During its March 16 meeting, the Migratory Bird Conservation Commission approved more than $18 million in grants for wetlands habitat conservation in the United States and Mexico, funding grants to states and other partners through the North American Wetlands Conservation Act (NAWCA). The act is managed by the Interior Department’s U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
In the Midwest Region of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, two grants totaling more than $1.7 million were approved. The grants, to fund projects in Illinois and Indiana, will be matched by more than $3 million from partners.
In Indiana, Ducks Unlimited will receive a $1 million grant which will be matched by $2.6 million in funding from a variety of partners, including the Indiana Department of Natural Resources, Cinergy Corp., and local sportsmen’s groups. Other partners in the project, the Southwest Indiana Habitat Expansion, include the Fish and Wildlife Service, through its Patoka River National Wildlife Refuge, and The Nature Conservancy.
The grant and matching funds will be used to continue and broaden existing efforts to protect and restore wetlands and adjacent habitat on public lands in the Four Rivers Area of southwestern Indiana. Properties acquired and restored as part of this project will be under state or federal ownership and will be open to the public for hiking, hunting or wildlife watching.
In Illinois, a $704,500 grant to Ducks Unlimited will be matched by funds from DU, the American Land Conservancy and the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. The U.S. Forest Service is also a partner in the Middle Mississippi Ecosystem project, which is an expansion of the existing Lower Kaskaskia River Wetlands Restoration Project.
Grant funds will allow expansion of the existing project into the Illinois portion of the Middle Mississippi River floodplain and incorporation of new conservation partners who will work together to protect and enhance 3,369 acres of emergent and bottomland forest wetland habitat.
“ Through highly successful partnerships under the North American Wetland Conservation Act, we are setting aside millions of acres of wetlands to benefit not only migratory birds but other wildlife as well,” said Interior Secretary Gale Norton. “Sportsmen’s groups and other conservation organizations have been particularly effective partners, providing both expertise and financial support for wetland restoration efforts.”
This round of NAWCA Standard Grants will fund 16 projects in North America, with more than $13.1 million in 11 states to protect, restore or enhance nearly 140,000 acres of wetlands and associated upland habitats. Project partners added nearly $55 million.
Since 1991, more than 2,500 partners have been involved in more than 1,300 projects in the United States, Canada and Mexico. Partners must match the grant request at least dollar for dollar. Canadian and U.S. partners focus on long-term protection, restoration or enhancement of critical habitats; Mexican partners also may develop training, management, and environmental education programs and conduct studies on sustainable use. In total, more than $640.9 million in NAWCA grant funds have been invested in the three countries. Partner contributions have amounted to $1.9 billion. Some 13.6 million acres of wetlands and associated uplands have been affected.
The commission approved nearly $2.4 million for 15 NAWCA projects in Mexico. Partners added more than $3.5 million.
Funding for the NAWCA standard grants program comes from Congressional appropriations; funds collected from fines, penalties, and forfeitures under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act; interest accrued to the Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Act; and excise taxes paid on small engine fuels through the Dingell-Johnson Sport Fish Restoration Act.
At the March 16 meeting, the Migratory Bird Conservation Commission also allocated $535,000 in revenue from the sale of the Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation Stamp (also known as the Federal Duck Stamp) to purchase key tracts of land for the National Wildlife Refuge System in Louisiana, New Hampshire and Texas.
Money raised by the sale of Federal Duck Stamps pays for wetland acquisitions for the National Wildlife Refuge System. Federal Duck Stamps are purchased predominately by waterfowl hunters and other conservationists. Since the first Duck Stamp sale in 1934, nearly $700 million has been raised to help purchase more than five million acres of wetlands for the refuge system. All acquisitions were previously approved by the affected states.
The Migratory Bird Conservation Act of 1929 established the Migratory Bird Conservation Commission to approve land to be purchased for the National Wildlife Refuge System with monies from the Migratory Bird Conservation Fund. The fund is supported by revenue collected from Federal Duck Stamp sales, import duties collected on arms and ammunition and right-of-way payments to the refuge system.
The commission meets three times a year to approve funding proposals. Permanent commission members are Interior Secretary Norton, Senators Thad Cochran of Mississippi and Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas; Representatives John Dingell of Michigan and Curt Weldon of Pennsylvania; Secretary of Agriculture Mike Johanns; and EPA Acting Administrator Stephen L. Johnson.
For more information on NAWCA and to see summaries of funded projects for 2005, visit http://birdhabitat.fws.gov/NAWCA/grants.htm.
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 95-million-acre National Wildlife Refuge System, which encompasses 544 national wildlife refuges, thousands of small wetlands and other special management areas. It also operates 69 national fish hatcheries, 64 fishery resources offices and 81 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 and Native American tribal governments with their conservation efforts. It also oversees the Federal Assistance program, which distributes hundreds of millions of dollars in excise taxes on fishing and hunting equipment to state fish and wildlife agencies.
