North Florida Land Trust encourages Landowners in the O2O and C2C to Apply for Financial Assistance Programs

Applications are now being accepted for land management opportunities through producer contracts for work on eligible land (as determined by NRCS)

Jacksonville, Fla., Sept. 17, 2024 – North Florida Land Trust (NFLT), in partnership with the U.S. Department of Agriculture - Natural Resources Conservation Service (USDA-NRCS), is urging landowners within the Ocala to Osceola Wildlife Corridor, or O2O, and within the Corridor to Coast, or C2C, area to apply for financial assistance through land management programs. Landowners in these areas can apply now through November 1 for land management opportunities through the NRCS’s Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP).

Landowners within or touching the O2O or the C2C boundary could be eligible for financial assistance to address natural resource challenges on their agricultural land. The counties included in the project areas are portions of Baker, Bradford, Clay, Hamilton, Marion, Putnam and Union counties, and all of Duval, Flagler, Nassau, and St. Johns counties. To be eligible for the programs, these landowners must be registered with the USDA Farm Service Agency. Interested landowners should contact NFLT at (904) 557-7985 or email o2o@nflt.org or c2c@nflt.org. Priorities will be given to historically underserved farmers and ranchers, as well as landowners who already hold an RCPP conservation easement.

These landowners can access funding through the RCPP in 2025: $700,000 is available for land management projects in the O2O, and $1,500,000 is available for those in the C2C. The C2C is an expansion of the O2O and extends through Northeast and Central Florida to the East Coast. The funding is for restoration and management practices that benefit habitats for wildlife and imperiled species, improvements to timber stands, water resources quantity and quality, and carbon sequestration.

NFLT and NRCS are interested in addressing concerns in the O2O, including degraded plant conditions, fire management, source water depletion, terrestrial habitat, and weather resilience. In the C2C, the priorities are focused on degraded plant conditions, field sediment or nutrient pathogen loss, fire management, pest pressure, soil quality limitations, terrestrial habitat and wind-water erosion.

The RCPP is a partner-driven approach to conservation that funds solutions to natural resource challenges on agricultural and natural lands. It brings together local, state, and federal financial landowner assistance programs for private landowners to manage land that protects natural resources and wildlife. The program further enhances conservation goals and addresses on-farm, watershed, and regional natural resource concerns.

NFLT is leading both the O2O and C2C partnerships, which protect and improve land within these areas, which serve as natural buffers and provide habitats for many wildlife species. The natural land helps protect against flooding by providing storage and decreases the potential for soil erosion and pollution from fertilizers, insecticides, oil, grease and other human-made and natural pollutants that can enter water sources through runoff, drainage, seepage or precipitation. Preserving these water-abundant landscapes is critical for protecting the region from sea level rise, erosion and increased rainfall.

About North Florida Land Trust

North Florida Land Trust is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to preserving and enhancing the quality of life by protecting North Florida's irreplaceable natural environment. Founded in 1999, NFLT has preserved tens of thousands of acres of land through the donation or purchase of land as well as conservation easements. NFLT is funded largely by private and corporate contributions and works closely with willing landowners and public agencies at all levels of government, not-for-profit partners, and foundations. For more information, visit nflt.org.