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| Division of Bird Habitat Conservation | |
A total of $2 million in funding was approved for the following 47 projects on June 21, 2005. Project partners are contributing $6.58 million in matching funds and $10.2 million in nonmatching funds to affect 25,565 acres of habitat. These projects are considered part of the Fiscal Year 2006 grants cycle. Project Summary Table.
| ALASKA | |
| Project: Chena
Flats Greenbelt Project. Location: North Star Borough, Fairbanks, Alaska. Congressional District: At large. Grantee: Interior Alaska Land Trust. Contact: Martha Raynolds, (907) 451-0737, mraynolds@gci.net. Partners: The Conservation Fund, private landowners, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and National Park Service’s Rivers and Trails Conservation Association. Approved: March 2006. Grant: $50,000. Matching Funds: $108,360. Nonmatching Funds: $26,000. Joint Venture Region: Pacific Coast. Flyway: Pacific. BCR: 4. |
Chena Flats Greenbelt Project partners will acquire and conserve a 78.5-acre tract consisting of shallow open water and palustrine emergent wetland habitats in a taiga landscape. Partners’ efforts mark the initiation of a much larger project to acquire and protect the undeveloped land near the base of Chena Ridge, which provides habitat important to a variety of migratory birds and other wildlife. |
| Project: Potter
Marsh State Wildlife Refuge Protection Project. Location: Municipality of Anchorage, Alaska. Congressional District: At large. Grantee: Great Land Trust, Inc. Contact: Lisa Eyler, (907) 278-4998, lisae@greatlandtrust.org. Partners: None. Approved: March 2006. Grant: $50,000. Matching Funds: $609,980. Nonmatching Funds: None. Joint Venture Region: Pacific Coast. Flyway: Pacific. BCR: 5. |
Through fee-simple acquisition, the Great Land Trust, Inc., will permanently keep a nearly 5-acre parcel of private land within the 540-acre Potter Marsh State Wildlife Refuge Complex from being subdivided and developed. This parcel is the last privately owned, developable parcel within the complex, which contains marsh habitat that is ecologically significant to migratory birds and other wildlife. The complex is managed by the State, under an agreement with the City of Anchorage; ownership of the acquired parcel will be held either by the City or the State. This project is being carried out in coordination with the Bird Treatment and Learning Center and Rabbit Creek Community Council. |
| CALIFORNIA | |
| Project: Burton
Property–Litchfield Habitat Restoration and Enhancement Project. Location: Lassen County, California. Congressional District: 4. Grantee: Ducks Unlimited, Inc. Contact: Mark Biddlecomb, (916) 852-2000, mbiddlecomb@ducks.org. Partners: Jim Burton, Beasts of Burton Taxidermy, Pheasants Forever, Inc., Lassen SWAT [Special Weed Action Team], Wildlife Conservation Board, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, and Intermountain West Joint Venture. Approved: March 2006. Grant: $36,700. Matching Funds: $91,859. Nonmatching Funds: $51,438. Joint Venture Region: Intermountain West. Flyway: Pacific. BCR: 9. |
Project partners will restore and enhance approximately 11 acres of seasonal and semi-permanent wetlands, 2 acres of riparian habitat, and 64 acres of wetland-associated uplands on privately owned land near two state wildlife management areas. Partners’ activities will include conducting a topographic survey, installing a well and pump, improving the existing water-distribution system, recontouring the land, restoring riparian and wetland habitat, removing tall whitetop from the uplands, and reseeding the uplands with native grasses. The landowner currently holds a 25-year conservation agreement on the project property with the California Wildlife Conservation Board. |
| Project: Freshwater
Creek Estuary Rehabilitation Project. Location: Humboldt County, California. Congressional District: 1. Grantee: Northcoast Regional Land Trust. Contact: Erik Wilson, (707) 822-2242, e.wilson@ncrlt.org. Partners: California Department of Fish and Game, Rick Storre, California State Coastal Conservancy, Pacific Gas & Electric, and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Approved: March 2006. Grant: $50,000. Matching Funds: $62,000. Nonmatching Funds: $685,673. Joint Venture Region: Pacific Coast. Flyway: Pacific. BCR: 5. |
