WASHINGTON, D.C. August 12, 2022 The U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate passed legislation that includes robust funding for several priority conservation programs, in addition to $121 million for habitat restoration on the National Wildlife Refuge System and state wildlife management areas.

With more than 560 refuges across the U.S., the National Wildlife Refuge System is managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and partners with private landowners, local communities and conservation organizations like Ducks Unlimited. Many state wildlife management areas are also open to hunting, fishing and other forms of outdoor recreation. This new funding will be used primarily to improve the resiliency of existing infrastructure and restore critical habitat.

Several priority programs under the Conservation Title of the Farm Bill received additional funding through fiscal year 2026, including:
  • $8.45 billion for the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP)
  • $4.95 billion for the Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP)
  • $3.25 billion for the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP)
  • $1.4 billion for the Agricultural Conservation Easement Program (ACEP)
Ducks Unlimited supports these voluntary and incentive-based conservation policies that help farmers, ranchers and other private landowners feed the nation while conserving habitat for waterfowl and other wildlife.

For more information, visit www.ducks.org, and be sure to Follow DU's Twitter feeds @DucksUnlimited and @DUConserve to get the most up-to-date news from Ducks Unlimited.

Ducks Unlimited Inc. is the world's largest nonprofit organization dedicated to conserving North America's continually disappearing waterfowl habitats. Established in 1937, Ducks Unlimited has conserved more than 15 million acres thanks to contributions from more than a million supporters across the continent. Guided by science and dedicated to program efficiency, DU works toward the vision of wetlands sufficient to fill the skies with waterfowl today, tomorrow and forever. For more information on our work, visit www.ducks.org.