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| Division of Bird Habitat Conservation | |
A total of $24.2 million in funding was approved for the following 25 projects in March 2009. Project partners are contributing $60.6 million in matching funds and $84.9 million in nonmatching funds to affect 263,174 acres of habitat. These projects are considered part of the Fiscal Year 2009/Window 2 grants cycle. This information is accurate as of the date of approval. For further information about specific grant projects, please contact the grantee listed in individual project summaries. Project Summary Table.
| CALIFORNIA | |
| Project: Suisun Marsh Managed Wetlands Enhancement Project, Phase II. Location: Solano County, California. Congressional District: 7 and 10. Grantee: California Waterfowl Association. Contact: Chadd Santerre, (916) 648-1406, chadd_santerre@calwaterfowl.org. Partners: California Wildlife Conservation Board; California Department of Fish and Game; California Conservation Fund; Suisun Resource Conservation District; private individuals. Approved: March 2009. Grant: $1,000,000. Matching Funds: $1,521,282. Nonmatching Funds: None. Joint Venture Region: Central Valley. Flyway: Pacific. BCR: 32. |
This project is within an area that has been described as the “most important wintering area for waterfowl in the Pacific Flyway.” It is estimated that 60 percent of the Pacific Flyway’s waterfowl population (excluding sea ducks) representing 20 percent of the entire continental waterfowl population, winters or migrates through the Central Valley of California. The Suisun Marsh Region, which encompasses more than 115,000 acres of wetland and upland habitats, is important to migrating and breeding waterfowl, shorebirds and other waterbirds of the Pacific Flyway. Projects under this grant will enhance 12,726 acres palustrine emergent wetlands and 648 acres of associated uplands. The protection, establishment and enhancement of wetland habitats will allow for landscape-scale improvements for migratory waterbirds and other species for decades to come. Habitat improvements will benefit numerous waterfowl, shorebird, and other waterbird species that use the project area for migration and breeding. |
| Project: Yolo Basin Wetland Habitat Project, Phase IV. Location: Sacramento, Solano and Yolo counties, California. Congressional District: 1. Grantee: California Waterfowl Association. Contact: Chadd Santerre, (916) 648-1406, chadd_santerre@calwaterfowl.org. Partners: California Wildlife Conservation Board; California Department of Fish and Game; private individuals; Natural Resources Conservation Service. Approved: March 2009. Grant: $1,000,000. Matching Funds: $ 1,927,071. Nonmatching Funds: $679,997. Joint Venture Region: Central Valley. Flyway: Pacific. BCR: 32. |
Wetlands and agricultural fields in the Central Valley of California support some of the highest concentrations of wintering waterfowl in North America. This project builds on the accomplishments and partnerships that have accomplished three previous phases. Twenty-one projects on 12 private and one state-owned property will be completed by de-leveling agricultural fields, building new levees, installing water control structures, improving water delivery systems, developing new water sources, rehabilitating degraded wetlands, planting riparian trees and seeding upland areas. The proposal will provide long-term protection to 119 acres, restoration of 3,265 acres and enhancement of 8,605 acres of habitats. Under the proposal, 2,561 acres of palustrine emergent wetlands, 84 acres of palustrine forested and 620 acres of associated uplands have or will be restored. In addition, 8,397 acres of palustrine emergent wetlands, 40 acres of palustrine forested and 168 acres of associated uplands will be enhanced. |
| COLORADO | |
| Project: San Luis Valley Wetland Project – Phase IV. Location: Alamosa, Rio Grande, Saguache, Conejos and Costilla counties, Colorado. Congressional District: 3. Grantee: Ducks Unlimited, Inc. Contact: Greg Kernohan, gkernohan@ducks.org. Partners: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; Bureau of Land Management; Rio Grande Headwaters Land Trust; Hayes Ranch; Crowther Ranch; Higel Ranch; Lusero Ranch; Gates Family Foundation; The Nature Conservancy; private individuals; Cooley & Sons Excavating, Inc.; SLV GIS/GPS Authority. Approved: March 2009. Grant: $1,000,000. Matching Funds: $2,354,634. Nonmatching Funds: None. Joint Venture Region: Intermountain West. Flyway: Central. BCR: 16. |
This proposal is the fourth phase of NAWCA-funded wetlands restoration and protection in the San Luis Valley. Phase IV will protect, restore and enhance 6,021 acres of diverse wetlands and associated uplands from wet meadows to riparian and playa habitats. The project will address a mixture of habitat types on four key wetland complexes that highlight the diversity and breadth of wetlands in the valley, benefitting numerous waterfowl species, including mallards, northern pintail, redheads, ring-necked ducks, American wigeon, canvasback and many species of wetland dependent birds such as Wilsons warbler, western wood-pewee, greater sandhill crane, American bittern, white-faced ibis and American avocet. |
| COLORADO, NEBRASKA, WYOMING | |
