South Dakota Department of Game, Fish, and Parks (SDGFP) has a long and highly successful history of working with private landowners to develop wetland and grassland habitat within the PPJV. As an active partner within the PPJV, SDGFP recognizes that the majority of wildlife habitat is held by private landowners, making successful partnerships with producers is critical. In recent years one of its most successful conservation efforts has been the James River Watershed Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program.
Administered by the USDA’s Farm Service Agency, CREP is simply a “state-sponsored” Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) designed for a specific geographic area to address resource concerns identified by state partners.
In South Dakota, the focus of CREP is improving water quality, reducing soil erosion, and providing flood control, while creating additional pheasant nesting habitat in the James River Watershed. The state of South Dakota