Ducks Unlimited Wetland Projects
Conservation Reserve Program Important to Waterfowl Population
Ducks Unlimited, a volunteer-based organization manages conservation programs to re-establish wetland habitats for waterfowl in the U.S., Canada and Mexico.
Ducks Unlimited began in 1937, as a small group of hunters and sportsmen with a single mission of Habitat Conservation. The sportsmen joined together to help restore the waterfowl populations that fell victim to the droughts of the Dust Bowl. Ducks Unlimited, also known as DU, has now become the “world’s largest and most effective private waterfowl and wetlands conservation organization”.
The organization is volunteer-based, with over 700 members and one million supporters in North America. Volunteers help with hosting fund-raising events such as dinner banquets, hunting and sporting events and others. Last year, DU spent 87 percent of revenue received, directly on wetland conservation and education.
Over the years, Ducks Unlimited has focused on improving wetland habitats, benefiting not only waterfowl but other wildlife as well. According to the organization, since Ducks Unlimited began in the late 1930s, the United States has “lost more than half of its original wetlands”, with more wetlands to be drained or destroyed by development and pollution.
Critical Areas Need Priority
Ducks Unlimited has identified critical areas for conservation across the United States, Canada and Mexico. Although the organization has projects in all states and provinces of the U.S. and Canada and parts of Mexico, these 12 areas represent waterfowl habitat and wetlands requiring special attention and resources. The priority areas include:
- Prairie Pothole Region
- Western Boreal Forest – Canada
- Gulf Coastal Prairie
- Mississippi Alluvial Valley
- Central Valley/ Coastal California
- U.S. Great Lakes Systems
- Great Basin
- Hardwood Transition/ Lower Great Lakes/ St. Lawrence Plain – Ontario
- Mid-Atlantic Coast
- Pacific Northwest – U.S. Upper Pacific Coast
- Pacific Northwest – British Columbia Coast
- Southern Great Plains
DU's Conservation Programs
One of the organization’s most successful and wide-reaching programs is the Conservation Reserve Program or CRP. The CRP was first made successful through the passing of the 1985 Farm Bill. Beginning as a soil conservation strategy, the Farm Bill, also aimed to protect the declining population of mallards, pintails and blue-winged teal ducks. The ducks suffered their lowest population in a 30-year history, according to the 1985 surveys by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Grassland habitats are important to nesting ducks, using the tall grass near wetlands to hide eggs and ducklings from predators.
With a two-fold agenda, the 1985 Farm Bill provided farmers with payments or cost-share assistance to not use their land for a 10-15 year period. During this time, native grasslands reestablished themselves, reducing erosion. Ducks were then able to nest in the dense grass, located near wetlands.
CRP has improved habitats for waterfowl and other wildlife, reestablishing healthy populations. Considered a results-oriented program of conservation, CRP has:
- Increased nesting of duck species in Prairie Pothole Region of North and South Dakota and Montana
- Increased upland game bird populations, such as pheasant increased by 53 percent
- Maintained 12 grassland songbird species populations because of CRP
Ducks Unlimited conservation programs are based on scientific evidence and research. DU works closely with state and federal agencies, such as the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, to plan conservation goals. Several methods used by DU include:
- Restoring Grasslands, through programs like the CRP
- Replanting Forests, important waterfowl habitat used for wintering
- Restoring Watersheds, important to wetland formation
For further reading on Ducks Unlimited waterfowl conservation, read the article Climate Change Effect on Waterfowl.