| Project: Platte River Wetlands Partnership II. Location: Weld, Morgan, Logan and Sedgwick counties, Colorado; Garden, Keith, Lincoln, Merrill and Scotts Bluff counties, Nebraska; Goshen County, Wyoming. Congressional District: CO 4; NE 3, 4; WY At Large. Grantee: Ducks Unlimited, Inc. Contact: Matthew A. Reddy, mreddy@ducks.org. Partners: Central Colorado Water Conservancy District; South Platte River Ranch; High Plains Weed Management Association; private individual; Weld County School District RE1; Colorado Division of Wildlife; Eagle’s Nest Ranch; Nebraska Environmental Trust; Drakeland Farms; Dry Lakes Ranch; Colorado Water Conservation Board; Guth/Schwindt Partnership; City of Brush; Triple W Ranch; DT Ranch; Paragon Consulting Group; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; U.S. Department of Agriculture. Approved: March 2009. Grant: $1,000,000. Matching Funds: $2,120,266. Nonmatching Funds: $943,243. Joint Venture Region: Playa Lakes. Flyway: Central. BCR: 18. |
The primary purpose of this project is to conserve wetland habitats in the Platte River Basin to benefit wetland-dependent migratory birds. The objectives of this project are to restore 819 acres of palustrine emergent wetlands, 424 acres of palustrine forested wetlands, 387 acres of other wetland types and 933 acres of associated uplands, as well as enhance an additional 157 acres of palustrine emergent wetlands. Partners will also create 164 acres of palustrine emergent wetlands. Partners will perpetually protect 37 acres of palustrine emergent wetlands, 435 acres of palustrine forested wetlands and 145 acres of riverine wetlands, with 300 acres of buffering upland acres. Approximately 2 million ducks and 500,000 geese use the project area, primarily during migration and wintering periods, most numerously mallards, Canada geese, northern pintails, American wigeon and green-winged teal. Local nesting waterfowl species include mallard and wood duck. Shorebirds and wading birds are also heavily dependent on Platte River habitats. Over three-quarters of all bird species found in the area use wetland habitats sometime throughout the year. |
| FLORIDA | |
| Project:North Florida Wetlands Conservation Project, Phase III. Location: Alachua County, Florida. Congressional District: 6. Grantee: Conservation Trust for Florida. Contact: Busy Shires Byerly, busy@conserveflorida.org. Partners: Alachua County; Alachua Conservation Trust; Florida Communities Trust; private individual. Approved: March 2009. Grant: $1,000,000. Matching Funds: $2,000,000. Nonmatching Funds: None. Joint Venture Region: Atlantic Coast. Flyway: Atlantic. BCR: 31. |
This project represents the third phase of the North Florida Wetlands Conservation Project, a multi-year effort to protect critical habitat for migratory birds and other wetland-dependent species in north-central Florida. Phase III adds two tracts totaling 925 acres, bringing the preserved total to 7,392 acres of wetlands and adjacent uplands, all within five miles of the City of Gainesville. The project area hosts numerous migratory and resident waterfowl species, including northern pintails, mottled ducks, lesser scaup, fulvous whistling ducks and black-bellied whistling ducks. Herons, egrets, ibis and other waterbirds and wading birds use the area year-round. The properties in the project area also host neo tropical migrants, as well as raptors such as swallow-tailed kites, bald eagles, osprey and American kestrel. |
| GEORGIA | |
| Project: Rayonier-Murff Tract. Location: Long and McIntosh counties, Georgia. Congressional District: 1. Grantee: Georgia Department of Natural Resources. Contact: Greg Balkcom, greg.balkcom@dnr.state.ga.us. Partners: The Nature Conservancy; Nongame Wildlife Conservation Fund; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration; U.S. Marine Corps. Approved: March 2009. Grant: $1,000,000. Matching Funds: $6,143,730. Nonmatching Funds: $10,500,000. Joint Venture Region: Atlantic Coast. Flyway: Atlantic. BCR: 27. |
This project will protect 8,331 acres of wetlands and associated upland habitats to benefit breeding, migrating, and wintering birds within the Atlantic Coast Joint Venture and South Atlantic Migratory Bird Initiative Project Area. The project area provides breeding and wintering habitat for several priority waterfowl species, as well as providing habitat for wading birds, shorebirds and landbirds. Species benefiting include the American black duck, mallard, wood duck, little blue heron, wood stork, swallow-tailed kite, Swainson’s warbler, prothonotary warbler, Bachman’s sparrow, rusty blackbird, Southeastern American kestrel and painted bunting. The lower Altamaha River watershed is home to over 100 rare plants and animals. This expansive floodplain provides important hydrological functions such as water storage, release and filtering. |
| IOWA | |
