News & Events From the Four Flyways
Atlantic Flyway
Central Flyway
Mississippi Flyway
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ATLANTIC FLYWAY
Grassland Restoration on New York 's Grindstone Island
Shrub removal at the first of two grassland restoration projects located on Grindstone Island on the St. Lawrence River in New York began late last summer. These two projects will restore about 100 acres of cool-season grasses. Another 100 acres of grassland habitat adjoins the two restoration sites, creating a 200-acre grassland. This complex encompasses three sides of Delaney Bay Marsh. Mallards and blue-winged teal, along with other grassland-nesting birds, should utilize the restored habitat.
The fields targeted for restoration once produced hay or were grazed by cattle. Once abandoned, the cool-season grasses yielded to goldenrod, which yielded to gray-stemmed dogwood. The dogwood has become too dense to mow with a standard brush hog. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is partnering with Ducks Unlimited on these projects by providing a specialized piece of equipment for mowing this dense habitat.
A third site, totaling approximately 20 acres, will be restored upon completion of the Grindstone Island projects. This site adjoins 30 acres of pre-existing grassland, creating a 50-acre parcel located about 100 yards from the St. Lawrence River. This project will also provide important nesting habitat for waterfowl.
Each site will be mowed for three consecutive years. Thereafter, the landowners are responsible for cutting the fields every three years or a third every year for 10 years.
Carving, Calling Contests set for February in North Carolina
The 11th East Carolina Wildlife Arts Festival and North Carolina Decoy Carving Championships are scheduled for Feb. 10-12, 2006 at the Civic Center and adjacent sites in Washington, North Carolina. Fifteen carving competition divisions will be among the activities, including the state championship, a new working decoy category sponsored by North Carolina Ducks Unlimited, and the first IWCA National Working Decoy Carving Championship. The Southern Classic duck, goose, and swan calling contests are also scheduled for this weekend, as well as the North Carolina wild turkey calling competition. For more information, phone the East Carolina Wildfowl Guild at 252-946-2897 or 252-946-9326, or visit the guild's web site at www.eastcarolinawildfowlguild.com.
Pomainville Lake Project in the Works in Vermont
Edward Pomainville has placed 356 acres into the U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service's Wetlands Reserve Program with a perpetual conservation easement. Ducks Unlimited, in partnership with the Vermont Department of Fish and Wildlife Waterfowl Fund, purchased the land to create a wildlife management area in Rutland County. Restoration of wetlands along 8,360 feet of Otter Creek frontage began in August. Both wildlife and people in the community will benefit from this area commonly known as “ Pomainville Lake” because of frequent seasonal flooding. The conservation of this new wildlife management area will benefit people by providing natural floodwater relief, recreational opportunities, recharging groundwater supplies, and filtering pollutants. Wildlife will receive a boost thanks to the increase in habitat acreage.
Marsh Restoration Reduces Mosquito Population Without Using Pesticides
With the rise in public concern surrounding the recent outbreaks of eastern equine encephalitis in New Hampshire, increased mosquito control is an important issue. In 2003, project partners Ducks Unlimited, Swamp Inc., the town of Greenland, the New Hampshire Coastal Program at the Department of Environmental Services, and others began a project at Pickering Brook Marsh that has decreased mosquito populations while benefiting wildlife habitat, water quality, and recreational users—all without using chemical pesticides. The Pickering Brook Marsh did not require spraying for mosquitoes in 2005.
The Pickering Brook salt marsh restoration in Greenland was a two-phase project that increased the amount of open water on the marsh surface and slowed the draining of water from ditches that were created in the 1930s. Open water increases fish populations, which feast on mosquito larvae.
“There is little spraying, if any, that occurs on the restored marshes,” said Mike Morrison of Swamp Inc., who chemically treats mosquitoes in Greenland. “Salt marsh restoration has been very effective in decreasing mosquito populations that breed on the marsh surface.”
In 1998, Greenland 's mosquito commission made a commitment to address mosquito breeding through salt marsh restoration. The town has annually set aside funding to restore degraded marshes to healthy, functioning wetlands. Salt marsh mosquito larvae are controlled in several ways. Chemical insecticides are applied to mosquito breeding depressions, sometimes affecting nonproblematic species.
