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DU and Partners Receive NAWCA Grant for Roanoke River Wetland Conservation |
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WINDSOR, N.C., May 4, 2006 – Ducks Unlimited (DU) and its partners have been awarded a North American Wetlands Conservation Act (NAWCA) grant to conserve 2,159 acres of wetlands and associated uplands throughout the Roanoke and Chowan River basins in North Carolina and Virginia. More than $2.7 million in partner funds will be matched with nearly $1 million in NAWCA grant funds to support wetland protection, restoration and enhancement.
“The Roanoke River Basin is one of the most important waterfowl wintering areas on the Atlantic Coast,” said DU Director of Conservation Programs Craig LeSchack. “This NAWCA project spans two states and addresses not only wetland conservation, but also the associated upland and riverine features of the landscape.”
This project represents the second of a three-phase conservation plan to protect, restore and enhance wildlife habitat, forested wetlands and floodplains in the Roanoke and Chowan River basins. The desired results of these conservation efforts are to improve water quality, restore natural hydrology and enhance overall conditions for the fish, wildlife and people who depend on the rivers’ natural resources.
Ducks Unlimited partnered with the N.C. Department of Corrections, N.C. National Heritage Trust Fund, N.C. Clean Water Management Trust Fund, N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission, The Nature Conservancy, Bill Owens Estate and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) to secure this NAWCA grant.
“These partners are cooperating to ensure all aspects of this landscape project properly combine the functions of wetlands, floodplain drainage and river flow,” said LeSchack. “Funds from this grant will be used for several purposes to achieve our landscape conservation goals.”
Conservation projects include restoration of natural hydrology to 1,127 acres of Roanoke River Back Swamp on the Roanoke River National Wildlife Refuge. In addition, The Nature Conservancy will acquire 115 acres of diverse forested wetlands and the partners will convert 77 acres of marginal farm land to former wetland conditions. The USFWS will enhance 500 acres of mature tupelo-gum forest to promote tree species diversity and wildlife food production. The partners will also permanently protect 340 acres of forested wetlands and associated buffers through a conservation easement.
“Because of human impacts on hydrology in the Roanoke and Chowan River basins, food resources for migrating and wintering waterfowl are unpredictable,” said LeSchack. “When all three phases of this conservation effort are complete, we will be able to manage water levels over a broad area to promote the growth of native wetland vegetation. This will provide reliable food resources for migrating, wintering and breeding waterfowl.”
This area of North Carolina and Virginia supports breeding populations of wood ducks and American black ducks. Other waterfowl species including northern pintail, mallard, greater and lesser scaup, tundra swan and Canada goose all migrate through or winter in the Roanoke and Chowan River basins and the Albemarle Sound.
In Washington, D.C., DU Governmental Affairs staff works with Congress to support annual funding for NAWCA and continue the program’s waterfowl conservation success. In North Carolina, the Roanoke River project is within and will benefit the congressional district of Congressman G.K. Butterfield.
“The Roanoke River Basin provides essential habitat for waterfowl and hundreds of other wildlife species while providing unique outdoor experiences for North Carolinians,” said Congressman G.K. Butterfield. “I appreciate the enthusiasm of the conservation organizations, state and federal agencies and private landowners to work together through NAWCA to enhance and conserve these special resources.”
North Carolina Congressman Charles Taylor, who is a senior member of the House Appropriations Committee, provides critical leadership in obtaining federal funds for NAWCA.
To date, NAWCA has helped fund four bi-state projects on more than 22,000 acres in North Carolina and Virginia. Many partners in these states, 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 100,000 wetland acres each year.
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