Missouri Bootheel Partners Program
Assisting Landowners in Managing Waterfowl Habitat

The objective of the Missouri Bootheel Partners Program is to return waterfowl to the breeding grounds physically conditioned for maximum reproductive success. Managing off-season agricultural fields as waterfowl habitat offers good food resources for migrating and wintering birds with direct benefits to landowners.

Project sponsors include: Ducks Unlimited, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, Missouri Department of Conservation, and Private Landowners.

Accomplishments
To meet the demand for management assistance on private lands, the Missouri Bootheel Partners Program was initiated in 1997. Since that time, the program has enhanced almost 25,000 acres of waterfowl habitat. This project has been helpful in meeting waterfowl habitat objectives on private lands.  In 2005, partners deemed this project a success and made the decision to allocate financial resources to other wetland projects in the state.

Benefits:

The Landowner

Reduced tillage and chemical costs
Restrains weed growth
Promotes stubble decomposition
Promotes minimum farming
Reduced soil erosion; allows sediments to settle out before being discharged into ditches
Financial opportunities from recreational leasing (bird watching & hunting)

The Environment

Water quality is improved.
Chemicals and sediments settle out in flooded fields.
Groundwater recharge also occurs due to winter flooding

The Waterfowl

Post harvest flooding provides:
Resting and wintering area for migrating waterfowl
Waste grain and weed seeds consumed provides for successful migration

Counties targeted for the Missouri Bootheel Partners Program include: Bollinger, Butler, Cape Girardeau, Dunklin, Mississippi, New Madrid, Pemiscot, Ripley, Scott, Stoddard, and Wayne.

For more information contact:

Scott Manley
Director of Conservation Programs
smanley@ducks.org