Most recently, a bacterium, BTI, has been used to treat larval mosquitoes in aquatic environments. BTI is very specific to mosquito larvae but must be repeatedly applied throughout the summer months.
Most New England salt marshes have been degraded either by tidal restrictions, such as roads and dikes that cut off access to the natural process of tidal flushing, or by digging ditches into the peat to drain standing water from the marsh surface. The restoration of unrestricted tides and natural hydrology addresses the mosquito problem twofold. The return of the tides allows water to move freely over the salt marsh surface again, dispersing predatory fish, such as mummichogs, to feast on the mosquito larvae. As tides retreat, the fish either move off the marsh or are concentrated in suitable pools of water that persist on the marsh surface until the next high tide, when they can disperse and feed again. Meanwhile, the standing pools are kept free of mosquito larvae.
Grant Funds to be Used for North Carolina 's Sound CARE Initiative
North Carolina Attorney General Roy Cooper has announced a $400,000 grant to Ducks Unlimited for its Sound CARE program to conserve more than 1,800 acres of habitat throughout North Carolina. The funds will be used to permanently protect 1,000 acres of habitat via conservation easements or acquisition. Also, more than 800 acres of wetlands will be restored on several public areas including Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge (NWR), Mattamuskeet NWR, and North River Game Land. These projects will restore wetland habitat on and adjacent to agricultural lands and bottomland hardwood forests, improve water quality and flood retention, provide recreational opportunities for the public, and improve habitat for a variety of wildlife, especially migratory birds, as well as some threatened and endangered species. The projects on North River Game Land and Mattamuskeet were scheduled to commence by December 2005, while the Pocosin Lakes project is scheduled for 2007. Partners involved in these projects include the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
The funds were awarded from the attorney general's Environmental Enhancement Grant Program. This program is part of an agreement with Smithfield Foods Inc. that was signed on July 25, 2000. Under this agreement, Smithfield Foods Inc. and its subsidiary Murphy Brown LLC agreed to provide $50 million over 25 years to the attorney general's office to improve the environment. This is the second environmental enhancement grant that Ducks Unlimited has received from the attorney general's office. In 2004, Ducks Unlimited was awarded $413,000 to restore wetlands on the Roanoke River NWR, Fort Bragg Military Installation, and Roanoke River Wetlands Game Land. Work has been completed on the Roanoke River locations and began in December 2005 on Ft. Bragg.
CENTRAL FLYWAY
DU Joins Partners for Wildlife in Wyoming
Ducks Unlimited and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Partners for Wildlife program (PFW) are working together in Wyoming to conserve wetlands in cooperation with private landowners. Under a new agreement, DU will provide financial assistance to PFW, bolstering the agency's successful private lands program in the state.
“This is a very exciting opportunity to work with Partners for Wildlife, one of the most successful and effective conservation efforts in Wyoming,” said Bob Sanders, DU's manager of conservation programs in Wyoming and Colorado. “This is an innovative way to further the Partners for Wildlife program's ability to conserve wetlands throughout the state and really stretch DU's dollars.”
Mark Hogan, PFW coordinator in Wyoming, echoes Sanders's enthusiasm. “The Partners for Wildlife program has had a tremendous impact on wetlands and wildlife populations throughout the state,” Hogan said. “DU dollars will provide a much needed boost to the program. We are looking forward to a successful partnership.”
The PFW program restores wetlands and associated uplands on private lands in several focus areas in the state. Hogan, based out of Lander, Wyo., and PFW biologist Mike Lessard, based in Torrington, have worked with landowners to conserve 36,000 acres of wetland and upland habitat statewide.
“A large percentage of Wyoming 's wetlands are on private lands,” said Hogan, who is also active as a DU committee volunteer in Lander. “Restoring these habitats is critical to ensuring waterfowl populations are sustainable in the long term.”
Sportsman's Lodge Helps DU Restore Project on Guadalupe Delta WMA
Partners recently celebrated the restoration of a 55-acre freshwater wetland at Guadalupe Delta Wildlife Management Area (WMA). Habitat work was completed in large part thanks to a generous donation by Midland, Texas, DU volunteers Jack and Joe Campbell, owners of the Lone Star Lodge in Port O'Connor, Texas. Donated funds were used to install a low levee and one water-control structure for area staff to manage water levels for the production of high quality waterfowl foods.
