SPIRIT LAKE, Iowa, Sept. 22, 2006 – Waterfowl hunters and outdoor enthusiasts can look forward to finding more wildlife on four large wetland projects being completed by Ducks Unlimited (DU) in Dickinson County, Iowa. Thanks to funds from the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR), the North American Wetlands Conservation Act (NAWCA), the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the McKnight Foundation and DU, wetland habitat will be significantly enhanced for waterfowl and other wetland wildlife at Jemmerson Slough, Sidel Marsh, Yaeger Slough and Diamond Lake.
“The state, federal, and private foundation funding has been a huge boost to DU’s shallow lakes work envisioned as part of our Living Lakes Initiative,” said Roger Pederson, DU manager of conservation programs for Iowa. “With the support of partners like the Iowa DNR and the McKnight Foundation, we hope to secure several future NAWCA grants for Iowa.”
DU’s Living Lakes Initiative, was conceived to reverse the poor ecological health of larger marshes and shallow lakes in Minnesota and Iowa. The projects in Dickinson County were the first chosen in Iowa to be accomplished as part of this new initiative.
All the projects are basins that are impacted by rough fish, poor water quality and the inability to remove high water. DU’s conservation work involves engineering and installing new water control structures and water conveyance systems to improve the drawdown management capability of the marshes.
Jemmerson Slough is a 265-acre project, involving four basins. The slough is just west of the town of Spirit Lake where the first phase of the project, a drawdown of three basins, has started. Yaeger Slough and Sidel Marsh are 40-acre projects located about seven miles west of West Okoboji Lake. Construction is nearing completion on both projects. The bid for Diamond Lake, a 299-acre project located five miles north of Spirit Lake, was just awarded and construction will begin this fall.
“This is a true partnership project,” said Chris LaRue, DNR wildlife biologist. “Thanks to DU and other partners that collaborated to provide the funding for these projects, the ducks and shorebirds will have the improved wetland habitat they need to complete their migrations.”
Many forms of wildlife will benefit from the work, especially migrating ducks and shorebirds that rely on large wetlands to replenish energy and nutrient reserves depleted during their long flight through Iowa in spring and fall. Several shorebird species and at least one duck species, lesser scaup, are in decline continentally, and NAWCA funding is critical to improving and protecting the wetlands they rely upon throughout North America.
NAWCA stimulates public-private partnerships in support of the North American Waterfowl Management Plan. The Act is a non-regulatory, incentive-based, voluntary and competitive habitat conservation grant program. NAWCA provides federal cost-share funding to protect, restore, and manage wetland habitats for wildlife. Many projects also provide outstanding recreational opportunities for people, from bird watching to hunting.
To date, NAWCA has helped fund more than 1,500 projects on over 20 million acres in all 50 states, every province of Canada and areas of Mexico. Thousands of partners, including private landowners, corporations and state governments have worked together to conserve wildlife habitat through NAWCA grants. For more information on NAWCA, go to http://www.ducks.org/nawca.
With more than a million supporters, Ducks Unlimited is the world’s largest and most effective wetland and waterfowl conservation organization. The United States alone has lost more than half of its original wetlands - nature’s most productive ecosystem - and continues to lose more than 80,000 wetland acres each year.
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