How the Landowner Incentive Program Provides Help to Landowners
The Idaho Landowner Incentive Program (LIP) is a program designed to help private landowners throughout the state improve and preserve wildlife habitat while maintaining the original uses of their land.
LIP will provide technical assistance to private landowners for habitat protection and restoration, and direct landowners towards other agencies or programs with private lands financial assistance programs. LIP Biologists will also help design appropriate projects to benefit at-risk species.
The program understands and appreciates the traditional land use history of the state, and strives to coordinate with "working landscapes" to find ways to preserve the financial "bottom line" while retaining and improving the invaluable wildlife habitat.
Developing working conservation partnerships with private landowners and nonprofit organizations is showing to be a vital part of getting the work done.
Development throughout Idaho has historically been in close proximity to riparian areas (vegetation associated next to rivers, streams, or springs), and in the flats associated with valleys. This pattern of development, through agricultural production, grazing, or urban development, while logical, has placed a strain on the biological health and survivorship of many species throughout the state. Idaho's arid nature makes private riparian areas even more important for wildlife. Restoring and maintaining habitat on private land is essential to meeting our nation's conservation goals because so many species depend upon this land for survival.
Recognizing that species conservation goals cannot be fully achieved by focusing effort solely on public lands, federal and state governments have been allocating increasing financial and staff resources to the conservation of fish and wildlife on private lands. However, competing pressures on private land use and habitat management costs challenge such conservation efforts. The focus of LIP is not tied to any crop base or farming practice, but is for all landowners who are looking to protect and enhance existing habitat in critical natural resource areas.