Located in Refugio and Calhoun counties, the Guadalupe Delta WMA is owned and managed by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD). Three management units comprise its nearly 6,600 acres: Mission Lake, Hynes Bay and Guadalupe River. The area provides excellent habitat for resident, migrating and wintering waterfowl. However, optimal habitat conditions are possible only through annual wetlands management by TPWD staff.
“While there is an abundance of fresh tidal wetland west of Hog Bayou, it is dominated by rank, relatively impenetrable vegetation and is very difficult to manage,” said Kevin Kriegel, TPWD area manager. “Moist-soil wetlands, like the one just completed, allow our staff to maximize habitat conditions for the benefit of waterfowl and other wetland-dependent wildlife.”
The Campbells' contribution was received through Texas CARE (Conservation of Agriculture, Resources, and Environment), a conservation initiative established by DU, TPWD, private contributors, and other public agencies to address critical wetland habitat needs throughout the state.
“We are happy to support this project and proud to be a part of the conservation of coastal wetlands,” Jack Campbell said. “What my dad and I are particularly struck with, though, is the enthusiasm and dedication of the biologists responsible for making this happen.”
Funds for the project were provided by Lone Star Lodge, DU, TPWD, and the North American Wetlands Conservation Council. “Ducks Unlimited exists because of the passion and commitment exhibited by volunteers and supporters like the Campbells,” said Ed Ritter, DU's director of conservation programs for Texas and New Mexico. “Their generous donation, in combination with other partnerships, allows conservation of coastal wetlands to become a reality. This is what Texas CARE is all about.”
This project will provide valuable foraging habitat for migrating and wintering waterfowl along the Guadalupe River, primarily benefiting pintails, gadwalls, blue- and green-winged teal, American wigeon, and mottled ducks. The TPWD will manage the area to maintain high-quality moist-soil wetlands for waterfowl and shorebirds. Public hunting is permitted for waterfowl, alligators and other wetland-dependent wildlife.
“We're all impressed with the newly completed wetland,” said Todd Merendino, TPWD's midcoast project leader. But our most important customers and toughest critics are the birds. “We'll know we've done a good job when we see ducks, herons and shorebirds stacked in this newly created wetland. From the looks of things, we won't have to wait long.”
DU Helps Secure $1 Million to Conserve North Dakota Breeding Habitat
Ducks Unlimited and four of its conservation partners have been awarded a $1 million North American Wetlands Conservation Act (NAWCA) grant to secure more than 18,400 acres of wetland and grassland habitat in the Missouri Coteau of North Dakota. Funding from this grant will protect in perpetuity some of the best remaining waterfowl breeding habitat in North America.
“The funding from this grant will not only preserve some great waterfowl and prairie wildlife habitat, but it also helps preserve the ranching traditions in the Missouri Coteau of North Dakota,” said Randy Renner, manager of conservation programs for Ducks Unlimited's Great Plains office. “This is our fourth NAWCA grant for the coteau, and our work is already evident there. We are excited that NAWCA has again supported our efforts to secure this vital habitat for the future.”
Ducks Unlimited works with Congress in support of annual funding for NAWCA to continue the act's waterfowl conservation success. As a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, North Dakota's Senator Byron Dorgan provides crucial leadership in obtaining these federal funds. The Missouri Coteau is a unique and diverse landscape containing some of the most numerous and productive wetland communities in the world. These wetlands are intricately linked with the surrounding native prairie to provide important nesting, brood-rearing, and foraging habitat for a wide array of waterfowl, shorebirds, raptors, songbirds, amphibians, reptiles and mammals.
Research has shown that large blocks of grassland provide the best chance for waterfowl to nest successfully. Cropland-dominated landscapes can also produce ducks, but the most consistent duck production occurs in the “big grass” landscapes. Since European settlement, more than 60 percent of wetlands and 50 percent of native grasslands have been converted to agricultural production. Fortunately, more than 2.9 million acres of native grassland and more than 880,000 acres of wetland habitat remain in the Missouri Coteau.
