Link to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Web site

Link to the National Wildlife Refuge System Web site

Kulm Wetland Management District - Kulm, North Dakota

Waterfowl Production Areas

WPAs are lands purchased by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) with funds from the sale of Federal Duck Stamps. Established to protect and restore waterfowl habitat, nearly 95 percent of WPAs are located in the Prairie Pothole Region of the northern Great Plains. District staff use rotational grazing, haying, seeding and prescribed burning to maintain and imporve grassland for nesting birds.

The existing Waterfowl Production Area boundary sign (1) will be replaced in the near future with a sign (2) that will feature the image of the green goose.

Waterfowl Production Areas (WPAs) preserve wetlands and grasslands critical to waterfowl and other wildlife.

These public lands, managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, became part of the National Wildlife Refuge System in 1966 through the National Wildlife Refuge System Administration Act.

Funds to acquire WPAs are provided by the 1934 Duck Stamp Act which was amended by Congress in 1958 to authorize acquisition of uplands and wetlands as WPAs.

Nearly 95% of the WPAs are located in the prairie pothole areas of North and South Dakota, Minnesota, and Montana. North Dakota alone has 39% of the Nation's WPAs. The Kulm Wetland Management District (WMD) has a total of 201 WPAs for a total of 45,683 acres. The smallest WPA is 0.32 acres (McIntosh PDL 1C) and the largest is 1,757 acres (Lazy M).

Photo of a WPA - Photo credit: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

WPAs, often referred to as the "Prairie Jewels of the Refuge System," are open to a variety of public uses including hunting, fishing and trapping. These uses are subject to all applicable state and federal laws. Small game hunters using shotguns are required to use and possess only approved non-toxic shot while on WPAs.

Other public uses include wildlife observation, interpretation, photography and environmental education. WPAs in the Kulm WMD annually receive over 50,000 visitors, with most occurring during the fall hunting season.

Opportunities and Responsibilities on WPAs

All motor vehicles, including ATVs and snowmobiles, are prohibited except on designated roads, in parking areas, and on the ice for fishing if there is access to the ice from a right-of-way or designated road.
Firearms are permitted only during open hunting seasons. Hunters may only possess approved non-toxic shot while in the field, except when hunting wild turkey or big game.
Littering, camping, and fires are prohibited.
Horses are not allowed for any purpose.
Removing or destroying property, including artifacts, is prohibited.
Distribution of bait and hunting over bait is prohibited.
All personal property, excluding tree stands and ice houses, must be removed daily.

WPAs are managed to attract and produce migratory waterfowl, migratory non-game birds and resident wildlife. Grazing, planting dense nesting cover, constructing new wetland areas, improving or restoring wetlands, water control structures, planting native grasses and prescribed burning are a few of the management tools used.

The most common tools used include grazing, haying and prescribed burning, which are followed by a period of rest. Working with local ranchers, cattle are allowed to graze on certain WPAs using a permit system. This grazing closely mimics the effects native bison provided to stimulate plant growth.

Another tool available is haying which involves cutting and removing grass for later use by livestock. To protect the ground nesting birds, haying is only allowed after July 15, by which time most nesting has been completed.

Prescribed fires are another tool which managers use to rejuvenate grasslands. These controlled burns mimic the prairie wildfires of long ago to stimulate native grasses and reduce invasive species.