Freshwater Creek estuary has been significantly altered over the past 150 years by diking, vegetation removal, and removal of large, woody debris. Project partners will restore estuarine habitat on approximately 35 acres of a 54-acre parcel of land recently protected through fee-simple acquisition by the grantee. The entire property is being used as match for the grant and is expected to provide conservation benefits to migratory birds and other wildife in perpetuity under the grantee’s management. |
| Project: Janes
Creek Log Pond Acquisition Project. Location: Humboldt, California. Congressional District: 1. Grantee: City of Arcata-Environmental Services Department. Contact: Mark Andre, (707) 825-2154, mandre@arcatacityhall.org. Partners: Arcata High Eco-Club and Humboldt Fish Action Council. Approved: March 2006. Grant: $50,000. Matching Funds: $74,050. Nonmatching Funds: $125,000. Joint Venture Region: Pacific Coast. Flyway: Pacific. BCR: 5. |
Wetland loss in California is extensive and well documented; so, too, are the continuing threats to this habitat. Through fee-simple acquisition, project partners will protect a more than 7-acre tract of palustrine/riparian wetlands along the south fork of Janes Creek, known as the Janes Creek Log Pond. The site is currently zoned as Heavy Industrial, but this acquisition would trigger the recording of a 50-foot wetland setback (easement) on private lands around the perimeter of the pond—preventing any further encroachment of development upon the area’s important habitat. The project property will be owned and managed by the City of Arcata for wildlife conservation and environmental education. |
| Project: San
Joaquin Basin Wetland Restoration II. Location: Merced County, California. Congressional District: 18. Grantee: Ducks Unlimited, Inc. Contact: Chris Hildebrandt, (209) 826-5274, childebrandt@ducks.org. Partners: East Grasslands Waterfowl Habitat Association and California Wildlife Conservation Board. Approved: March 2006. Grant: $50,000. Matching Funds: $90,005. Nonmatching Funds: None. Joint Venture Region: Central Valley. Flyway: Pacific. BCR: 32. |
Up to 60 percent of the Pacific Flyway’s wintering waterfowl population seeks refuge and sustenance in California’s Central Valley, even though more than 90 percent of the original wetland habitat there has been lost. Building on their previous accomplishments in the Valley’s San Joaquin River basin, partners in this project’s second phase will restore or enhance a total of 415 acres of habitat at two sites within the Grasslands Ecological Area. At the Accornero Wetland Reserve Program site, partners will restore 75 acres of seasonal and riparian wetlands and associated uplands. Also, they will enhance 243 acres of seasonal wetlands and associated-upland habitat by removing sedimentation blockages and replacing outdated water-control structures. All 318 project acres at this site will also be protected through conservation easements, safeguarding the area from development. At the second site, owned by Modesto Properties Company, partners will install the second of two wells needed to adequately flood 97 acres of wetland habitat as part of a larger hydrology-restoration project. |
| COLORADO | |
| Project: Conservation
of a Playa Complex in Eastern Colorado. Location: El Paso County, Colorado. Congressional Districts: 5. Grantee: Rocky Mountain Bird Observatory. Contact: Dana Ripper, (970) 482-1707, dana.ripper@rmbo.org. Partners: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program, Colorado Division of Wildlife, Playa Lakes Joint Venture, and a private landowner. Approved: March 2006. Grant: $11,550. Matching Funds: $12,550. Nonmatching Funds: $10,000. Joint Venture Region: Playa Lakes. Flyway: Central. BCR: 18. |