| Project: Prairie Lakes Wetland Initiative III. Location: of 19 counties in the Prairie Pothole Region of Iowa. Congressional District: 4 and 5. Grantee: Iowa Department of Natural Resources. Contact: Todd R. Bishop, Todd.Bishop@dnr.iowa.gov. Partners:Bartels, Bartels, and Fox, Ltd.; Clay County Conservation Board; Dickinson Water Quality Commission; Winnebago County Conservation Board; Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation; Pocahontas County Conservation Board; private individuals; Clay County Pheasants Forever; Buena Vista County Conservation Board; Ducks Unlimited, Inc.; Palo Alto County Conservation Board; Iowa State Council Pheasants Forever; Buena Vista County Pheasants Forever; Winnebago-Hancock Pheasants Forever; Palo Alto County Pheasants Forever; John K. and Louise V. Hanson Foundation; Delta Waterfowl Foundation; Pocahontas County Pheasants Forever; Webster County Pheasants Forever; Mitchell County Pheasants Forever; Iowa Ornithologists’ Union; Kossuth County Pheasants Forever; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Approved: March 2009. Grant: $1,000,000. Matching Funds: $2,211,215. Nonmatching Funds: $1,542,600. Joint Venture Region: Prairie Potholes. Flyway: Mississippi. BCR: 11. |
The project area is an important part of a major migration corridor for lesser scaup and other waterbirds moving north from the central Mississippi River to the Prairie Pothole Region and other breeding grounds to the north and west. This area is in the Iowa portion of the Prairie Pothole Region, an area of continental importance not only to waterfowl, but also to all migratory bird groups. Historically one of the most productive portions of the Prairie Pothole Region, this area is still an important production area for mallards, blue-winged teal, wood ducks and Canada geese, as well as a host of other migratory bird species. This project broadens traditional prairie pothole and tallgrass prairie restoration projects to include several wetland enhancement projects on shallow lakes and large marshes. Partners will acquire 1,129 acres and enhance another 1,479 acres. |
| Project: Southeastern Prairie Potholes. Location: 24 counties within the Prairie Pothole Region of Iowa. Congressional District: 4 and 5. Grantee: Iowa Department of Natural Resources. Contact: Todd R. Bishop, Todd.Bishop@dnr.iowa.gov. Partners: Arthur Hilker Trust; Hamilton County Conservation Board; Hamilton County Pheasants Forever; Story County Conservation Board; Story County Pheasants Forever; Franklin County Conservation Board; Franklin County Pheasants Forever; Worth County Conservation Board; Worth County Pheasants Forever; Krause Family Trust; Van Diest Supply; Delta Waterfowl Foundation; Audubon; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; Iowa Department of Transportation; Webster County Conservation Board. Approved: March 2009. Grant: $1,000,000. Matching Funds: $2,436,596. Nonmatching Funds: $2,403,761. Joint Venture Region: Prairie Potholes. Flyway: Mississippi. BCR: 11. |
This project area is an important part of a major migration corridor for lesser scaup and other waterbirds moving north from the Central Mississippi River to the Prairie Pothole Region and other breeding grounds to the north and west. This area is in the Iowa portion of the Prairie Pothole Region, an area of continental importance not only to waterfowl, but also for all of the migratory bird groups. Historically one of the most productive portions of the region, this area is still an important production area for mallards, blue-winged teal, wood ducks and Canada geese as well as a host of other migratory bird species. This proposal broadens traditional prairie pothole and tallgrass prairie restoration projects to include several wetland enhancement projects on shallow lakes and large marshes. |
| LOUISIANA | |
| Project: Louisiana Delta Wetlands Conservation II. Location: Concordia and Ouachita parishes, Louisana. Congressional District: 5. Grantee: Ducks Unlimited, Inc. Contact: Nick Smith, nsmith@ducks.org. Partners: Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries; Tunica-Biloxi Tribe of Louisiana; Wetlands America Trust; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Approved: March 2009. Grant: $999,812. Matching Funds: $2,177,337. Nonmatching Funds: $20,000. Joint Venture: Lower Mississippi Valley. Flyway: Mississippi. BCR: 26. |
This project represents a continuation of long-term efforts to protect and enhance important wetland habitats in the Lower Mississippi Alluvial Valley. The valley’s wetland habitats support a rich diversity of wildlife species. Forested and emergent wetlands, riparian lands and associated uplands in the region provide migration and wintering habitat for millions of migratory birds. Partners in this project will protect and enhance 1,083 acres of wetlands on public and private lands in several parishes. Grant and match funds will help protect in perpetuity 2,966 acres of wetlands and uplands on private lands. Upon completion, enhancement and protection activities will provide foraging, nesting or roosting habitat for a number of wetland-dependent migratory birds. |
| MAINE | |
| Project: Katahdin Forest Expansion. Location: Penobscot and Piscataquis counties, Maine. Congressional District: 2. Grantee: Maine Department of Conservation. Contact: Alan Stearns, alan.stearns@maine.gov. Partners: Land for Maine's Future Program; Land for Maine’s Future Program; Forest Legacy Program; Trust for Public Land. Approved: March 2009. Grant: $950,000. Matching Funds: $1,900,000. Nonmatching Funds: $1,932,000. Joint Venture Region: Atlantic Coast. Flyway: Atlantic. BCR: 14. |
