Soil Health

Through the LISW-RCPP grant, partners helped farmers adopt practical conservation solutions that improve soil health, strengthen farm viability, and protect water quality across the watershed. The grant expanded access to technical assistance, supported farmers new to NRCS programs, and built stronger partnerships among conservation districts, universities, and state and federal agencies.

By the Numbers

• 465 resource evaluations completed
• 284 conservation plans developed
• 39 nutrient management plans completed
• 477 follow-up visits conducted
• 115 EQIP contracts supported
• 35–40 farms per year received direct technical assistance

Lasting Impact

This work helped farmers implement practices such as cover cropping, nutrient management, no-till, grazing management, and integrated pest management. It also improved farmer knowledge and confidence, especially by helping producers better understand their own operations and make informed conservation decisions. In several cases, farmers who were new to conservation programming went on to apply for NRCS funding, creating benefits that will continue well beyond the life of the grant.

Through the LISW-RCPP Working Lands Adaptation/Resiliency effort, partners implemented restoration projects that strengthened river systems, reduced erosion and runoff, improved water quality, and increased the resilience of working lands across the Connecticut River watershed. Led by the Connecticut River Conservancy, this work supported projects in New Hampshire, Vermont, and Massachusetts from 2016 through 2020.

By the Numbers

• 58 river restoration projects completed
• 183 miles of riparian areas restored
• 60.5 acres of trees planted
• 37.5 miles was the original contracted goal — the project far exceeded it
• $2.5 million in total program distribution
• $907,312 total award
• $652,861.88 in federal technical assistance funds distributed
• $1,866,667.43 in matching contributions leveraged

Lasting Impact

Projects included tree and shrub planting along rivers on agricultural lands, berm and dam removals, streambank stabilization, stormwater runoff controls, culvert improvements, and in-stream restoration. Together, these efforts helped slow runoff, filter pollutants before they entered waterways, restore more natural river flows, and reduce excess nitrogen and erosion that threaten the health of the Connecticut River and Long Island Sound.

Partnership Value

This funding also helped build stronger relationships among conservation partners, local nurseries, watershed groups, nonprofits, and forestry organizations. In addition to supporting on-the-ground restoration, the grant funded engineering designs and restoration plans that are not typically eligible under EQIP, helping move more complex resiliency projects toward implementation.

Through the LISW-RCPP Forestland Preservation component, partners worked to permanently protect high-value forest lands that safeguard biodiversity, source water, and water quality across the Long Island Sound watershed. This work focused on conserving forest tracts most at risk of development and those with important habitat and drinking water protection value.

By the Numbers

• 4 properties closed
• 1,211 acres permanently protected through completed easement projects
• 17 tracts included in the pooled match inventory
• 1,476 acres leveraged through pooled match inventory
• $5.4365 million in significant contribution raised through the pooled match inventory
• $2.8 million total award
• 5 grant rounds conducted between 2016 and 2020
• 2 workshops held on the HFRP program

Lasting Impact

The program helped protect forest lands from future development while advancing long-term conservation goals for habitat protection, biodiversity, and source water quality. It also created tools and processes that extended beyond this grant, including a pre-screening application process, ranking tools, and a web-based mapping resource that helped landowners and land trusts evaluate parcel eligibility and conservation value.

Innovation & Partnership Value

A major outcome of this work was the development of a “Pooled Match Inventory” approach, which allowed partners to assemble eligible easement values from across the watershed to meet NRCS requirements. The project also produced tools and materials that were shared with other Regional Conservation Partnerships and helped inform future forest protection efforts in southern New England.