Ducks Unlimited encouraging NW Ohio landowners to conserve acreage via Farm Bill

FINDLAY, Ohio, Jan. 22, 2008 –

If you are an agricultural producer interested in wetland restoration within the Tiffin or Blanchard River watersheds, you may be eligible for technical assistance and funding. 

The Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) is a voluntary land retirement program within the Farm Bill title that helps agricultural producers protect environmentally sensitive land, decrease erosion, restore wildlife habitat and safeguard ground and surface water. Landowners enrolled in CREP receive monetary compensation for helping improve the condition of Ohio’s land and water resources.

The counties of Williams, Fulton, Defiance, and Henry in the Tiffin River watershed, and Putnam, Hancock, Allen, Hardin, Wyandot and Seneca counties in the Blanchard River watershed are dominated by agriculture. Last summer, when heavy precipitation caused massive flooding throughout this area, residents were hit hard.

“Most people know that wetlands provide habitat for waterfowl and other wildlife, but the other functions of wetlands are less obvious,” said Ducks Unlimited Regional Biologist Heather Braun. “Wetlands are the kidneys of the landscape. They not only clean water, but also they act like a sponge to absorb and hold flood waters.”

The watersheds lie within Ducks Unlimited’s Lake Erie priority area. Lake Erie is readily affected by pollution from watershed activities, including sediment and nutrient runoff from the surrounding landscape. Eighty-five percent of the western Lake Erie watershed is cropped, and the transport of nutrients is higher than in other similarly sized watersheds.

The Lake Erie watershed also is an important migratory corridor for many waterfowl species, including American black ducks, mallards and Canada geese. Because this area is so important to waterfowl and the overall health of the Lake Erie watershed, DU has partnered with the Environmental Defense Fund to increase the number of high-quality wetlands in the Tiffin and Blanchard River watersheds.

If you are a landowner in the Tiffin or Blanchard River watersheds and are interested in learning more about wetland restoration through the CREP program, please contact Heather Braun at Ducks Unlimited’s Great Lakes/Atlantic Regional Office: 734.623.2000.

With more than a million supporters, Ducks Unlimited is the world’s largest and most effective wetland and waterfowl conservation organization with almost 12 million acres conserved. 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.

MEDIA RESEARCH ALERT:
• Heather Braun
Regional Biologist
hbraun@ducks.org
734.623.2000

• For more information about DU’s Farm Bill priorities and CREP, please visit:
http://www.ducks.org/farmbill