TENNESSEE PARTNERS PROJECT
ANNUAL REPORT
JULY 1, 2004 – JUNE 30, 2005
(FY-05)
The Tennessee Partners Project (TPP) is a cooperative effort between private landowners, Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA), USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), Ducks Unlimited (DU), USDI U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), Tennessee Department of Agriculture (TDA), Chickasaw-Shiloh RC&D Council (RC&D) and the University of Tennessee Agricultural Extension Service (UTAES). The purpose of the TPP is to assist with enhancement, restoration, and management of wetland habitat for waterfowl and other wildlife on private lands. Efforts of the TPP are consistent with the Lower Mississippi Valley Joint Venture (LMJV), the North American Waterfowl Management Plan and the Ducks Unlimited Conservation Plan.
All partners involved have a mutual interest in providing habitat for waterfowl and other wetland wildlife. Since more than 70% of North America's remaining wetlands exist on private lands, efforts like the TPP provide an effective and cost-efficient means of providing habitat for migrating and wintering waterfowl, shorebirds and other wildlife.
Participating landowners agree to manage the project consistent with a 10-year "Wetland Habitat Development Agreement." The landowner agrees to impound shallow water on his/her property from October 1, or immediately following harvest of crops, until March 1, annually. In return, landowners receive technical assistance (i.e., management recommendations) and water control structures (WCS) at no cost. A management plan can also be prescribed for specific habitats.
Since 1993, approximately 11,385 acres have been developed through the TPP and over 36,534 acres have received technical assistance. In FY-05, 1,820 acres were developed and 4,971 acres received technical assistance.
Program Status
In FY-05, landowner interest and demand for the TPP was high, with over 53 individuals requesting assistance from the TPP biologist. All indications are that current interests will continue in FY-06. Although 1,820 acres were completed during this fiscal year, several significant projects are scheduled for completion in early FY-06.
TPP partners provided cost-share assistance for new dike construction activities. Landowners can receive 75% cost-share (maximum of $2,000) assistance for new dike construction projects completed after January 1, 2003. This assistance should provide added incentive and ensure quality control of construction activities.
Program Accomplishments
Completed Projects
For the purpose of this report, the number of signed agreements equals the number of completed projects. It is much easier to track projects/agreements this way. Although additional agreements were signed, projects are not counted until the project is complete. Projects are often terminated or postponed by the landowner for various reasons.
During FY-05, 36 projects were completed and a total of 1,820 acres of shallow water habitat were enhanced/developed. The 36 completed projects included development of 44 impoundments and utilized 52 WCS's with an average size of 41 acres per impoundment. A summary of completed projects by county can be found in the annual report summary at the end of this report.
Technical Assistance
A total of 53 landowners were visited and technical assistance provided on approximately 4,971 acres. A summary of technical assistance by county can be found in the annual report summary at the end of this report.
Construction Monitoring and Compliance
Each TPP project is designed according to NRCS standards and specifications. Each project plan contains a drawing of the plan view, the cross section at the pipe, and dimensions of the typical levee section. The landowner is provided a copy of the design to provide to the contractor constructing the project. The landowner is assured that the TPP biologist is available during any part of the construction process including explaining drawings to the contractor and marking dikes in the field.
Once each project was completed, the project was checked by the TPP biologist to certify that the project met minimum standards. The TPP steering committee adopted the policy that all TPP projects be checked for compliance following construction. Of the projects installed this fiscal year, all were checked (100%). All projects installed during the year were determined to meet the minimum levels of adequacy required by NRCS standards.
Agreement Monitoring and Compliance
The project biologist is responsible for monitoring landowner's compliance with the "Wetland Habitat Development Agreement". Monitoring efforts are primarily done to determine if habitat is being provided consistent with the agreement (i.e., impounding winter water). Each project is digitized in Arc-view and stored as a shape file. Once the satellite imagery is formatted, the stored shape files are projected onto the imagery. This allows GIS technicians to get a reliable estimate on project compliance and performance.
At this point, the numbers are incomplete. The total performance data should be completed by August of 2005. These findings will be presented at the next Tennessee Partner’s Meeting. Of the 36 newly constructed projects, spot checks were conducted on all. There were 32 in compliance and 4 that were not. One project had blown out and the other three were not managed properly.
Program Outlook
Future of the Program
The future of the TPP should continue to focus on program delivery and assist private landowners with development of migrating and wintering waterfowl habitat. While the TPP is available throughout the state of Tennessee, emphasis should be placed on projects and areas of the state that provide the greatest benefit to the waterfowl resource.
While the focus of the TPP remains on developing waterfowl habitat, it should be recognized that TPP projects provide many biological and environmental benefits, additionally. These additional benefits should be recognized as to maintain current funding support and seek additional funding either through increased commitments by current partners or through state and/or federal grant requests.
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