SAC CITY, Iowa. October 19, 2007 – Water quality in the North Raccoon River will improve when Ducks Unlimited and the Iowa Department of Natural Resources restore a new marsh in north central Sac County. The new wetland is located along Indian Creek, a tributary which flows into an impaired segment of the river.
Funds from the federal Environmental Protection Agency, the Iowa Department of Natural Resources and DU will pay to restore a 55-acre marsh and two smaller satellite wetlands. In addition, the DNR will restore prairie grasses on the land next to the new habitat.
“Restoring wetlands on the Kiowa Wildlife Area will result in sustained improvements in water quality and the creation of critical waterfowl habitat,” said Roger Pederson, DU manager of conservation programs. “With the continued cooperation and funding of partners such as the Iowa DNR and EPA, we hope to enhance, protect and restore a host of shallow lakes and wetlands throughout Iowa.”
When restored, the new marsh will have water depths that average 2 feet deep, which will allow stands of emergent marsh vegetation to flourish. Wetlands with extensive beds of emergent and submersed aquatic plants exhibit high wildlife diversity and are very effective at filtering nutrients and sediment. Thus, the water quality downstream can be expected to improve dramatically.
“This project will significantly improve the wildlife habitat at Kiowa Marsh,” said Josh Finley, DU regional director for central Iowa. “We are pleased to have the help and cooperation of the DNR and EPA to be able to accomplish this project. It will help meet the habitat goals of the state’s Duck Plan.”
“This project is a real team effort,” said Bernie Kofron, a DU volunteer from Breda, Iowa and DU’s regional chairman for central Iowa, “Enhancing the Kiowa Marsh Wildlife Area will be one more accomplishment in DU’s Living Lakes Initiative.”
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.
For more information on the Living Lakes Initiative, go to www.ducks.org/livinglakes