Playas, or small lakes, provide critical stopover habitat for migrating birds in shortgrass prairie ecosystems. Most playas are located on privately owned farmland and rangeland and are threatened by altered hydrology, erosion and sedimentation, overgrazing, and changes in land use. Project partners will conserve, restore, and enhance a 640-acre tract of land in eastern Colorado containing seven playas. Six of the playas will be fenced to exclude cattle; the seventh will remain unfenced but managed for optimal habitat diversity. In total, 46 acres of playas will be conserved, and another 4 acres of playas and 590 acres of shortgrass prairie habitat will benefit from improved grazing-management practices. Parnters’ efforts will help to provide higher-quality habitat important to waterfowl and shorebirds. |
| FLORIDA | |
| Project: Invasive
Species Eradication and Mangrove Planting in the Indian River Lagoon. Location: Brevard County, Florida. Congressional District: 15. Grantee: Marine Resources Council of East Florida. Contact: Jim Egan, (321) 725-7775, council@mrcirl.org. Partners: Marine Resources Council and Indian River Lagoon Program. Approved: March 2006. Grant: $22,053. Matching Funds: $45,261. Nonmatching Funds: None. Joint Venture Region: Atlantic Coast. Flyway: Atlantic. BCR: 31. |
Decades of urbanization have increased the rate of destruction to the shoreline and wetlands of the Indian River Lagoon, a 3,575-square-kilometer resource for migratory birds that constitutes 40 percent of the Florida East Coast. Project partners will eradicate invasive species, especially Brazilian pepper tree, from 34 acres of migratory bird habitat, including 20 acres of mangroves and 15 acres of coastal wetlands in the Indian River Lagoon. Partners also will plant 3,000 red mangrove saplings along 9,000 feet of the lagoon’s shoreline. Included in the project area are Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge and Sebastian Inlet State Park. |
| IDAHO | |
| Project: Camas
Creek Ranch Wetland Restoration. Location: Camas County, Idaho. Congressional Districts: 2. Grantee: Camas Creek Ranch. Contact: Guy Bonnivier, (208) 487-2960, gbonnivier@aol.com. Partners: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program. Approved: March 2006. Grant: $50,000. Matching Funds: $586,365. Nonmatching Funds: $50,000. Joint Venture Region: Intermountain West. Flyway: Pacific. BCR: 9. |
Project partners will restore a total of 240 acres of wetlands and 170 acres of wetland-associated upland habitats at two sites—Desert Springs and Bliss Springs. At Desert Springs, partners will install fencing to exclude cattle and improve the quality and quantity of wetland vegetation available for migratory birds and sage grouse. At Bliss Springs, a degraded dike will be reconstructed across Camas Creek to return water to the historic overflow channel and to increase the size of the temporarily flooded area from 2 acres to 165 acres. Partners’ previous work along Camas Creek, which involved restoring and enhancing 1,500 wetland and upland acres, has been incorporated into this project as match. In total, project partners are affecting 1,910 acres of habitat. |
| ILLINOIS | |
| Project: Black
Gold Nesting Habitat Enhancement Project. Location: Fulton County, Illinois. Congressional District: 17. Grantee: Pheasants Forever, Inc. Contact: Loran Brinkmeier, (309) 695-6108, pheasants500@hotmail.com. Partners: Black Gold Land Company. Approved: March 2006. Grant: $50,000. Matching Funds: $50,000. Nonmatching Funds: None. Joint Venture Region: Upper Mississippi River/Great Lakes. Flyway: Mississippi. BCR: 22. |
Historically, reclaimed strip-mine areas throughout central Illinois have contained an abundance of deep and shallow lakes surrounded by pastures of cool season grass subject to heavy grazing. This landscape is beneficial to Giant Canada geese, but only modestly attractive to mallards and other upland-nesting birds. Project partners will convert 250 acres of poor-quality cool season grass to idle, dense nesting cover featuring a mixture of warm season grasses better suited for use by upland-nesting waterfowl and other migratory birds. Partners also will create 36 acres of shallow wetlands to provide breeding and migration habitat for waterfowl. The Black Gold Land Company owns and will manage the project land, protecting it in perpetuity. |
| Project: Michael