The Katahdin Region, anchored by Baxter State Park, represents Maine’s largest block of contiguous conservation lands. This project will add two significant tracts totaling more than 7,200 acres to the conservation holdings in this region. The Millinocket Forest tract is a 4,956-acre parcel located at the southeast corner of Baxter State Park. In addition to its ecological values, the Millinocket Forest tract provides highly important recreation opportunities to outdoor enthusiasts. The Seboeis-Northwest Pond tract encompasses 2,343 acres south of Baxter Park and includes nearly 12 miles of frontage on the main portion of Seboeis Lake and Northwest Pond, along with 4.8 miles of island shoreline. Together, wetlands and uplands that will be affected by this project provide breeding habitat for American black ducks and mallards, breeding and migration habitat for wood ducks, hooded mergansers, common goldeneyes and ring-necked ducks, and potential migration habitat for redheads, canvasbacks, and American wigeons. |
| MISSOURI | |
| Project: Conservation in the Confluence. Location: Lincoln County, Missouri. Congressional District: 2. Grantee: Ducks Unlimited, Inc. Contact: Brian Davis, bdavis@ducks.org. Partners: Wetlands America Trust; Missouri Department of Conservation; St. Louis Audubon Society. Approved: March 2009. Grant: $999,570. Matching Funds: $2,240,588. Nonmatching Funds: $105,000. Joint Venture Region: Upper Mississippi River and Great Lakes. Flyway: Mississippi. BCR: 22. |
This project will protect, restore and enhance wetlands and associated habitats in one of the most important regions for migrating and wintering waterfowl and other birds in the midcontinent of the United States. This work will occur in the heart of the Confluence Region of eastern Missouri, an area that has lost 90 percent of its historic wetlands. More than 250 species of waterfowl, waterbirds and neotropical songbirds migrate through or use Confluence wetlands. This project will protect 1,550 acres via donated conservation easements, restore 487 acres and enhance 2,617 acres of diverse wetland and associated habitats. Large numbers of migrating or breeding waterbirds and shorebirds will benefit, including the king rail and other waterbirds, nesting American and least bitterns, and black rails. Large numbers of waterfowl, including tundra swans, have used or still use the areas within this project. Restored lands will host thousands of hunters and birdwathcers annually. |
| MONTANA | |
| Project: Glaciated Valleys of Northwest Montana 2. Location: Flathead, Lake and Sanders counties, Montana. Congressional District: At Large. Grantee: Flathead Land Trust. Contact: Marilyn Wood , mwood@bigsky.net. Partners: Conservation Fund; Ducks Unlimited; Flathead Lakers; Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks; private individuals; Lake County Weed District; Montana Noxious Weed Trust Fund; Montana and Flathead Audubon; Pheasants Forever; The Nature Conservancy; Bonneville Power Administration; Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes; Mission Valley Power; U.S. Natural Resources Conservation Service; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Approved: March 2009. Grant: $1,000,000. Matching Funds: $2,830,408. Nonmatching Funds: $2,892,218. Joint Venture: Intermountain West. Flyway: Central. BCR: 10. |
This project is Phase II of a multi-phase, landscape-scale effort to protect wetlands and associated fish and wildlife habitat in northwestern Montana. These areas, surrounding Flathead Lake, are known for their bird diversity, importance to migratory waterfowl, and associated rivers, lakes, sloughs and ponds that attract many bird species. Within the project area, the Flathead and Mission valleys support one of the highest levels of bird diversity in the lower 48 states. This proposal aims to permanently protect 1,169 acres and restore, enhance and temporarily protect an additional 986 acres of significant wetland complexes and riparian areas that are highly important to threatened species, species of special concern, migratory birds, other important fish and wildlife resources, and outdoor recreation. The project area still contains significant opportunities to protect wildlife habitat in the face of rapid conversion to subdivisions. |
| NEBRASKA | |
| Project: Rainwater Basin Habitat Conservation Project – Phase IV. Location: 17 counties in central Nebraska. Congressional District: 1 and 3. Grantee: Ducks Unlimited, Inc. Contact: Steve Donovan, (308) 383-8075, sdonovan@ducks.org. Partners: Rainwater Basin Joint Venture; Nebraska Environmental Trust; Friends of the Rainwater Basin; Nebraska Game and Parks Commission; Natural Resources Conservation Service. Approved: March 2009. Grant: $1,000,000. Matching Funds: $1,079,642. Nonmatching Funds: $122,728. Joint Venture: Rainwater Basin. Flyway: Central. BCR: 19. |
