Northern Grassland Restoration Incentive Program (N-GRIP)
Northern Great Plains Joint Venture
Introduction
The Northern Grassland Restoration Incentive Program (N-GRIP) is the Northern Great Plains Joint Venture’s (NGPJV) financial assistance program for grassland bird habitat conservation on working lands.
Application Deadline:
Rolling Applications
How to Apply:
If you have a project that fits within the N-GRIP framework, please reach out to your local conservation practitioner or NGPJV staff – Erin Fairbank or Catherine Wightman.
Links & Resources:
Contact Information:
Back To All ResourcesThe Details
The foundation of N-GRIP is to restore and enhance the function of grasslands and the ecological processes that they provide, which has mutual benefits for producers and wildlife.
N-GRIP is designed to:
• Be flexible and complement various programs offered by our partners in the region and works across jurisdictions with the goal of restoring, enhancing, and retaining grasslands in the Northern Great Plains.
• Offer targeted financial assistance for voluntary working lands practices that support ranching operations and maintain habitat for declining grassland birds within the NGPJV boundaries.
• Provide conservation practitioners with additional tools to complete projects.
• Be utilized as a standalone agreement or augment partner projects.
Practices include:
• Reseeding cropland to native grassland
• Grazing infrastructure (fence, pipeline, tanks, etc.)
• Grazing management practices that help enhance productivity and diversity of native range
• Process-based mesic restoration on working rangelands
Program Requirements:
• Term agreement with NGPJV partner entity for a minimum of 10 years
• 50:50 cost-share (in-kind landowner contribution is eligible with proper documentation)
• Proposal submission by a local conservation practitioner (Program Manager) who works directly with the producer
• Environmental Compliance documentation may be required by our grant funding source
Who’s Eligible?
N-GRIP funding is available for projects occurring within the NGPJV boundary, which cover portions of Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wyoming.
Proposals are selected based on criteria that drive stronger conservation designs and deliver more robust and durable outcomes. The ranking process includes evaluating project location, bird habitat/presence of priority bird species, current conditions, current grazing management plan and project goals.
Typical project characteristics include:
• Located in a priority area for one or more declining grassland birds
• Local support
• Ecological benefits
• Favorable cost to benefit ratio
• Potential to inspire future conservation work
