The threats to the Duck Factory are great. Ducks Unlimited (DU) and its partners have a plan for protecting this important landscape. The only thing standing in the way is funding.

Ducks Unlimited CEO Dale Hall traveled to Pierre, S.D. this week to carry the message that the Prairie Pothole Region should be recognized as a Treasured Landscape. That recognition could mean additional dollars for permanent easements to protect native prairie and wetlands vital for waterfowl and other wildlife.

“We have an unprecedented opportunity to make a big difference in the future of these critical breeding areas,” Hall said. “This designation would signal an increased commitment to the areas that produce the bulk of our nation's ducks each year.”

Hall and many DU volunteers and staff spoke at the America's Great Outdoors Listening Session about the demand from willing landowners for easements and how full funding from the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) would go a long way to meeting that challenge. The easements are administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) in cooperation with key partners like DU.

The listening sessions were designed to launch a national dialogue about conservation and reconnecting Americans with the outdoors. Among those attending the Pierre listening session was Rowan Gould , acting director of the USFWS. Gould also traveled with Hall to visit DU's Coteau Ranch in North Dakota to learn more about the importance of the prairie nesting grounds.