GENERAL INFORMATION

IMPORTANT!

On October 27, two whooping cranes were observed in Phelps County. The birds will be monitored daily and Waterfowl Production Areas may be closed without notice to protect the birds from public disturbance.

Whooping cranes are an endangered species and it is illegal to disturb or harass these birds in any manner, including hunting of game species. Whooping cranes found in close proximity to a Waterfowl Production Area will cause that area to be closed until the birds have migrated on. Closed areas will be posted with bright orange signs designating the closure.

NEW!

Rainwater Basin Wetland Management District is a management office of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. It was establish in 1963 when the Service began acquiring critical migratory waterfowl habitat in southeastern Nebraska. Today, 60 individual tracts have been purchased, most of them with Duck Stamp dollars.

Click map for enlargement

The geographic area, called the Rainwater Basin, is a complex of wetlands scattered throughout a 17-county area. The wetlands are shallow basins that provide resting and feeding areas for millions on birds during spring and fall migration. Historically, bison and wildfire kept the wetlands open with annual plants growing during dry summer months and droughts. With bison gone and wildfires controlled, management has to be done to keep these wetlands in a condition favored by ducks, geese, and other water birds.

This website is designed to provide a variety of information about these Service-owned lands and their management.

Rainwater Basin Wetland Management District

P.O. Box 1686

Kearney, Nebraska 68848

Office: (308) 236-5015

Fax: (308) 237-3899

Email: rainwater@fws.gov

Other Points of interest:

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Home Page

Rainwater Basin JV

Rainwater Basin JV Implementation Plan (10,186Kb pdf)

Last updated: October 27, 2009