In a recent ceremony, the Aukes were presented with a carved wooden drake mallard and plaque by Union Slough National Wildlife Refuge Manager Barry Christenson in recognition for their selection as Iowas top prairie pothole land stewards.
Our partnerships with local landowners are often the key to providing critical wildlife habitat, said Service Regional Director Bill Hartwig in Minneapolis. I was very pleased to learn of the Aukes restoration projects and I congratulate them on their award. The projects completed by the Aukes demonstrate that habitat restoration and improvement projects need not be large in scale- often even small improvements can make a big difference.
995, working with the Services Partners for Wildlife program, the father and son team restored 5 wetland basins totaling 10 acres and stabilized 1,250 feet of steep, eroding slopes along Buffalo Creek by planting willow plugs and erecting fencing to exclude their cattle. In 1997, they restored 2 more wetland basins totaling 12 acres and began a prescribed burning program to encourage the growth of native prairie species in former pasture areas.In addition to helping plant and wildlife species, Refuge Manager Christenson says the Aukes projects are also helping to improve water quality in the area. Buffalo Creek is a major water source for the Union Slough National Wildlife Refuge, reports Christenson, so we monitor the water quality closely. In the past, weve documented water quality problems due to excessive nutrients, contaminants and sedimentation. Bank stabilization and wetland restoration projects like those completed by the Aukes definitely help to correct these problems.
The Aukes have been so pleased with the plant and wildlife response to their efforts that they have enrolled part of their acreage into the Wetland Reserve program, a program which pays landowners to permanently protect their wildlife habitat.
The PPJV Stewardship Awards are presented each year to one landowner in each of five prairie pothole states: Iowa, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Montana. These states are called prairie pothole states because they contain many small, fertile wetlands which provide important nesting and breeding habitat for waterfowl and other animals.
These same areas, coupled with similar habitat in western Canada, produce most of the waterfowl in North America. Historically, the State of Iowa contained many prairie potholes, although nearly all were drained and put into crop production with the advent of agriculture.
The PPJV is one of 10 different Joint Ventures active across the United States. All Joint Ventures are managed pursuant to the North American Waterfowl Management Plan, an international agreement signed by the United States, Canada, and Mexico. The primary objective of the PPJV is to provide secure breeding habitat (e.g., wetland and grassland complexes) for waterfowl production and recruitment. Funding for wetland and grassland restoration on both public and private land is provided through Joint Venture cost-share programs.
Landowners interested in learning more about restoring wetlands though the Partners for Wildlife program (now called Partners for Fish and Wildlife) or preserving wetlands through the Wetland Reserve program can contact Barry Christenson at the Union Slough National Wildlife Refuge at (515) 928-2523.
For information on the PPJV program, contact Jim Zohrer, Iowa Department of Natural Resources at (515) 281-4815, or Jim Leach, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, at (612) 713-5433.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the principal Federal agency responsible for conserving, protecting and enhancing fish, wildlife and plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. The Service manages the 93-million-acre National Wildlife Refuge System which encompasses more than 530 national wildlife refuges, thousands of small wetlands and other special management areas. It also operates 66 national fish hatcheries, 64 fishery resource offices and 78 ecological services field stations. The agency enforces Federal wildlife laws, administers the Endangered Species Act, manages migratory bird populations, restores nationally significant fisheries, conserves and restores wildlife habitat such as wetlands, and helps foreign governments with their conservation efforts. It also oversees the Federal Aid program that distributes hundreds of millions of dollars in excise taxes on fishing and hunting equipment to state fish and wildlife agencies. For further information about the programs and activities of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in the Great Lakes-Big Rivers Region, please visit our home page at: http://midwest.fws.gov