The Rainwater Basin provides important migration habitat to millions of waterfowl and shorebirds each spring. Originally containing more than 11,000 wetlands, the region has experienced widespread wetland drainage and plowing of native prairie. Today, it is estimated that 90 percent of the original wetlands have been lost. This project represents Phase IV of a long-term effort to restore and important wetland habitats and a continuation of recent efforts to concentrate resources on long-term protection and restoration of privately owned wetlands. Partners will secure 680 acres through perpetual conservation easements on private land, including 402 acres of wetlands. Of that, 365 acres of wetlands will also be restored. On easement properties, 275 acres of native grasslands will be restored. Partners will restore an additional 410 acres of palustrine emergent marsh wetlands on other properties, including 340 acres of the Macon Lakes Waterfowl Production Area. Partners will also enhance on 2,205 acres of wetlands and 102 acres of grassland habitat. This project will restore, enhance and protect shallow, emergent marsh wetlands that provide important spring migration habitat to millions of migratory birds in the Central Flyway. It is estimated that 50 percent of the continental mallard population and 30 percent of the continental pintail population use Rainwater Basin wetlands each year. In total, several million waterfowl stop in the Rainwater Basin each spring, resting and rebuilding fat and nutrient reserves lost during migration. |
| NEW JERSEY | |
| Project: Cape May Peninsula Partnership – Phase II. Location: Cape May County, New Jersey. Congressional District: 2. Grantee: The Nature Conservancy. Contact: Jay Laubengeyer, jlaubengeyer@tnc.org. Partners: New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection; Green Acres; Township of Middle; the William Penn Foundation. Approved: March 2009. Grant: $850,000. Matching Funds: $2,025,404. Nonmatching Funds: $8,470,000. Joint Venture Region: Atlantic Coast. Flyway: Atlantic. BCR: 30. |
Cape May County, at the southern tip of New Jersey, lies within the New England/Mid-Atlantic Bird Conservation Region and is a Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network Site of Hemispheric Importance, a RAMSAR site and a globally Important Bird Area. The project area, in the lower half of the Cape May peninsula, features wetlands and associated habitats that support concentrations of migrating shorebirds, waterbirds, songbirds, raptors and waterfowl. To date, partners have placed 30,000 acres of land into conservation ownership in Cape May. This project focuses on acquiring 657 acres within the Cape May National Wildlife Refuge acquisition boundary to connect habitats and natural communities. Bald eagles, peregrine falcons, Cooper’s hawks, osprey and barred owls are among the species that seasonally breed, rest, feed and overwinter on the site. American black ducks, hundreds of breeding marsh wrens, herons, egrets, ibis, and Virginia and clapper rails are seen feeding and nesting in the open water and tidal marshes here. American woodcocks and bobolinks use overgrown fields during migration, and Acadian flycatchers, wood thrushes, worm-eating warbles and Baltimore orioles use the extensive forested wetlands and uplands during the breeding season. The project area will be open to the public for a variety of recreational activities, including hunting, bird watching and hiking. |
| NEW YORK | |
| Project: Northern Montezuma Wetlands Complex Phase IV. Location: Wayne, Cayuga and Seneca counties, New York. Congressional District: 27. Grantee: Ducks Unlimited, Inc. Contact: Kurt Dyroff, kdyroff@ducks.org. Partners: New York Department of Environmental Conservation; Finger Lakes Chapter of Pheasants Forever; Friends of the Montezuma Wetlands Complex; National Wild Turkey Federation; Vanderbilt Marsh Club; The Nature Conservancy; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; Natural Resources Conservation Service. Approved: March 2009. Grant: $663,000. Matching Funds: $1,346,210. Nonmatching Funds: $1,188,693. Joint Venture Region: Atlantic Coast. Flyway: Atlantic. BCR: 13. |
This project is Phase IV of a multi-year, landscape-level project aimed at protecting, restoring and enhancing up to 50,000 acres of wetlands and adjacent uplands in the Montezuma Wetlands Complex. The core of this work entails restoration and management of areas that were historically converted from wetlands to agriculture. Through Phase IV, partners will purchase 575 acres, and restore and manage 571 acres for wetland/grassland habitat. In addition to lands previously acquired and restored during earlier phases of this project, this would bring the state-owned total to well over 8,000 acres under protection and management for wetland wildlife. The Montezuma Wetlands Complex is a high-value habitat for hundreds of thousands of migrating and wintering waterfowl, shorebirds, waterbirds, swallows and other landbirds. Habitat for several state listed rare or declining species’ will be purchased, restored or enhanced through this project, benefiting the northern harrier, black tern, sedge wren, cerulean warbler and many others. |
| NORTH CAROLINA | |
| Project: North Carolina Onslow Bight Partnership Phase III. Location: Carteret, Craven, Onslow and Pender counties, North Carolina. Congressional District: 3. Grantees: North Carolina Coastal Land Trust. Contact: Janice L. Allen, janice@coastallandtrust.org. Partners: The Nature Conservancy; North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission; private individuals; North Carolina Coastal Federation; Ducks Unlimited; Department of the Navy. Approved: March 2009. Grant: $1,000,000. Matching Funds: $5,212,820. Nonmatching Funds: $600,000. Joint Venture Region: Atlantic Coast. Flyway: Atlantic. BCR: 27. |