Wolff Memorial Wetland Project. Location: Johnson and Massac Counties, Illinois. Congressional District: 19. Grantee: Michael Wolff Memorial Wetland Project, Inc. Contact: Lynn Wolff, (618) 549-7901, lwolff@midwest.net. Partners: Illinois Department of Natural Resources, Michael Wolff Foundation, Friends of the Cache River Watershed, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Cypress Creek National Wildlife Refuge, and USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service. Approved: March 2006. Grant: $47,142. Matching Funds: $47,225. Nonmatching Funds: $3,500. Joint Venture Region: Upper Mississippi River/Great Lakes. Flyway: Mississippi. BCR: 24. |
Project partners will restore a total of 60 wetland acres in the Cache River basin in southern Illinois in memory of Michael Wolff, a very young and dedicated conservationist who lost his battle with a rare form of cancer in 2004. Partners will restore a 30-acre wetland within the Black Slough Management Unit of the Cache River State Natural Area and Land and Water Reserve, as well as another 30-acre wetland within Mermet Lake Conservation Area. Restoration efforts will involve the construction and installation of levees and other water-control structures designed to help manipulate aquatic vegetation at the project sites for the benefit of migratory birds and other wildlife. Project lands are owned and managed by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources and are protected in perpetuity. |
| Project: Restoring
a Large Native Prairie/Wetland Complex. Location: Cook County, Illinois. Congressional District: 8. Grantee: Audubon-Chicago Region. Contact: Judy Pollock, (847) 965-1150, jpollock@audubon.org. Partners: Bobolink Foundation, Forest Preserve District of Cook County, Exelon Corporation, Citizens for Conservation, Spring Creek Volunteers, and Bird Conservation Network. Approved: March 2006. Grant: $50,000. Matching Funds: $50,000. Nonmatching Funds: $16,100. Joint Venture Region: Upper Mississippi River/Great Lakes. Flyway: Mississippi. BCR: 22. |
Spring Creek Forest Preserve is a 3,910-acre mosaic of former and present agricultural lands, wetlands, grasslands, and woodlands, and is less than an hour from Chicago—the country’s third-largest population center. This preserve and others nearby once consisted primarily of marshes and wet and mesic prairies, but are now seriously threatened by invasive woody vegetation. Project partners will restore 164 acres of wetland and associated-grassland/prairie habitats in the Spring Creek Forest Preserve by mechanically removing invasive, exotic woody plants. Partners also will follow up with herbicidal treatment and will reseed at least 75 of the project acres with native plant species. |
| INDIANA | |
| Project: Limberlost
and Loblolly Wetland Restoration Project. Location: Jay and Adams Counties, Indiana. Congressional Districts: 6. Grantee: Friends of the Limberlost State Historic Site. Contact: Ken Brunswick, (260) 368-7594, loblolly@adamswells.com. Partners: Indiana Heritage Trust, Jay County Drainage Board, Ball State University, Charles Porter Gene Stratton-Porter Society, Inc., and Limberlost Swamp Remembered Committee. Approved: March 2006. Grant: $35,750. Matching Funds: $120,451. Nonmatching Funds: None. Joint Venture Region: Upper Mississippi River/Great Lakes. Flyway: Mississippi. BCR: 22. |
Project partners have established four conservation areas totaling 1,197 acres in Indiana’s Limberlost Territory and are endeavoring now to “close the gaps” between those areas. In this project, partners will begin to do so by protecting a total of 287 acres. Partners will acquire a 14-acre parcel of prior-converted wetlands and associated uplands north of one of the conservation areas and add it to the complex of protected properties. Once purchased, the parcel will be planted to native grasses, subsurface drainage will be removed, and a 0.25-acre depressional area will be excavated to remove the soil it received during the parcel’s 120 years of cultivation. The parcel will be owned by the grantee and managed by the Indiana Department of Natural Resources. Partners are offering as match another 273 acres of previously acquired lands in the project area. |
| IOWA | |
| Project: Iowa
