To listen to Jimmy Wohl's recent interview about the Florida Ranchlands Environmental Services Project (FRESP), click on http://southeastagnet.com/2009/03/04/fl-rancher-pleased-with-fresp/.
Over the past several decades, multi-billion dollar state and federal initiatives have been launched to restore the watershed. These programs use public funds to buy land to build large regional treatment and storage areas, capture rainwater and build deep storage wells. The plans also include regulations that will change agricultural and urban land use practices to reduce phosphorous runoff.
FRESP secured more than $5 million from state, federal and private sources to conduct a five-year pilot project that will identify and field test critical elements of a program to complement the existing restoration efforts by paying cattle ranchers to provide environmental services that will benefit the lake. The program will:
*Pay for measured and documented environmental services of water retention, phosphorus retention and wetland enhancement
*Be profitable for ranchers and help retain ranch land
*Spur innovation in the provision and creation of environmental services
*Be compatible with existing state and federal environmental and agricultural programs and regulatory requirements;
*Be cost-effective for taxpayers
*Be easily administered by state agencies
Monday, March 23, 2009
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