Ducks Unlimited recently dedicated a wetland restoration project in New York's Montezuma Wetland Complex. Completed in partnership with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, this wetland project was restored as part of a $1 million North America Wetlands Conservation Act grant and dedicated in honor of longtime DU volunteers John and Dan Warder. The newly restored marsh will provide productive habitat for waterfowl and other wetland-dependent wildlife. 

John and Dan Warder were enthusiastic supporters of wetland conservation, who founded and organized the first DU chapter in the Finger Lakes region of New York. Funds raised to honor the Warders were used as part of Ducks Unlimited's Lake Ontario Initiative, which supports the restoration of critical wetland habitat in the Montezuma Wetlands Complex. 

"Warder Marsh is a great example of New York State's strong conservation ethic," said DU regional biologist Sarah Fleming. "It exemplifies what can be accomplished when federal and state agencies, as well as DU biologists and volunteers, work together toward a common goal." 

The project site had previously been drained and used for agricultural purposes, but habitat conditions quickly improved following restoration of the natural hydrology. Only a few months after the project was completed, wetland plants returned and were soon producing seeds that are beneficial to waterfowl. During the project dedication ceremony, blue- and green-winged teal, mallards, wood ducks and Canada geese flew over the marsh. 

"As part of a multi-year project, Ducks Unlimited is partnering with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, The Nature Conservancy, other nongovernmental organizations, and local landowners to restore and protect this valuable landscape," Fleming said at the dedication. "Today, more than 3,500 acres of wildlife habitat have been protected and 2,500 acres have been restored or enhanced throughout the northern Montezuma Wetland Complex." 

Warder Marsh is also part of the 5,100-square-mile Western Oswego River Watershed, which drains into Lake Ontario and provides drinking water and recreation for residents and visitors. The Montezuma Wetland Complex hosts some 200,000 visitors annually, who enjoy fishing, hunting, biking, canoeing, wildlife viewing, nature study and numerous other outdoor pursuits.