Living Lakes – Diamond Lake. Location: Dickinson County, Iowa. Congressional Districts: 5. Grantee: Ducks Unlimited, Inc. Contact: Roger Pederson, (651) 460-2240, rpederson@ducks.org. Partners: Iowa Department of Natural Resources. Approved: March 2006. Grant: $50,000. Matching Funds: $142,500. Nonmatching Funds: None. Joint Venture Region: Prairie Pothole. Flyway: Mississippi. BCR: 11. |
This project is part of the larger “Living Lakes” program initiated cooperatively by Ducks Unlimited, Inc., and the State for the betterment of wetlands and natural resources in Iowa. Project partners will design and install water-conveyance and water-control structures on Diamond Lake, an unproductive, 166-acre shallow water body in the Diamond Lake Wildlife Management Area that once hosted large numbers of waterfowl and other waterbirds. Partners’ efforts will enhance all 166 acres, returning productive, hemi-marsh emergent zones and submerged aquatic beds to the lake. |
| Project: Mitchell
County Wetland Habitat Development Project. Location: Mitchell County, Iowa. Congressional Districts: 4. Grantee: Mitchell County Conservation Board. Contact: Milton Owen, (641) 732-5204, mccb@osage.net. Partners: Pheasants Forever-Mitchell County Chapter and Iowa Council, National Wild Turkey Federation-Iowa Chapter, USDA Farm Service Agency, and private donor. Approved: March 2006. Grant: $50,000. Matching Funds: $96,528. Nonmatching Funds: $88,872. Joint Venture Region: Prairie Pothole. Flyway: Mississippi. BCR: 11. |
Project partners will restore 115 acres of palustrine wetlands and 105 acres of tall-grass prairie on previously purchased State lands, improving the quality of protected wetland and tall-grass prairie habitats that are associated with the Cedar River and available to migratory birds and other wildlife. All project lands are, or will be, owned in fee title by Mitchell County Conservation Board and managed for the primary purpose of providing wildlife habitat and wildlife-related recreation opportunities. |
| KANSAS | |
| Project: Frazier
Park Lake Restoration Project: Sediment removal at Frazier Park Lake and
restoration of North Fork Cimarron River. Location: Grant County, Kansas. Congressional District: 1. Grantee: City of Ulysses. Contacts: G. Vernon “Bud” Newberry, (620) 356-4600, cityadmn@pld.com. Partners: Dodge City Community College. Approved: March 2006. Grant: $50,000. Matching Funds: $267,000. Nonmatching Funds: None. Joint Venture Region: Playa Lakes. Flyways: Central. BCR: 18. |
The 43-acre Frazier Park Lake, located on the north fork of the Cimarron River, historically wintered large numbers of migrating and wintering waterfowl. Today, however, the lake is 95 percent filled with sediment, does not hold any standing water, and is of little value to waterfowl and other wildlife. Project partners will restore a portion of the lake, including 15 acres of open water, 3 acres of adjacent marsh land, and 10 acres of riparian and other wetland vegetation along the Cimarron River. Restoration activities will include creating 8 acres of wetlands, approximately 4 acres of new stream channels, a waterfall and equalization wetland, and a 2-acre wetland plant nursery. The City of Ulysses owns the project land and will have responsibility for its maintenance and management; the benefits of this project are expected to persist in perpetuity. |
| LOUISIANA | |
| Project: Acadiana
Park Wetland Preservation. Location: Lafayette Parish, Louisiana. Congressional District: 7. Grantee: Lafayette City-Parish Consolidated Government. Contact: Kelly Mouisset, (337) 291-8437, kmouisset@lafayettegov.net. Partners: Lafayette Bayou Vermilion District. Approved: March 2006. Grant: $50,000. Matching Funds: $50,000. Nonmatching Funds: $6,000. Joint Venture Region: Gulf Coast. Flyway: Mississippi. BCR: 26. |
Partners will add to the 110 acres they previously protected during phase one and two of the Acadiana Park Wetland Preservation project by acquiring a 25-acre property adjacent to the park. This property represents the last undisturbed forested wetland system in Lafayette Parish. The acquired land will be owned and managed in perpetuity as wildlife habitat by the Lafayette Consolidated Government. Located just east of the new interchange for Interstate 10, the land’s protected status will spare it from the urban development typically associated with highway access. |
