The Whidbey Island Conservation District’s Environmental Quality Incentives Program, including a new organic program, is available for farmers, ranchers, and forest owners.

EQIP promotes combining agricultural production and forest management with conservation practices to protect and enhance soil, water, air, plant, wildlife, and energy resources. The organic EQIP provides additional opportunities for organic growers and is available to farmers already certified as organic producers as well as producers transitioning to organic farming.

Wildlife Habitat Incentive Program is available to landowners who want to develop and improve wildlife habitat on agricultural and forest lands.

Wetlands Reserve Program offers landowners the opportunity to establish long-term conservation practices to protect, restore, and enhance wetlands on their property.

Applications for Organic EQIP and WHIP are due Jan. 7. Regular EQIP is due in August, while the WRP application deadline has not yet been set for this year.

For further information contact the WICD at 678-4708 or visit www.whidbeycd.org.