In January 2023, the Ruckleshaus Institute and the Intermountain West Joint Venture hosted a discussion-based workshop focused on actionable items to increase the pace and scale of the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service’s (NRCS) Agricultural Conservation Easement Program – Agricultural Land Easements (ACEP-ALE). The facilitated discussion helped participants identify several key action items to improve the implementation of ACEP-ALE:
-Capacity to implement programs, build relationships between land trusts and the NRCS, and leverage funding using existing models.
-Information Sharing to increase collaboration around and support for conservation easements.
-Importance of Certified Entities in accelerating easement closings.
Dive into the workshop summary and action items.
What is a Certified Entity and how does it benefit the pace of conservation easements?
In May 2023, USDA NRCS announced a plan to streamline its ACEP-ALE program. Read more about this development.
