Restoring Southern Wintering Grounds

In the Mississippi Alluvial Valley, Ducks Unlimited has a long and notable history of working cooperatively with farmers, ranchers, and other private landowners to restore, enhance, and protect wetlands and other wildlife habitat on their property. During the last century, millions of acres of bottomlands along the Mississippi River and its tributaries were cleared and converted to agriculture—primarily soybeans. But many fields, despite best efforts to drain them, did not reliably produce crops. Enter the Wetlands Reserve Program, created as part of the 1990 Farm Bill. WRP is a voluntary, nonregulatory, incentive-based program for working farmers, ranchers, and private landowners to restore the functions and values of wetlands on marginal croplands. Demand from southern farmers was extremely high, often outpacing available funding and labor to implement the program. So DU worked with the NRCS to help deliver WRP to landowners in Mississippi, Louisiana, and Arkansas, as well as other states in the South.

During the last 15 years, DU’s Southern Regional Office (SRO) has partnered with nearly 5,000 private landowners across 14 states to enhance, restore, or protect 927,000 acres of wetland and waterfowl habitat through a variety of in-state private-land programs, the Wetlands Reserve Program, and conservation easements. SRO staff has also provided technical assistance to more than 5,500 landowners wishing to enhance or restore waterfowl habitat on approximately 3.4 million acres. The SRO’s work on private land has greatly benefited wintering waterfowl, as well as waterfowl hunters.

Besides waterfowl, more than 900 other species of wildlife depend on wetlands to fulfill some portion of their life-cycle needs. One great example is the now-threatened Louisiana black bear, which historically occurred in Louisiana and Mississippi. In spring 2007, two Louisiana black bear cubs were born in the Mississippi Delta on land owned by Hunter Fordice, heralding the first documented black bear reproduction in that area in 30 years. This land was enrolled in WRP and reforested by Ducks Unlimited in 1992 and 1993.

“As a landowner, it is extremely gratifying to see the habitat restoration efforts of WRP actually coming to fruition with the birth of these black bear cubs,” Fordice said. “The fact that the den site is in the middle of a WRP field is evidence that the habitat restored under this program is suitable for supporting these animals, and I am proud to be a part of their return to this area.”
 Across the Mississippi River in neighboring Louisiana, four more litters of black bear cubs have been located on privately owned properties enrolled in WRP. Ducks Unlimited members can take great pride in knowing that their contributions provide crucial habitat not only for waterfowl but for many other wildlife species as well. 

California Rice and Ducks

Ducks Unlimited has partnered with the California Department of Conservation, California Department of Fish and Game, USDA’s Farm and Ranch Lands Protection Program, and many farmers and other landowners to protect important agricultural lands in the Sacramento Valley. When flooded during the winter, rice fields in particular provide vital wintering habitat for waterfowl and other migratory birds in a state where 95 percent of the historical wetlands have been lost to urban sprawl and agriculture. Flooded fields not only provide food and habitat for the birds, but also hunting and birdwatching opportunities for thousands of outdoorsmen and women throughout the season. Farmers also make extra income from hunting leases on these lands. And winter flooding helps rice straw decompose, eliminating the practice of burning rice straw and improving air quality in the Central Valley.

To ensure that these important wintering areas are protected in perpetuity, DU has developed a conservation easement program using state and federal funds raised for the protection of important agricultural lands. This program not only provides habitat for waterfowl and other migratory birds but also protects the Central Valley’s farming culture. Protecting farmland benefits the rural economy by safeguarding the agricultural infrastructure on which farming families rely. Agricultural conservation easements protect the farming land base, which then protects other related agricultural businesses, including implement dealers, agricultural chemical sales, grain storage facilities, and more.

 Currently, Ducks Unlimited’s Western Regional Office has protected more than 2,500 acres of rice agriculture in Sutter County and 1,500 acres in Butte County. These lands are most often adjacent to large tracts of federal or state wetlands and act as buffers between development and some of the best waterfowl hunting areas in the state. Ducks Unlimited is now securing five more conservation easements in the Central Valley, which will protect another 1,200 acres in 2008.

“Farm the best, conserve the rest” is more than just a slogan: It’s a philosophy that must be embraced by all of society if we are to secure a future for waterfowl, clean water, a healthy environment, and a productive, sustainable agricultural economy. DU’s vision statement—wetlands sufficient to fill the skies with waterfowl today, tomorrow, and forever—will not be attained without the partnership of North America’s farmers, ranchers, agribusiness, and support agencies and groups. Public lands alone cannot provide enough high-quality habitat, food, water, and nesting cover to meet the needs of the continent’s waterfowl. Thankfully, DU has been working closely with agriculture for decades, and many farmers and ranchers are now part of the strong conservation culture in our country. So the next time you visit a farm and ask for permission to hunt, please remember to give the landowners a big “thank you” for all they do for wildlife. 

Ducks Unlimited staff members Scott McLeod, Ross Melinchuk, Bart James, Jasper Lament, and Joe Navari also contributed to this article.