The Benefits of Habitat Improvement Frequently Asked Questions OnePlan Conservation Planner Program Private Landowner Network Red Lodge Clearinghouse Funding Search Contacts: To find the Habitat Biologist in your area, please contact the Idaho Fish and Game Office in your region.

Programs / Grants for Private Landowners

There are several programs available in Idaho that provide financial and technical assistance to landowners to maintain, develop, or improve fish and wildlife habitat on their lands. State programs include the Habitat Improvement Program, Landowner Incentive Program, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Grant programs and State Wildlife Grants. Federal and nongovernmental programs also are available.

Any private landowner is eligible to participate in some kind of private lands program. Idaho Fish and Game habitat biologists can provide guidance to landowners about the benefits and types of improvements that can be done on their property. Benefits range from improved hunting opportunities for your family to increased land value.

Habitat Biologists provide technical assistance at no cost to the landowner.

Technical assistance includes:

• Informing landowners of the types of assistance programs available
• Help determine which program or combination of programs will best fit the landowner's needs
• Help landowner with application procedures, including enrolling in Farm Bill programs.
• Working with landowners to develop a management plan or project design to benefit fish and wildlife habitat on their lands.
• Determine what species, including at-risk species, are on their land and which would benefit from habitat improvements or protection.

Listed below is a summary of state and federal programs and grants that provide technical and financial assistance to private landowners for habitat improvements, restoration or protection.

• Idaho Watershed Initiative - An Idaho Fish and Game grants program directed towards "on the ground" proposals for restoring Idaho watersheds. Hunting and fishing license dollars are funding the 2009 pilot program.
• State Wildlife Grants Program - Administered by Idaho Fish and Game and provides third party grants to fund projects which benefit at-risk with actions that have been identified in our Comprehensive Wildlife Conservation Strategy.
• Habitat Improvement Program (HIP) - An Idaho Fish and Game program that is funded by license dollars. The program objective is to provide technical and financial assistance to private landowners and public land managers who want to enhance habitat for upland game birds and waterfowl.
• Landowner Incentive Program (LIP) - A competitive grants program funded by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and administered by the Idaho Department of Fish and Game. The purpose is to provide incentives to landowners to protect or enhance habitat for at-risk species.
• Idaho Grants Programs - A summary of grants funded primarily by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for habitat conservation and restoration projects, some require local matching funds. The programs are administered by the Fish and Wildlife Service and Idaho Fish and Game.
• Access Yes! - A program designed to improve sportsmen's access to private land or through private land to public land by compensating willing landowners who provide access.
• Wetlands Reserve Program (WRP) - Seeks to protect, restore, and enhance wetlands on private land. It is one of the many 2002 Farm Bill Conservation Programs, administered by the Natural Resources Conservation Service, that help farmers and ranchers meet environmental challenges on their land.
• Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program (WHIP) - Another Farm Bill program, provides technical and financial assistance to those that wish to develop and improve wildlife habitat on their land.
• Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) - Emphasizes that agricultural production and environmental quality are compatible. The program provides incentives to landowners that implement conservation practices on their land, including wildlife habitat management. It is a Farm Bill program administered by the Natural Resources Conservation Service.
• Conservation Security Program (CSP) - Rewards good stewardship on private land. In 2006, the Conservation Security Program in Idaho focused on the Clearwater and Lower Bear River-Malad watersheds. Please visit the Natural Resources Conservation Service website for eligible watersheds in 2007.
• Grassland Reserve Program (GRP) - Protects, enhances, and restores grassland, rangeland, pastureland, and shrubland on private lands. The program supports livestock grazing while protecting important grasslands from conversion to croplands or other uses. It is a Farm Bill program administered by the Natural Resources Conservation Service.
• Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) - Administered by the USDA Farm Service Agency. CRP provides annual rental payments to landowners that practice soil conservation, primarily through conversion of highly erodible lands to resource-conserving vegetative covers, such as native vegetation.
• Idaho Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) - Goal is to significantly reduce the irrigation water consumptive use from the Eastern Snake River Plain Aquifer. This is a USDA Farm Service Agency program.
• Partners for Wildlife - Administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. It provides technical and financial assistance for habitat conservation projects on private land, especially those that benefit migratory birds, threatened and endangered species, and other sensitive species.
• Private Stewardship Grants Program - A competitive grants program offered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. It provides assistance to groups working on local conservation efforts, including those on private lands, for threatened, endangered and at-risk species. The funds go straight to the landowners without the state as a pass through.
• Safe Harbor Agreements - Agreements between the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service or National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration-Fisheries and private landowners whose lands are inhabited by a federally listed threatened or endangered species. The purpose is to provide protection for the species while also providing the landowner with the assurance that no future regulatory requirements will be imposed.
• Candidate Conservation Agreements - With Assurances provide incentives for non-federal landowners to conserve species that are a candidate for listing under the Endangered Species Act.