Board of Water and Soil Resources highlights cover-crop, habitat and water-retention work; federal match pending

John Jasky, executive director of the Board of Water and Soil Resources (Bowser), and Andrea Fish, assistant director, presented updates on state-funded conservation programs and federal matching efforts that fund on-the-ground projects such as wetland restoration, cover crops and habitat improvements.

Why it matters: Bowser is the state agency that channels large shares of conservation and clean-water funding through local governments, watershed districts and soil-and-water conservation districts to private-landowners and others. Many programs rely on paired federal grants, so federal funding availability materially affects project timelines and local economies.

Key program updates

- Living-landscape initiatives: Bowser manages three related pollinator and habitat programs—lawns-to-legumes (homeowner pollinator habitat reimbursements),…