First WPA in the Nation
Waterfowl Production Areas (WPAs) are properties that have been purchased with money from the sale of Duck Stamps. Established to protect and restore waterfowl habitat, these small but important parts of the National Wildlife Refuge System play a critical role providing much needed habitat for wildlife. Nearly 95 percent of the WPAs in the United States are located in the prairie pothole region.
Waubay WMD is the site of the very first WPA. Purchased in 1959, the parcel is a 160 acre tract named for the previous owners, Arnold and Lydia McCarlson. The McCarlson WPA is a small, but integral part of the Refuge System. Since its purchase, it has been returned to a more natural state by re-seeding cultivated fields to native grasses and filling ditches to restore natural wetlands.
