Wyoming is part of both the Central and Pacific flyways and provides important habitat for breeding and particularly for migrating waterfowl. Wyoming also sits at the convergence of three of Ducks Unlimited’s national conservation initiatives—geographic sub-divisions of the country that deliver conservation programs specific to the types of waterfowl use in that area.
The Heartland Heritage and Habitat Initiative includes the North Platte River drainage in southeastern Wyoming as part of its Level II priority in the Southern Great Plains and focuses on major staging areas for waterfowl during both spring and fall migrations. Dynamic and highly productive seasonal wetlands, braided prairie rivers and backwater sloughs are priority habitats that provide high-energy food resources for millions of migrating ducks and geese. The Initiative also works to maintain and improve the thousands of small wetlands sprinkled among the state's grasslands that provide quality habitat for breeding waterfowl.
The Preserve Our Prairies Initiative focuses chiefly on the premium nesting habitat of the Dakotas, Montana and the prairie provinces of Canada, but it also includes the northeastern quarter of Wyoming in its Level III priority in the Northwestern Great Plains. Although chiefly comprised of semi-arid grasslands, it is an area that could support more waterfowl nesting through additional man-made wetlands.
The Peaks to Prairies Initiative includes roughly the western half of Wyoming as a portion of the Level III priority in the Northern and Southern Rockies and supports the continental life cycle of waterfowl, connecting the beautiful wetlands and grasslands of the Rockies to the nesting grounds in the Level I priority, the Prairie Pothole Region (PPR), where healthy migrations begin. The PPR is the primary source of nearly 70 percent of the continent's waterfowl.
Since 1989, DU has worked with partners to conserve 23,956 acres of waterfowl habitat throughout Wyoming. Your support of DU will help it build upon past successes and enhance our state’s important role in continental waterfowl population growth.
More Information
Wyoming Interactive DU Project Map
View Wyoming Conservation
View the 2022 Projects Map
Great Plains Region News