The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) is the primary Federal Agency of the USDA that works with private landowners to help them conserve, maintain and improve their natural resources. The Agency empha-sizes voluntary, science-based conservation; technical assistance; partnerships; incentive-based programs; and cooperative problem solving at the community level.
In the past year NRCS helped producers in the Guánica-Rio Loco Watershed to voluntarily implement conservation practices that avoid, control, and trap sedi-ment and nutrient runoff; improve wildlife habitat; and maintain agricultural productivity in order to address wa-ter quality resource concerns and to enhance the health of the coral reef in Guánica 
Bay. Within those three catego-ries there are practices listed that are meant to “avoid” the excess application of nutrients onto the field, “control” the amount of sediment and nutrients that are able to run-off the fields into the watershed, and “trap” sediment and nutrients before they make it into the watershed from the edge of the field.
These improvements will be accomplished through a conservation systems approach that will minimize runoff and reduce downstream sediment and nutrient loading. Sediment and nutrient loading contributes to both local water quality problems and the decline in health of the coral reef in the Guánica Bay watershed.
In addition, NRCS, through the Environmental Qual-ity Incentive Program (EQIP) awarded 35 contracts to farmers in the Guánica bay watershed for a total of $1,491,405.00. Contracts were awarded to eleven farm-ers in Guánica County, five farmers in Lajas County and nineteen farmers in Yauco County.
NRCS also holds meetings with the local communities and agencies. These meetings provide information to the community about the Guánica restoration program, in-cluding projects and funding opportunities. They also provide an opportunity for stakeholders to share their ex-periences and build a watershed alliance. For all meet-ings and activities NRCS provides participants with handouts, flyers and other informational material about the Coral Reef Initiative and Farm Bill Programs. (Contact: Mario Rodriguez, Mario.rodriguez@pr.usda.gov)