have no history of serious criminal or other antisocial behavior, must be physically qualified to participate fully in various work and training projects of the program, or be able to obtain a work permit if one is required under the the State in which they will be working.
How to Apply: Applications may be obtained from local Forest Service and National Park Service offices, and from National Wildlife Refuge and National Fish Hatchery headquarters or offices.
For More Information: Write or call Senior, Youth, Volunteer Programs, U.S. Forest Service, P.O. Box 96090, Washington DC 20090-6090. (703) 235-8834.
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