WRP Application Ranking and Selection

Last Modified: 07/21/2008

Once an application is received the Tennessee ranking criteria (Wetland Reserve Program Environmental Ranking Criteria (PDF; 65 KB), Ranking Appendix and Preliminary Plan Worksheets (PDF; 118 KB)) is completed on site with an NRCS team led by the local District Conservationist. The ranking criteria was developed in consultation with the State Technical Committee, the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The landowner is strongly encouraged to participate because the onsite evaluation includes the determination of eligible acres, draft easement or contract boundary, and planned restoration activities. These evaluation items all play an important role in determining the ranking for the offer and ultimately the selection order of the offer among all the applications in the state.

Eligible applications and the completed ranking are sent to the Tennessee State Office for review and maintained on a state priority list for funding.

In the funding process applicants with the highest ranking score are selected and notified by “Letter of Tentative Acceptance and Intent to Continue”. Offers for funding continue down the list until the agency’s current year allocation is obligated. Landowners with an interest to continue in the program are asked to return an AD-1159 Notice of Intent to Continue (WRP Forms page) within 15 calendar days.

NRCS will order an appraisal of the offered areas upon receipt of the notification of intent to continue. Appraisal instructions for 2006 will be based on Yellow Book appraisal rules. Appraised values will be based on the difference between the highest and best use before placement of the easement and the highest and best use after placement of the easement, and include any land value impacts to the entire parcel of land containing the offered area.

NRCS will send the applicant a letter specifying the amount the agency will offer for acquisition of the easement (options for enrollment). Applicants have 15 calendar days to accept this offer and return an AD-1157 Option Agreement to Purchase form (WRP Forms page) to NRCS if the offer is acceptable.

Once the signed Option Agreement to Purchase is received, NRCS proceeds with surveying, recording and perfecting the easement using the appropriate CCC-1255 Warranty Easement Deed, found on the WRP Forms page. The Warranty Easement Deed describes those rights purchased by USDA and retained by the landowner. Landowners may reject the agency’s offer with no financial obligation. However, once the Option to Purchase is accepted all agency expenditures from that point may be reimbursable if the landowner later withdraws from the program.

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