Ducks Unlimited (DU) has acquired a 160-acre Himmelberg tract in Nuckolls County, Nebraska, which is adjacent to the Smartweed Marsh Wildlife Management Area. This property contains a portion of a large wetland that extends onto the adjacent Smartweed Marsh.

The acquisition of the Himmelberg tract will now protect the entire wetland footprint and allow the wetland to be managed more effectively. The portion of this property that contains critical wetland habitat and adjacent buffer lands will be transferred to the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission to be managed as part of Smartweed Marsh.

The balance of this property is farmland, which will be sold, and the proceeds from the sale will be used to acquire additional, critical wetland habitat in the Rainwater Basin. This project was funded through a NAWCA grant.