The Onslow Bight Partnership Proposal – Phase III involves the acquisition and/or enhancement of a diverse mix of declining wetland community types including estuarine marsh, longleaf pine savanna, Carolina bay and bottomland hardwoods on six separate tracts. Partners will acquire in fee 730 acres; acquire easements on 140 acres; and enhance 100 acres. Another 62-acre easement will be donated. The project will enhance brackish wetlands and conserve rare wet pine savanna, emergent marsh and forested wetlands and associated uplands. Five threatened and endangered species--red-cockaded woodpecker, rough-leaved loosestrife, American alligator, golden sedge, and Cooley’s meadowrue--and many other species of concern are known to occur on the project tracts. The project area also hosts more than 1,032 acres of land available for use by the public for bird-watching, hiking, hunting, fishing and wildlife observation. |
| Project: Southeastern North Carolina Wetlands Initiative I. Location: Bladen, Brunswick, Columbus and Pender counties, North Carolina. Congressional District: 7. Grantee:Ducks Unlimited, Inc . Contact: Craig R. Leschack, cleschack@ducks.org. Partners: North Carolina Natural Heritage Trust Fund; North Carolina Clean Water Trust Fund; The Nature Conservancy; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Approved: March 2009. Grant: $1,000,000. Matching Funds: $2,054,764. Nonmatching Funds: $5,000. Joint Venture Region: Atlantic Coast. Flyway: Atlantic. BCR: 27. |
The Southeastern North Carolina Wetlands Initiative project will combine the financial contributions, expertise and management skills of state and federal agencies and non-government project partners to support the goals and objectives of the Atlantic Coast Joint Venture South Atlantic Migratory Bird Initiative in North Carolina through a combination of wetlands acquisition, restoration and enhancement projects. The five projects in this phase will protect important wetland and riparian habitats along the Lower Cape Fear River and Juniper Creek, enhance managed wetlands in two state game lands and restore longleaf pine forests on private lands. Partners will acquire and permanently protect the 1,440-acre Whitehall Plantation in Bladen County, and enhance managed wetlands in two existing game lands. Partner and grant funds will support the installation of permanent pumps on each impoundment that will provide a dependable source of water during late summer and early fall for migrating birds and will encourage the growth of moist soil vegetation. The project will protect and enhance a total of 20,311 acres of diverse wildlife habitat in the Southeastern Coastal Plain in North Carolina including 19,344 acres of wetlands and 967 acres of uplands on four tracts. Restored and enhanced acreage will provide foraging, nesting, or roosting habitat for a number of wetland-dependent birds. |
| NORTH DAKOTA | |
| Project: North Dakota Drift Prairie Project – II. Location: 22 counties in North Dakota. Congressional District: 1. Grantee: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Contact: Kevin Willis, (701) 355-8526, kevin_willis@fws.gov. Partners: North Dakota Game and Fish Department; Ducks Unlimited, Inc.; North Dakota Natural Resources Trust; private individuals; Save the Hens Foundation; Alliance Pipeline. Approved: March 2009. Grant: $1,000,000. Matching Funds: $1,008,360. Nonmatching Funds: $97,180. Joint Venture Region: Prairie Pothole. Flyway: Central. BCR: 11. |
This project combines two other NAWCA project areas and is continuation of an ongoing implementation plan designed to protect, restore and enhance wetland/grassland communities using a landscape level approach to planning. Partners will secure 2,973 acres by perpetual conservation easements, acquire leases on 19,307 acres, restore 305 acres and enhance 5,464 acres. This project will exclusively target palustrine emergent wetlands and the adjacent uplands, which are critically important migration, breeding and nesting habitat for many waterfowl and wetland-dependant species. |
| OREGON | |
| Project: Willamette River Delta Restoration Project, Phase II. Location: Clackamas, Multnomah, Washington and Columbia counties, Oregon. Congressional District: 1, 3, and 5. Grantee: Ducks Unlimited, Inc. Contact: Chuck Lobdell, clobdell@ducks.org. Partners: Metro; Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife; private individuals; Orion GPS; Oregon Trout; Columbia Land Trust; MY Sportsman’s Club, LLC; Tualatin River Keepers; Natural Resources Conservation Service. Approved: March 2009. Grant: $1,000,000. Matching Funds: $2,393,089. Nonmatching Funds: $25,500. Joint Venture: Pacific Coast. Flyway: Pacific. BCR: 5. |
