The Atocas Bay Conservation Project in Ontario was dedicated on October 26, 2004, to celebrate a cross-border conservation partnership and honor the many partners who participated in this conservation success story on the Ottawa River.

The 1,600-acre Atocas Bay project was completed in 2001 under the auspices of the multipartner Eastern Habitat Joint Venture. The project is located in an area of high wetland loss. Once the property was purchased, Ducks Unlimited Canada restored more than 200 wetland basins, which had been drained for agriculture. The wildlife response to the improved habitat has been remarkable - breeding duck numbers have increased 24-fold. The property is actively managed for wildlife and for farming using conservation agricultural practices.

The project was made possible by generous funding from the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Canadian Wildlife Service, Ducks Unlimited, Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, family and friends of Sterling Adams (president of Ducks Unlimited from 1961-1962), and Waterfowl Research Foundation, Inc. Since 1979, the state of Alabama has invested nearly $1 million in wetland conservation across Canada. This has been leveraged to more than $4 million under the matching provisions of the North American Wetlands Conservation Act.

See also: Article from Habitat Matters