WRP is a voluntary program that provides technical and financial assistance to private landowners and Tribes to restore, protect, and enhance wetlands in exchange for retiring eligible land from agriculture.

"While landowners have restored thousands of wetland acres through the program, changes made in the 2008 Farm Bill make WRP an even better investment," says Don Gohmert, NRCS state conservationist for Texas. "The new program rules make it easier for landowners to enroll acres, and provide a better system for assessing the value of the land enrolled."

For more about WRP, you can contact your local NRCS office to determine if your land is eligible, or visit the NRCS Texas Web site at www.tx.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/wrp.