This project will protect, restore or enhance 1,097 acres of wetlands and associated upland habitats to benefit migratory waterfowl and other species within the Willamette River Delta. Building on the success of Phase I, this project adds six new properties plus new restoration work on two properties that were part of the Phase I proposal. Partners will acquire 232 acres, restore 585 acres and enhance 280 acres. All eight of the project elements will protect, restore and/or enhance palustrine emergent wetlands, totaling 748 acres. Seven of the project elements will protect and/or restore palustrine forested wetlands, totaling 126 acres. Habitats will benefit waterfowl, wading birds, neotropical migratory birds, fish, and small mammals. Other wetland types include 17 acres of riverine wetlands, and 50 acres of palustrine shrub-scrub wetlands. Six of the project elements have an upland restoration/enhancement component, totaling 156 acres. These uplands will benefit nesting waterfowl, neotropical migratory birds, and a wide variety of other wildlife. |
| PUERTO RICO | |
| Project: San Miguel Natural Reserve. Location: Luquillo, Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. Congressional District: At Large. Grantee: The Trust for Public Land. Contact: Mildred Ramos Majoros, mildred.majoros@tpl.org. Partners: Puerto Rico Department of Natural and Environmental Resources; National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration; Puerto Rico Department of Natural and Environmental Resources; Juaza, Inc.; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Approved: March 2009. Grant: $1,000,000. Matching Funds: $2,100,000. Nonmatching Funds: $21,950,000. Joint Venture Region: Atlantic Coast. Flyway: Atlantic. BCR: 69. |
The San Miguel Natural Reserve project will permanently protect 175 acres along the Atlantic Ocean and within the waters and wetlands of the Pitahaya and Sabana rivers on the northeast coast of Puerto Rico. The site is located at the western edge of the Northeastern Ecological Corridor, a 3,200-acre natural reserve containing an array of coastal habitats seldom found in other parts of the world. This project will benefit northern pintails, lesser scaup and mallards, as well as ring-necked ducks, American wigeon, wood ducks, redheads and canvasback. The project area is also of critical importance to other waterfowl including the West Indian whistling duck, ruddy duck, masked duck, blue-winged teal, green-winged teal, white-cheeked pintail, northern shoveler and hooded merganser. At least 50 species of birds also depend on the site’s wetlands, including seabirds, coastal waterbirds, wading birds and marshbirds. |
| SOUTH CAROLINA | |
| Project: Winyah Bay Protection Project: Phase I. Location: Dillon, Georgetown, Horry, Marion and Williamsburg counties, South Carolina. Congressional District: 1 and 6. Grantees: The Nature Conservancy. Contact: Maria Whitehead, mwhitehead@tnc.org. Partners: Pee Dee Land Trust; Ducks Unlimited; South Carolina Conservation Bank; Natural Resources Conservation Service. Approved: March 2009. Grant: $1,000,000. Matching Funds: $5,056,500. Nonmatching Funds: $3,963,000. Joint Venture Region: Atlantic Coast. Flyway: Atlantic. BCR: 27. |
This project represents the first of a four-phase effort to protect strategic tracts in the Winyah Bay system, which comprises the Waccamaw, Little Pee Dee, Great Pee Dee, Black and Sampit rivers. Phase I will protect seven tracts totaling 3,436 acres, including 2,264 wetland acres and 1,228 acres of associated uplands to benefit breeding, migrating and wintering birds. The project area’s tidal freshwater wetlands are some of the most diverse freshwater wetland systems found in North America, and offer important habitats for migratory birds, fish and resident wildlife. Waterfowl species that will benefit from this project include American black ducks, mallards, American wigeon, northern pintail, lesser scaup, green-winged teal and wood ducks. The project area will also support neotropical migratory birds during the breeding season and migration. |
| SOUTH DAKOTA | |
| Project: South Dakota Threatened Habitats Phase III. Location: 21 counties in the Prairie Pothole Region of South Dakota. Congressional District: 1. Grantee: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Contact: Kurt J. Forman, kurt_forman@fws.gov. Partners: Beadle Conservation District; Hyde County Conservation District; South Dakota Department of Game, Fish and Parks; Ducks Unlimited; 200 private individuals; Heartland Chapter of Pheasants Forever. Approved: March 2009. Grant: $770,109. Matching Funds: $1,635,531. Nonmatching Funds: $27,167,000. Joint Venture Region: Prairie Pothole. Flyway: Central. BCR: 11. |
Actions within this project represent a continued effort to accelerate protection of this threatened landscape by working primarily with family ranchers to ensure a sustainable future. A diverse coalition will address these challenges by developing an integrated suite of wetland and grassland conservation tools that will be implemented to benefit the grasslands needed by ranchers and the vital landscape attributes needed by prairie birds. During Phase III, matching partner contributions will be combined with grant funds to restore 3,453 grassland acres and 250 wetland acres; enhance 42,062 grassland acres, establish 34 acres of wetlands and enhance and 2,685 wetland acres. This habitat will not only provide direct benefits to more than 7,000 breeding duck pairs, but will also afford critical conservation benefits to the full spectrum of native bird communities dependent on the rapidly disappearing native grasslands and wetlands of central South Dakota. For example, match and grant tracts will provide direct breeding habitat benefits to an estimated 475 willet pairs, 440 marbled godwit pairs, 210 pairs of Sprague’s pipits, 135 pairs of Baird’s sparrows and 2,730 pairs of chestnut-collared longspurs. |
