Looking for Funding and/or Technical Assistance Programs?
Find programs you’re eligible for as a landowner!
Countless programs throughout our watershed are available to support landowners in the James River Watershed in meeting their land restoration goals. Federal, state, and non-profit partners run programs that can fund up to 100% of costs for riparian buffer installation, cattle exclusion, and land protection through easements.
The Funding and Technical Assistance Tool (also known as the Consortium’s “Program Tool”) was created to serve as an accessible way to understand what programs exist and what you might be eligible for based on the following:
- Your county
- Presence of a waterway and/or agriculture on your property
- Your restoration goals (Exclude Cattle, Plant Buffer, Maintain Buffer, and/or Protect/Conserve Buffer)
After filling out the quick survey, program results and points of contact will populate based on your selections. There is also a “see all programs” option at the top of the page that will list all currently uploaded programs. Checkout some program examples below.
Riparian Buffer Installation
Have a waterway on your property and are looking to improve water quality and habitat? Programs like the James River Buffer Program and Riparian Forests for Landowners install buffers at no cost to eligible landowners (as well as a year or more of included maintenance).
Cattle Exclusion
Cattle exclusion is a Best Management Practice (BMP) eligible for support and reimbursement under numerous partner programs, including the Upper James Home Rivers Initiative and Virginia Agricultural Cost Share (VACS) Program. You will be eligible for different programs based on your land usage (agriculture use vs non).
Conservation Easements
These voluntary agreements between the landowner and easement providers like Piedmont Environmental Council, Shenandoah Valley Conservancy, and more help protect one’s land for generations to come.
Easements help protect land from development and keep their private or public use for agriculture, wildlife habitat, and recreation.
Please email Rachel Bensink, Consortium Coordinator, at rbensink@thejamesriver.org.
Find a brief tool demo above and a link to the Program Tool below. Plug in information based on your land and populate programs you may be eligible for!