Ducks Unlimited and the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission announced today the completion of the wetland restoration project on the Heald Tract on the Elk Point Bend Wildlife Management Area near Ponca State Park. The project restored approximately 100 acres of seasonal wetland habitat and will provide important benefits to waterfowl and many other species of wildlife. DU engineers designed the project and provided oversight during construction activities. The project included the installation of levees and water control structures that will allow managers to control water levels within the wetlands. DU also installed a pipeline to an existing well that will provide a supplemental source of water to manage wetland habitats.

Funding for the project was provided through an $83,000 grant from the Nebraska Environmental Trust. The Trust is funded by proceeds from the Nebraska Lottery and has awarded more than $127 million to conservation projects in Nebraska since 1994. Additional funding was provided through a grant from the North American Wetlands Conservation Council, Ducks Unlimited and the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission.

Jeff Fields, Parks Superintendent at Ponca State Park, is very excited about the completion of the project. “The completion of this project represents the next phase in a series of wetland restoration projects that have been completed on Elk Point Bend” said Fields. “Over the last several years, with the help of Ducks Unlimited, we have been able to acquire and restore several hundred acres of wetland habitat along the Missouri River”, added Fields.

The Elk Point Bend Wildlife Management Area is located northwest of Ponca, Nebraska, and is open to many public uses, including waterfowl hunting. The additional wetland habitats on the area will increase opportunities for many different types of outdoor recreation. The Missouri River corridor provides important migration habitat to waterfowl, shorebirds and many other migratory birds.