The USDA allocated millions to projects aimed at restoring and preserving the Duck River. (Photo: John Partipilo)
Conservation efforts benefiting Tennessee’s Duck River and sustainable farming are among 92 projects to receive new funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the department announced Wednesday.
Projects supporting conservation in Tennessee will receive more than $66 million of the total $1.5 billion awarded throughout the country through the Regional Conservation Partnership Program. The funding comes from the Farm Bill and the Inflation Reduction Act.
Duck River stream restoration
The Duck River Watershed Society was awarded $20 million to support stream restoration in the Duck River, which is among the most diverse freshwater rivers in North America.
Drought, development and resulting low water levels on the Duck have stirred concern among environmentalists and community members, who fear permanent damage to the river and the dozens of species that call it home — some of which are federally protected. In addition to serving as a popular site for outdoor recreation, the river is the sole source of water for at least 250,000 Middle Tennessee residents.
The organization will act as the lead partner in a project focused on restoring the quality and connectivity of habitats in the Duck River watershed, which stretches from Waverly to Manchester. That includes restoring streams using natural channel design and establishing vegetation along the banks to improve water quality, stabilize riverbanks, and provide habitats for aquatic and land-based life.
The society will be reimbursed through the Regional Conservation Partnership Program for its conservation work.
Engaging landowners in habitat protection
Agricenter International, a Shelby County-based nonprofit focusing on agricultural research and environmental conservation, will steward almost $25 million to support the “Middle Tennessee Field and Forest Partnership.”
The project aims to “broaden engagement of producers and landowners” to address resource and habitat concerns for wildlife and water quality in Tennessee’s Duck River Watershed and Western Highland Rim, according to a USDA award summary.
Project activities will include:
Creating forest management plans
Reducing greenhouse gas emissions and improving water quality by managing field sediment, nutrient and pathogen loss from farmland, and addressing soil quality
Engaging with part-time farmers, small farms and forest operations and historically underserved landowners and farmers
Promoting sustainable agriculture across three states
The MidSouth Development District, an organization that works in Tennessee, Arkansas and Mississippi, will receive a little over $21 million to fund the MidSouth Regional Conservation Partnership Program.
The organization will work with farms to establish “diverse habitats on the edges of production sites” across six counties: Fayette, Lauderdale, Shelby and Tipton counties in Tennessee, DeSoto County in Mississippi and Crittenden County in Arkansas. By doing so, the project aims to naturally improve water and soil quality, pest control and pollination, reduce the need for synthetic solutions and promote sustainable agriculture, the USDA award summary states.
Fighting erosion and runoff
Tennessee is also a partnering state in three other awards, including:
A $17 million multi-state effort to reduce sediment and nutrient runoff by protecting wetlands and floodplains (Arkansas, Louisiana, Missouri, Mississippi and Tennessee)
A $16.4 million multi-state effort to improve soil health and fertility, reduce soil erosion and improve water and air quality, and assist underserved farmers (Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia)
A $24.6 million multi-state project to promote adoption of agroforestry and reforestation on farms to decrease sediment and nutrient erosion, sequester carbon on farms and bolster bird habitats (Arkansas, Kentucky, Missouri and Tennessee)