Time is a critical element for securing these remaining native grasslands. Technological advancements in agriculture have put additional pressures on the coteau. New genetically modified crops, which are drought tolerant and herbicide resistant, make crop production possible in areas that were not suitable for farming in the past. Other advancements in farming equipment have made cultivation possible in the steep terrain and rocky soils of the coteau.
DU partnered with private foundations, the North Dakota Game and Fish Department and U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service to obtain this NAWCA grant. These funds will be used for grassland and wetland easements under the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Small Wetland Acquisition Program and DU's Grasslands for Tomorrow Initiative. Cattle producers apply for easements on native grassland and wetlands. In return for a one-time payment, the landowner agrees never to plow the land and to delay haying until after July 15, when most birds have completed their nesting. Despite numerous funding sources, the demand for easements far exceeds available funds.
MISSISSIPPI FLYWAY
Arkansas Duck Hunters to Benefit from DU & XTO Energy Partnership
Ducks Unlimited has received $25,000 from XTO Energy to help restore 790 acres of wetlands and bottomland hardwood habitat on Frog Bayou Wildlife Management Area (WMA) in Crawford County, Arkansas.
Ducks Unlimited purchased Frog Bayou WMA, located 15 miles east of Ft. Smith in the Arkansas River valley, in partnership with the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission (AGFC). This area was once dominated by forested wetlands interspersed with swamps and cypress-tupelo brakes. Much of the forest was cleared and converted to agriculture, and natural flooding was reduced by 50 to 90 percent.
Primary waterfowl species benefiting from this project include mallards, gadwalls, green-winged teal, pintails, wood ducks and American wigeon. DU recently transferred ownership of this property to the AGFC, which will manage the property and provide additional public hunting opportunities.
DU and its partners will restore a total of 790 acres of wetlands and bottomland hardwood habitat. Three hundred and fifteen acres of moist-soil habitat in seven different management units will be restored through construction of earthen levees and installation of six large water-control structures. Approximately 470 acres of forested wetlands will be restored through direct planting of bottomland hardwood seedlings. Permanent pumps will also be installed to provide timely delivery of water to wetland units.
Craig Hilburn, DU's director of conservation programs in Arkansas, says XTO Energy's contribution will play a crucial role in completing this important project. “It's critical to provide flooded habitat during winter for migrating waterfowl in the Arkansas River valley,” Hilburn said.
Vaughn O. Vennerberg II is XTO Energy's senior executive vice president and chief of staff. The company is Arkansas ' largest producer of natural gas, and Vennerberg is excited about being able to help fund a wetlands restoration project in Arkansas.
“XTO Energy develops projects that balance consumer need for reliable and competitively priced energy with efforts to minimize the impact on the environment,” Vennerberg said. “Helping restore wetlands in Arkansas illustrates our strong commitment to protecting and conserving the environment.”
Longtime DU volunteer Jim Gaddy of Fayetteville has visited the area many times. “I've been on the river near the project site several times,” he said. “It's a great place to enjoy waterfowl and wildlife, and it will provide additional duck hunting opportunities for hunters in northwest Arkansas.”
XTO Energy Inc. is a domestic energy producer engaged in the acquisition, development, and discovery of oil and natural gas properties in the United States. The company's properties are concentrated in Texas, New Mexico, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Wyoming, Colorado, Alaska, Utah and Louisiana.
The partners associated with the Frog Bayou WMA restoration project include Ducks Unlimited, AGFC, NRCS, Oklahoma Gas & Electric, and XTO Energy. Ducks Unlimited is seeking additional partners for this wetlands restoration project in Arkansas. For more information, contact Brian Davis, regional biologist, at 501-955-9264 or bdavis2@ducks.org.
Ducks Unlimited and Partners to Restore Louisiana Coastal Wetlands
Ducks Unlimited and several partners have been approved for a project under the North American Wetlands Conservation Act (NAWCA) to help restore more than 1,500 acres of wetlands along Louisiana 's hurricane-ravaged Gulf Coast. Approximately $2.3 million in matching funds from partners will be paired with $995,000 in NAWCA funds to underwrite restoration. The project sites are located in Cameron, Calcasieu, and Vermilion parishes, all of which were hit by hurricanes Katrina and Rita.
