The state of Tennessee’s Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA) offers a cost-share program for farm owners designed to protect declining grassland- and shrubland-dependent wildlife. Under the recently established National Strategy to Promote the Health of Honey Bees and Other Pollinators, TWRA has expanded opportunities under the Farm Wildlife Habitat Program to establish, restore, and manage habitat not only for targeted at-risk birds and mammals, but now pollinators.

The TWRA, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service and Quail Forever wildlife habitat biologists can provide technical assistance to Tennessee landowners interested in installing or maintaining wildlife habitat on their lands (TWRA 2015b). Biologists assist landowners in developing a management plan for their property and an implementation strategy to install and manage habitat.

Farm owners receive 75% cost-share and up to US$2000 per year to improve wildlife habitat (TWRA 2015a). TWRA biologists provide technical assistance to develop flowering “seed mixes that include nine native wildflowers including three species per bloom period.” Restoration and long-term management practices include “cost-share for burning, top clipping [and light strip disking] to promote seed to soil contact, and/or certain nonlethal herbicide treatments” to target invasive plants (Viers 2016).

• Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA). 2015a. Farm Wildlife Habitat Program. tn.gov/assets/entities/twra/attachments/fwhp.pdf.
• Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA). Tennessee Pollinator Habitat Assistance. www.tn.gov/twra/news/15654.
• Brittney Viers. 2016. Quail Forever/USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, Tennessee Farm Bill Wildlife Biologist. Personal communication.

Amount of the Incentive
75% cost share up to US$2,000 in a single fiscal year

Keywords: direct financial payment, technical assistance