The Jasper Area Conservation Implementation Strategy (CIS) project will soon be underway in Custer County, South Dakota, serving the community and improving land quality. This three-year project was selected in Fiscal Year (FY) 2021 and federally-funded through the NRCS conservation programs in the 2018 Farm Bill.
The purpose of this project is provide water for wildlife and livestock and will be implemented by the NRCS in collaboration with farmers, ranchers and landowners within the project area who are eligible to apply for financial assistance. While applications are accepted year-round, the application date to be considered for FY23 funding is May 30, 2023.
The NRCS' conservation specialists and partners are coordinating these projects throughout the state. Through collectively focusing expertise and resources on the highest priority resource concerns in the highest priority areas, CIS projects can yield impressive returns. Collaborative funding and support from other agencies and groups create a coordinated community effort and focus on mutual issues of concern. The Jasper Area CIS Project partners with Black Hills National Forest and Custer County Conservation District to directly benefit the grazing permit holders and the wildlife habitat. Project sponsors identified Degraded Plant Community, Soil Erosion, and Water Quality Degradation as resource concerns and developed this CIS project to address the situation. “Providing quality water in a grazing system is key for livestock and wildlife to have success in western South Dakota,” says Bradley Humbracht, District Conservationist, in Hot Springs, South Dakota.
To learn more about this project, find and contact your local NRCS Service Center at www.nrcs.usda.gov/contact/find-a-service-center, or contact Bradley Humbracht, (605) 745-5716, Ext. 3. For more information on the use of CIS in South Dakota, or if you have ideas for a project, visit www.nrcs.usda.gov/programs-initiatives/eqip-environmental-quality-incentives/south-dakota/south-dakota-conservation, or contact Jeff Vander Wilt, Assistant State Conservationist for Programs, at jeffrey.vanderwilt@usda.gov or (605) 352,1226.
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