USDA sending $23M to state for conservation programs

SALEM, Ore. — The U.S. Department of Agriculture is sending $23 million to Washington state for five conservation programs, including work to preserve farmland, help fish runs and prevent soil erosion.

The Capital Press reported that the federal dollars will be matched by conservation districts, tribes, nonprofit organizations and other groups involved in the projects.

The federal money comes from a new program created in the 2014 Farm Bill.

The projects include:

—A group of efforts in the Palouse Conservation District.

—Work led by Trout Unlimited on the Upper Columbia.

—Efforts to improve water quality and fish habitat in the Puget Sound.

—Water and fish habitat improvements led by the Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakima Nation as well as the tribes of the Colville Reservation.