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.
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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.
Last updated: May 14, 2008
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 Implementation Plan (10,186Kb pdf)