PRAIRIE POTHOLE REGION TO RECEIVE $21 MILLION FOR HABITAT ACQUISITION

PIERRE -- The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will provide $21 million, which represents 50 percent of this year’s Migratory Bird Conservation Fund, to the waterfowl production area program within the Prairie Pothole Joint Venture to support wetland and grassland acquisition in the Prairie Pothole Region – a mosaic of prairie wetlands from Montana through North and South Dakota into Minnesota and Iowa.

The Prairie Pothole Joint Venture (PPJV) is guided by the North American Waterfowl Management Plan, a partnership of individuals, organizations, and agencies representing Canada, the United States, and Mexico whose goal is to conserve wetlands and increase waterfowl and wetland bird populations.

The PPJV provides on-the-ground protection, restoration, and enhancement of high priority wetland and grassland habitat in the prairie pothole region.

The prairie pothole region is the most important waterfowl producing region on the continent, generating more than half of North America’s ducks. Of the 800 migratory bird species in North America, more than 300 rely on this region – 177 species for breeding and nesting habitat and another 130 for feeding and resting during spring and fall migrations.

Over the last century, much of the prairie pothole region has been converted to intensively cultivated cropland and heavily grazed or hayed grasslands. This loss of habitat has caused steeper, more consistent and more widespread declines in grassland birds over the past 25 years than any other North American bird group.

"We are at a critical juncture for migratory bird conservation in the prairie pothole region and this money made available through the Migratory Bird Conservation Fund will allow us to fund easements and purchase key tracts of land while they are still available," said Ralph Morgenweck, the Service’s Director of the Mountain-Prairie Region. "The Service remains a committed partner in the joint venture and we are confident that this additional funding will accelerate protection of these important landscapes."

"I hope that this is the first year of a long-term commitment of funding at this level provided by the Migratory Bird Conservation Fund for the prairie landscape. The Prairie Pothole Joint Venture's approach to habitat conservation has been so successful that, at this time, there are far more willing sellers than money available," said Jeff Nelson, Director of Ducks Unlimited's Great Plains Region.

"It’s good science, it’s good policy, it’s good for the ducks, pheasants and other wildlife. Pheasants Forever applauds this decision," said Joe Duggan, Vice President of Corporate Relations and Marketing for Pheasants Forever.

"The Prairie Pothole Joint Venture has an admirable track record of working through partnerships to protect landscapes important to both wildlife and the economies of the prairies," said Morgenweck. "This year’s funding will provide the opportunity to acquire these increasingly rare tracts of prairie habitats benefiting a wide variety of native plants, migratory birds, and other prairie-related species."

The Migratory Bird Conservation Fund is subsidized through the sale of the Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation Stamp – more commonly know as the Duck Stamp. Proceeds are used to purchase wetlands and associated upland habitats for inclusion in the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s National Wildlife Refuge System. Since the program’s inception, Duck Stamp sales have raised more than half-a-billion dollars to conserve more than five-million acres of crucial habitat throughout the United States and its territories.

The PPJV’s numerous habitat protection, restoration, and enhancement projects have been completed using money provided through partner contributions, the North American Wetland’s Conservation Act and the Migratory Bird Conservation Fund.

The PPJV membership includes South Dakota Department of Game, Fish and Parks; Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks; Minnesota Department of Natural Resources; Iowa Department of Natural Resources; North Dakota Game and Fish Department; Natural Resources Conservation Service; North Dakota Natural Resources Trust; Delta Waterfowl Foundation; Wildlife Management Institute; National Audubon Society; Ducks Unlimited, Inc.; Bureau of Land Management; The Nature Conservancy; Pheasants Forever; and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

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