“Louisiana's coastal wetlands have long been a conservation priority for Ducks Unlimited, but in light of the recent devastation in these areas, the need for wetlands restoration work there is more important now than ever,” said Jerry Holden, director of conservation programs in Louisiana. “With these funds, we'll be able to begin making a real difference for wetlands restoration after hurricanes Katrina and Rita.”
Partners in the project include Ducks Unlimited, the Louisiana Department of Natural Resources, Vermilion Corporation, BP America Inc., USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Partners' contributions to the project total $2,317,639 in matching funds and $11,816 in nonmatching funds.
Ducks Unlimited leverages grassroots dollars through NAWCA grants to conserve more habitat. DU contributed $102,639 in matching funds to leverage this federal grant. Holden said he expects the project to take two years to complete. The majority of the project will focus on restoring or enhancing wetlands on private lands in the Gulf Coast Joint Venture's Chenier Plain initiative area. This is one of the most important habitats in North America for migrating and wintering waterfowl and shorebirds.
Even before hurricanes Katrina and Rita struck the coast, these wetlands were in need of restoration. An extensive network of man-made waterways has increased tidal energy and allowed saltwater to intrude into these already weakened ecosystems. DU and partners plan to restore the habitat by constructing 90,500 linear feet of “duck-wing” earthen terraces in shallow, open-water areas where marshes once existed. Smooth cordgrass will be established on the terraces to encourage growth of aquatic vegetation by reducing wind-driven wave action, which causes erosion and water turbidity.
“Presently, at some of these sites there are just vast stretches of open water where the wind kicks up sediments off the bottom and suspends it in the water, making it look like chocolate milk,” Holden said. “This prevents sunlight from reaching the bottom, where food plants for ducks and geese once grew. We can effectively stop this cycle by building terraces and planting them with cordgrass. Once the terraces have stabilized the habitat, instead of a muddy mess, it becomes a mat of vegetation, and waterfowl just flock to these sites. When you boat through one of these terraced marshes, you'll often kick up gadwalls, mottled ducks, teal and pintails by the thousands. In fact, mottled ducks will even nest in the emerging cordgrass. It's a very appealing situation for coastal waterfowl.”
NAWCA stimulates public-private partnerships in support of the North American Waterfowl Management Plan. NAWCA is a nonregulatory, incentive-based, voluntary and competitive habitat conservation grant program. NAWCA provides federal cost-share funding to protect, restore and manage wetland habitats for wildlife, and many projects provide outstanding recreational opportunities for people, from bird-watching to hunting. The Ducks Unlimited governmental affairs staff works with Congress in support of annual funding for NAWCA to continue the act's waterfowl conservation success.
“Sen. Landrieu, Sen. Vitter, and the House delegation have been very supportive of increased funding for NAWCA,” said Scott Sutherland, director of DU's governmental affairs office. “This project is an outstanding example of NAWCA's ability to foster public-private partnerships to restore wetlands at a critical time for the benefit of wildlife and people.”
To date, NAWCA has helped fund more than 1,400 projects on more than 20 million acres in all 50 states, every province of Canada and areas of Mexico. Thousands of partners, including private landowners, corporations and state governments, have worked together to conserve wildlife habitat through NAWCA grants.
PACIFIC FLYWAYS
Volunteer Teachers Learn More About DU
Since 1986, DU has participated in almost 1,500 waterfowl habitat conservation projects in California. Nevertheless, some Californians remain unaware of DU's impact in their backyard. Dispelling misperceptions and misinformation can be an irksome task for DU volunteers and staff working to raise money and restore wetlands for waterfowl and other wildlife. But in this current information age, public perception is vital to any successful organization, including DU.
The backbone of DU has always been and will always be its volunteers, who generously give their time, talent and money to hold fund-raising events. These dedicated men and women are also DU's most effective ambassadors to the general public.
To arm volunteers with the personal experience and knowledge required to inform others about DU's conservation efforts in California, volunteers are taking to the field to see projects and hear from DU biologists and engineers. Visiting a DU project with these experts is not only fun and educational, but it also can help you inform other members and volunteers as well as nonmembers about all the great work DU is doing for waterfowl and other wildlife.
A decisive fact-filled answer is often all that's needed to dispel myths and misconceptions that may be circulating about DU and its conservation programs. Teaching volunteer “teachers” is one way DU is working to educate waterfowlers about what DU does on the landscape and how these efforts benefit waterfowl, other wildlife and people.
