The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) is responsible for providing program participants technical assistance and determinations to assist them in complying with the provisions.
In order to maintain eligibility for most USDA programs, producers must comply with the Highly Erodible Land Conservation (HELC) and Wetland Conservation (WC) provisions, agreeing they will not:
- Produce an agricultural commodity on highly erodible land without an adequate conservation system;
- Plant an agricultural commodity on a converted wetland;
- Convert a wetland to make possible the production of an agricultural commodity.
The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) is responsible for providing program participants technical assistance and determinations to assist them in complying with the provisions.
HELC/WC Provision Contact:
Jennifer Vetter
Assistant State Conservationist (Compliance)
(701) 440-9403
jennifer.vetter@usda.gov
HELC/WC Technical Resources
Given the geographical differences of wetlands, soils, and climate in each State; information and technical resources specific to North Dakota implementation of the HELC/WC provisions are provided below:
(Used to make wetland determinations and delineations on agricultural lands utilizing a variety of data, including aerial imagery and other resource inventory data.)
SOSM Technical Data
- Climatic Data for Normal Circumstances (Denotes years with normal precipitation used in the SOSM.)
- Normal Year for Wetland Sizing (Denotes year of imagery in which wetland boundary will be based)
- Lateral Effect / Setback Information (Provides the horizontal distance over which drainage affects adjacent wetland hydrology.)
Other North Dakota Resources
Hydrogeomorphic Functional Assessments (HGM) (Models that provide a functional assessment of a wetland.)
North Dakota HELC/WC Fact Sheets