USDA NRCS Agricultural Conservation Easement Program (ACEP)

USDA program with two components: Agricultural Land Easements (ALE) protect working farms from development, and Wetlands Reserve Easements (WRE) restore and permanently protect wetlands on private land. Significant water quality and habitat co-benefits.

The Agricultural Conservation Easement Program (ACEP) is the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service's flagship land protection tool. ACEP has two components: Agricultural Land Easements (ALE) protect working farm and ranch land from development by purchasing permanent easements through eligible partners (typically land trusts and state/local governments), and Wetlands Reserve Easements (WRE) restore and permanently protect wetlands and adjacent buffer areas on private land.For watershed groups, the most relevant component is typically WRE, which can pay up to 100% of the easement value plus 75-100% of restoration costs for restoring drained or degraded wetlands back to functional ecosystems. Restored wetlands provide significant water quality, flood storage, and habitat benefits in a watershed context.ACEP-ALE applications run through certified land trusts and government partners. ACEP-WRE applications run directly through NRCS state offices on annual ranking cycles. Watershed groups can identify priority parcels, recruit landowners, and partner with local land trusts to bring projects forward. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act increased ACEP funding substantially through at least 2031.