The U.S. Department of Agriculture recently announced that approximately 7 million acres of Conservation Reserve Program land would be opened up to hunting and fishing access in the coming year. In addition, USDA Secretary Ed Schafer also announced new incentives for land to be enrolled in the Conservation Reserve Program—which is responsible for more than 2.2 million ducks and geese added to the fall migration every year. One of the incentives specifically benefits lands in the Prairie Pothole Region, the target of Ducks Unlimited's Rescue the Duck Factory campaign.
"The Conservation Reserve Program is hugely important, and this announcement is great news for waterfowlers," said Ducks Unlimited Executive Vice-President Don Young.
Schafer made the announcement of the new land open to hunting and fishing at the White House Conference on North American Wildlife Conservation Policy in Reno, Nev., in early October. Ducks Unlimited staff and senior volunteers were on hand at the historic conference to help shape the discussion for the future of waterfowling and waterfowl habitat conservation.