Renamed for Refuge System Hero
Cottonwood Waterfowl Production Area in North Dakota has been renamed the Harold Benson Memorial Waterfowl Production Area in honor of a man who served the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for 30 years and played an essential role in the protection of migratory bird habitat in the Prairie Pothole Region of the Midwest. Benson held a number of leadership position, including assistant regional director for refuges and wildlife in both the Midwest and the Southeast Regions.
The Harold Benson Memorial WPA is one of approximately 36,000 Waterfowl Production Areas within the National Wildlife Refuge System. Together, they provide vital breeding and nesting habitat for millions of waterfowl and are critical for other wildlife.
A highlight of his career was Congressional passage of the Wetlands Loan Act, which led to creation of one of the Service's most successful waterfowl habitat protection program — the Small Wetlands Acquisition Program — which is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. Thanks to Benson's work, more than 740,000 acres of WPA lands are owned by the Service and more than 2.5 million acres have been permanently protected through conservation easements with interested private landowners.
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