Easement Programs

Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP)

CREP is an offshoot of the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), the country's largest private-land conservation program. Administered by the USDA Farm Service agency (FSA), CREP targets state-identified, high-priority conservation issues. This program is a federal, state, and local partnership that will voluntarily retire environmentally sensitive land using the nationally-recognized Reinvest In Minnesota (RIM) Reserve program. This is accomplished through permanent protection by establishing conservation practices via payments to farmers and agricultural landowners. CREP is implemented through the local SWCD.

For more information on the CREP program contact our office.

Minnesota Land Trust - Wetland Habitat Protection Program

The SWCD has partnered with the Minnesota Land Trust to promote their Wetland Habitat Protection Easement Program. The Minnesota Land Trust is a 501(c)(3) public charity that has been working with landowners and local communities since 1991 to protect and enhance Minnesota's increasingly threatened lands and waters.

The Wetland Habitat Protection Program is a conservation initiative to permanently protect high quality wetland complexes in west-central Minnesota.

Requirements to apply:

Be located with the program area. (Otter Tail County is in the program area)
Be at least 40 acres.
Have wetland or waterbodies within the proposed easement area or contribute to conservation of adjacent wetland habitats
Contain less than 10% of proposed easement in cultivation.

For more information on how to apply contact our office at 218-998-5300 or follow the link to apply on the Minnesota Land Trust's website.

Apply now