The Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) targets high-priority conservation needs (e.g., water quality, wildlife habitat) by paying landowners an annual rental rate to remove environmentally sensitive or agriculturally unproductive lands from rowcrop production, and then implement conservation practices on these lands. This study examined motivations of South Dakota landowners for enrolling in the James River Basin CREP. All 517 newly enrolled landowners were mailed a questionnaire in 2014 measuring demographics, behaviors, opinions, and motivations (60% response rate). Cluster analysis of 10 motivations for enrolling identified three motivation groups (wildlife = 40%, financial = 35%, environmental = 25%). The financial group had the youngest mean age (62 years), followed by the wildlife (65) and environmental groups (68). Among respondents, 43% favored the public access requirement of this CREP with the environmental group most in favor. Understanding landowner enrollment motivations and decision criteria will assist in strategies (e.g., financial incentives, increasing yield via habitat restoration) for increasing future participation.