New DU Northwestern Initiative Takes Off
Ducks Unlimited is working against the clock to protect the best remaining waterfowl habitat in the Pacific Northwest's major river systems and to restore the natural functions of important floodplain wetlands and estuaries that have been degraded by development.
The new Floodplains and Estuaries For Ducks Initiative is dedicated to restoring and enhancing wetlands over a broad and diverse area across western Oregon and southwestern Washington. Centered in the floodplains and estuaries of the lower Columbia and Willamette rivers, this initiative focuses on restoring waterfowl habitat for continentally significant waterfowl populations. These efforts also provide significant benefits for salmon, trout and a variety of other fish and wildlife. Presently, the initiative includes more than 65 active wetland conservation projects.
In Oregon for example, development associated with the rapidly growing cities of Portland, Vancouver and Salem has reduced wetland habitat and adversely impacted many fish and wildlife species. River channelization, forestry, agriculture and commercial development have all had an impact on wetlands, which support large numbers of migratory waterfowl. In fact, the region supports the largest population of greater scaup in the United States and provides crucial fall staging and wintering habitat for the majority of Pacific Flyway pintails. As early as September, pintails and other ducks arrive on the coastal marshes of Grays Harbor, Willapa Bay and the lower Columbia River estuary. In many years, these areas provide the only early-season wetland habitat available in the region. By late fall and winter, the birds move inland as fall rains flood vast areas of riparian wetlands.
The region also supports large numbers of mallards, wigeon, green-winged teal and canvasbacks, as well as tule white-fronted geese, Wrangel Island snow geese and several subspecies of Canada and cackling geese. In addition, five species of Pacific salmon and steelhead (many of which are listed as threatened or endangered) rely on these same floodplain wetlands and estuaries to complete their life cycles.
DU is working with dozens of landowners and other public and private partners to restore these threatened habitats. DU has also implemented a fish-monitoring component of the program that has streamlined the permitting process for restoration projects by documenting fish use and passage on project areas and has acquired public and private funding from fisheries programs that furthers DU's waterfowl mission. All these efforts are making a large contribution to restoring these ecologically important areas for wildlife and people.
Oregon 's Pearmine Restoration Project Completed
Shallow wetlands are brimming with new water, and trees and shrubs have been planted on Ducks Unlimited's recently completed Pearmine Restoration Project along Patterson and Hubbard creeks in Oregon 's Willamette River valley. A major waterfowl migration corridor, the Willamette Valley hosts up to 150,000 ducks and 300,000 Canada geese during winter. DU conservation staff worked with the landowner, the Natural Resources Conservation Service and Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board to restore 80 acres of shallow seasonal wetlands and riparian forest. Much of the site was heavily infested with reed canary grass and was artificially drained by a large ditch. The banks of Patterson Creek and the Willamette River in some places were nearly bare of any trees and shrubs.
Restoring the natural hydrology of wetlands required filling drainage ditches and re-contouring the wetland bottom to allow more frequent flooding from Patterson Creek. Dikes were then constructed and water-control structures were installed to further enhance water management. Some areas were seeded with native grasses and forbs and planted with trees and shrubs to prevent infestation by noxious weeds. Other areas were disked to promote natural germination of native wetland plants. Native trees and shrubs were also planted along Patterson and Hubbard creeks and the Willamette River to restore the riparian forest.
The Pearmine Restoration site is now a place where waterfowl can rest and refuel as they migrate through the north Pacific Flyway during their spring and fall migrations. Green-winged teal, pintails, mallards, American wigeon and wood ducks are just a few of the species that now stop in the newly restored wetlands. At least four subspecies of Canada geese have also dropped by to visit the restored wetlands, and on one occasion as many as 3,000 geese roosted on site. The area is particularly important to dusky Canada geese, a rare subspecies that has declined since an earthquake radically altered its breeding habitat in Alaska. Agricultural fields on the Pearmine Farm are also winter foraging areas for cackling and Taverner's Canada geese. In addition to benefiting waterfowl, this project also provides important wetland habitat for native amphibians, shorebirds, raptors, songbirds and even Chinook salmon.