The Reinvest in Minnesota (RIM) Reserve–Wetlands Reserve Program (WRP) Partnership will accelerate the restoration and protection of approximately 4,620 acres of previously drained wetlands and associated upland native grassland wildlife habitat complexes via perpetual conservation easements. The goal of the RIM-WRP Partnership is to achieve the greatest wetland functions and values, while optimizing wildlife habitat on every acre enrolled in the partnership. The RIM-WRP partnership enables Minnesota to leverage $1.4 of federal WRP funding for every state dollar available through RIM Reserve. This appropriation request of $6.895 million from the Outdoor Heritage Fund (OHF) will leverage $9.653 million in WRP funds to Minnesota. We expect to enroll approximately 46 permanent conservation easements totaling 4,620 acres of wetland grassland wildlife habitat complexes. This will enable the RIM-WRP partnership to restore approximately 230 previously drained wetland basins totaling 1,525 wetland acres, and the restoration of native grassland prairies on approximately 3,095 acres. Since WRP is an annual funded program through the 2008 Federal Farm Bill, this leveraging opportunity is available to Minnesota for at least the next four years.

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