Great article on the work the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Agency is doing to help restore wetlands. The 500 acre project is part of the National Wetlands Reserve Project which helps private landowners restore productive wetlands. For farmers, the program provides ways to use marginal or unproductive lands for purposes other than intensive, fertilizer-based crop cultivation. The wetlands restoration projects can help restore soil quality and reduce flooding as well as provide a carbon sink for greenhouse gases and wildlife habitat.
5,000 acres of wetlands are currently being restored in New Jersey. Nationally, 2.3 million acres are enrolled in the wetlands restoration program.
More creative partnerships like these are what is needed to protect and preserve New Jersey’s land base.
