Making History with Wetlands

Tens of thousands of acres of privately owned wet Iowa croplands are being restored to wetlands or managed floodplains. Landowners have voluntarily entered these lands into the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Wetlands Reserve Program (WRP) and Emergency Wetlands Reserve Program (EWRP).

The landowners are signing easements to restore the lands and leave them in wetlands permanently. They're reversing trends in loss of wetlands. These restored wetlands will add significantly to the estimated 35,000 acres of wetlands existing in the state, according to an inventory of the Iowa Department of Natural Resources.

Restoring these lands offers an unprecedented opportunity to enhance them for wildlife habitat, improved water quality, aesthetics and personal enjoyment.

This is the best opportunity of our lifetime to make tens of thousands of acres of wetlands the best that they can be.

Leroy Brown
NRCS State Conservationist

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