Southern Texas Bobwhite Quail/Attwater's Prairie Chicken

Resource Concern: Wildlife

Primary Area of Concern

Coast Prairie MLRA 150A
MLRA 83A

Applicable counties containing at least a portion of the target MLRA's 150A

MLRA 83A

Priority for Funding

Eligibility Criteria

Applicants must meet all three criteria to be eligible. If any answer is no, the offer is not eligible.

• The acreage must be contiguous and at least 51 percent of the acreage located in MLRA 150A or Eastern 83A.
• The land use of the offered acreage is at least 90 percent native rangeland.
• The applicant must agree to implement a rotational grazing management system that's primarily beneficial to Attwater's Prairie Chicken or Bobwhite Quail.

Screening Criteria

Applicant must meet all four criteria to be ranked high priority.

1. Applicant agrees to follow the TPWD recommendations and implement a TPWD approved wildlife management plan that includes bobwhite quail or Attwater’s Prairie Chickens before the end of the first full year of the contract.
   
2. The offered acreage is adequately fenced and watered to carry out prescribed grazing.
   
3. The applicant agrees to a livestock stocking rate that favors Bobwhite Quail or Attwater’s Prairie Chicken habitat.
   
4. The applicant agrees to restrict application of picloram on the offered acreage to IPT or less than 30 percent broadcast for the duration of the contract.

All high priority applications will be accepted and ranked for possible funding. Low priority applications will be accepted but not ranked unless funds are available after all high priority applications have been funded.

Eligible Practices

Prescribed Grazing (528)
Brush Management (314)
Prescribed Burning (338)
Range Planting (550)

Cost Share Rates

Limited Resource Farmer/Rancher - 90 percent
Beginning Farmer/Rancher - 50 percent
All others - 50 percent

Practices will be cost shared based on the established county average cost of the practice.

Incentives: 100 percent

10 dollars per Acre – Limited to a maximum of 2 years. Applicable only for full growing season grazing deferment on acres requiring a planned deferment (such as planned rest, before and after a prescribed burn or following brush management). Payment made after each full growing season deferment is completed.

10 dollars per Acre – Year 5 (maximum 1 year). Must be actively implementing NRCS approved grazing management plan and TPWD approved wildlife management plan to receive this payment.

Ranking Criteria

Contiguous acres include the offered acres plus any adjoining acres currently in an existing Southern Texas Bobwhite Quail / Attwater’s Prairie Chicken EQIP contract (this may include contracts on neighboring ranch properties). Adjoining acres also include State Wildlife Management Areas or Federal Wildlife Refuges.

Percentage of grazing land in this operating unit will be operated under and active grazing management plan for the duration of this contract