| TEXAS | |
| Project: Texas Chenier Plain Wetlands Improvement Project. Location: Chambers and Jefferson counties, Texas. Congressional District: 2 and 14. Grantee: Ducks Unlimited, Inc. Contact: Todd Merendino, tmerendino@ducks.org. Partners:BP America; Suemaur Exploration and Production LLC; Jefferson County Drainage District; Texas Parks and Wildlife Department; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Approved: March 2009. Grant: $1,000,000. Matching Funds: $2,181,199. Nonmatching Funds: $109,831. Joint Venture: Gulf Coast. Flyway: Mississippi. BCR: 37. |
Emergent wetlands and coastal marshes of the Texas Gulf Coast provide migration and wintering habitat for millions of migratory birds. However, the region has experienced tremendous habitat alterations and wetland losses due to development pressures, urbanization, decreased rice agriculture, altered local and regional hydrology, and saltwater intrusion. The remaining wetland habitats within the Texas Gulf Coast support a rich diversity of wildlife species, and are vital to wildlife population sustainability. This project will restore and enhance existing wetland complexes, increasing the benefits and values provided to resident, migratory, and wintering wildlife species. Partners will restore and enhance 5,728 acres of freshwater and coastal wetlands and associated transitional upland habitats within the Chenier Plain of Texas, as well as restore and enhance a total of 2,639 acres of coastal marsh on McFaddin NWR, Anahuac NWR and J.D. Murphree Wildlife Management Area. Partners will also restore 65 acres of coastal grasslands, 22 acres of freshwater wetlands, and two acres of forested wetlands on Anahuac NWR, and enhance 3,000 acres of coastal marsh on McFaddin NWR. The project activities will provide breeding habitat for mottled ducks, black-bellied whistling ducks and fulvous whistling ducks, as well as important wintering/migration habitat for northern pintails, mallards, gadwalls, American wigeon, green-winged teal, blue-winged teal, Canada geese, and other waterfowl, shorebirds, wading birds and landbirds. |
| VIRGINIA | |
| Project: Southern Tip Ecological Partnership II (STEP-2). Location: Northampton and Accomack counties, Virginia. Congressional District: 2. Grantees: The Nature Conservancy. Contact: Joe Scalf, jscalf@tnc.org. Partners: Virginia Eastern Shore Land Trust, Inc. Approved: March 2009. Grant: $1,027,376. Matching Funds: $2,741,410. Nonmatching Funds: None. Joint Venture Region: Atlantic Coast. Flyway: Atlantic. BCR: 30. |
Representing the next step in cooperative efforts among partners working together to conserve migratory bird habitat in the Southern Tip of the Delmarva Peninsula, STEP-2 is focused on protecting migratory bird habitat close to the shorelines of the Chesapeake Bay and Seaside coastal bays, as well as the barrier islands. The objective is to increase availability and security of migratory bird habitat by protecting 1,066 acres through one fee acquisition of a property on Virginia’s barrier islands, a conservation easement acquisition located on the Seaside salt marshes, and three conservation easement donations. The project area and the lands to be protected contain some of the most valuable estuarine and coastal habitats on the Atlantic coast. The land acquisition and protection work will deliver benefits to wetland-dependent migratory birds such as black ducks, northern pintail, scaup, piping plover, Wilson’s plover, American oystercatcher, red knot, American woodcock, least tern, black skimmer and saltmarsh sharp-tailed sparrow. |
| WASHINGTON | |
| Project: North Olympic – Dungeness Wetland Basin Phase I. Location: Clallam County, Washington. Congressional District: 6. Grantee: Ducks Unlimited, Inc. Contact: Aaron Foster, afoster@ducks.org. Partners: North Olympic Land Trust; City of Sequim; Northern Conservation Farms; private individual; Pacific Coast Joint Venture; Salmon Recovery Funding Board. Approved: March 2009. Grant: $980,927. Matching Funds: $1,912,169. Nonmatching Funds: $74,991. Joint Venture Region: Pacific Coast. Flyway: Pacific. BCR: 5. |
This proposal represents the first step in what is anticipated to be a long-term effort to protect, restore and enhance unique and important wetland habitats and associated upland buffers in the North Olympic-Dungeness wetland basin that provide migration and wintering habitat for millions of migratory birds, including vast numbers of waterfowl, wading birds and shorebirds. The Dungeness River and its tributaries are well known for their salmon populations. Through this project, partners will restore or enhance approximately 105 acres of freshwater and estuarine wetlands and protect approximately 60 acres of upland habitat. These wetlands will be used by large numbers of waterfowl, including sea ducks, which use Dungeness area wetlands as wintering and migration habitat. This region supports several thousand migrating waterfowl and shorebirds and is used by tens of thousands of waterfowl as wintering habitat. |
/birdhabitat/Grants/NAWCA/Standard/US/2009_March.shtm was last updated 10/20/09 11:05:07
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