Wetlands Reserve Program in East Texas - Hydrology

In the summer of 2001, Ducks Unlimited entered into a partnership with the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) to assist them in delivering the Wetlands Reserve Program (WRP) in Texas. The WRP is a federally funded program that restores altered or degraded wetland habitat on private lands and protects these restored wetlands in perpetuity.

This partnership started slowly the first year, restoring 300 acres of wetland habitat. The next two summers resulted in steady growth in acres restored and has reached a level that now exceeds over 1,000 acres per year. Over the past two years, DU and the NRCS have completed hydrology restoration on twenty projects through the WRP, protecting over 7,500 acres of critical habitat forever. The future for WRP in Texas looks bright, as a potential list of nearly thirty new landowners has been proposed for restoration work. The majority of the sites have been located in northeast Texas, with a few sites located along the East Texas coastline.

While the restoration of these habitats to resemble pre-human intervention will take several years to complete, immediate benefits should be observed in water quality and short-term wildlife habitat. Wetlands and associated vegetative communities filter potential water contaminants such as fertilizers, chemicals, and eroded soil, retaining these particles and preventing downstream erosion. With continued government support, landowner participation, and education, the WRP has an opportunity to make a significant impact on the future of wildlife and plant communities in the Lone Star State.