U.S. Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service
The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) is a federal agency that works hand-in-hand with the people of Virginia to improve and protect their soil, water and other natural resources. NRCS’s natural resources conservation programs help people reduce soil erosion, enhance water supplies, improve water quality, increase wildlife habitat, and reduce damages caused by floods and other natural disasters. NRCS in Virginia offers easement programs to eligible organizations and landowners to conserve working agricultural lands, wetlands, grasslands and forestlands.
The Agricultural Conservation Easement Program (ACEP) provides financial and technical assistance to help conserve agricultural lands and wetlands and their related benefits. Under the Agricultural Land Easement (ALE) component, NRCS helps organizations protect working agricultural lands and limit non-agricultural uses of the land, through their existing easement programs. Under the Wetland Reserve Easement (WRE) component, NRCS helps landowners to restore, protect and enhance enrolled wetlands.
