The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) and the United State Department of Agriculture (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) have partnered to provide $739,000 to private landowners for improvement to wildlife habitat and water quality on forest and pasture lands in Missouri.The funding is part of the new NRCS Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP).Qualifying landowners must sign up for the program at their local NRCS office by June 5 to be eligible for this year’s funding. This funding marks the first year in an anticipated five-year project that will provide more than $3.6 million directly to private landowners for conservation.“The Missouri Department of Conservation has a long history of working with NRCS to successfully implement USDA conservation programs,” said MDC Private Land Services Division Chief Bill White. “This new RCPP funding provides Missouri landowners with a great opportunity to improve water quality, soil quality and wildlife habitat.”Funding is available through two separate RCPP projects: the Grassland Bird and Grazing Land Enhancement Initiative and the Restoring Glade and Woodland Communities for Threatened Species. The funding is for private landowners interested in improving the quality of soil, water and wildlife habitat on working grazing lands.The goal of the grazing land enhancement program is to make conservation practices available to producers that help meet both livestock production objectives and provide wildlife habitat on the same operation. Lands located within Warren County are eligible.In order to provide more information on this new program the Montgomery/Warren USDA offices will have an informational meeting open to the public on Thursday, May 28, from 3-7 p.m. at the Trailside Restaurant in Rhineland. Staff from the local offices will be available as well as Ryan Diener, Quail Forever biologist, to answer questions landowners may have. Applications can also be taken at this time for the program.For more information, contact the Warren County USDA office at 636-456-3434, extension 3, the Montgomery County USDA office at 573-564-3715, extension 3, or Diener at 636-399-8733 rdiener@quailforever.org.MCD, USDA