| MAINE | |
| Project: Blaisdell–Clough
I on the York River. Location: Town of York, York County, Maine. Congressional District: 1. Grantee: York Land Trust. Contact: Doreen MacGillis, (207) 363-7400, info@yorklandtrust.org. Partners: The Nature Conservancy-Maine Field Office. Approved: March 2006. Grant: $41,800. Matching Funds: $242,700. Nonmatching Funds: None. Joint Venture Region: Atlantic Coast. Flyway: Atlantic. BCR: 30. |
Through fee-simple acquisition, project partners will protect in perpetuity 50 acres of habitat on two properties along the York River—the 42-acre Blaisdell property and the 8-acre Clough I parcel. These project lands contain 20 acres of saltmarsh and mudflats and 30 acres of upland deciduous forest buffer, plus 3,921 feet of tidal shore along the river. The properties will be owned and managed by the York Land Trust for the benefit of waterbirds and other migratory birds and wildlife; the land will also be open to the public for low-impact recreational uses. |
| Project: Conserving a Network of Wetlands in the Tatnics: Tatnic Woods III. Location: South Berwick, York County, Maine. Congressional District: 1. Grantee: Great Works Regional Land Trust. Contact: Jean Demetracopoulos, (207) 646-3604, GWRLT@gwi.net. Partners: Susan Smith and Mt. Agamenticus to the Sea Conservation Initiative. Approved: March 2006. Grant: $50,000. Matching Funds: $211,000. Nonmatching Funds: None. Joint Venture Region: Atlantic Coast. Flyway: Atlantic. BCR: 30. |
In southern Maine, particularly southern York County, conversion of undisturbed wildlife habitats to urban development is occurring at an alarming rate. Project partners will acquire a privately owned, 29-acre parcel in the center of the 3,000-acre Tatnic Conservation Focus Area that contains wetland and upland habitats. This third phase of the project builds upon and complements partners’ previous accomplishments in protecting acreage in the Tatnic area. The Great Works Regional Land Trust will own and manage the parcel in perpetuity for the benefit of migratory birds and other wildlife. |
| Project: Richardson Seal Cove Property Acquisition. Location: Town of South Bristol, Lincoln County, Maine. Congressional District: 1. Grantee: Damariscotta River Association. Contact: Steven Hufnagel, (207) 563-1393, steven@draclt.org. Partners: None. Approved: March 2006. Grant: $50,000. Matching Funds: $700,000. Nonmatching Funds: None. Joint Venture Region: Atlantic Coast. Flyway: Atlantic. BCR: 30. |
Project partners will acquire in fee simple and permanently protect the 34-acre Richardson Seal Cove Property in response to an impending threat of its conversion to residential development. This land includes a saltwater shorefront containing salt and freshwater wetlands and forested uplands; conserving it is part of the larger, multi-partner Seal Cove Conservation Initative. Project partners’ efforts will protect 2,000 feet of shoreline and benefit 9 more acres of adjacent intertidal area. In total, 43 acres of habitat important to migratory birds and other wildlife will be conserved. The Damariscotta River Association will own and manage the property for conservation, allowing some low-impact public uses. |
| Project: Upper Saco River Project: Hancock I. Location: Fryeburg, Oxford County, Maine. Congressional District: 2. Grantee: The Nature Conservancy-Maine Chapter. Contact: William Brune, (207) 729-5181, wbrune@tnc.org. Partners: Hancock Land Company. Approved: March 2006. Grant: $50,000. Matching Funds: $105,000. Nonmatching Funds: None. Joint Venture Region: Atlantic Coast. Flyway: Atlantic. BCR: 14. |
Project partners will acquire a conservation easement on 408 acres of floodplain habitat along the Saco River, approximately 146 acres of which are wetlands. Hancock Land Company will own the land in fee title and The Nature Conservancy will own and manage the conservation easement. The Hancock parcel is at the heart of the largest area of intact floodplain forest; by protecting it, partners are completing a 1.5-mile conservation corridor along the Upper Saco River that encompasses habitat on both sides of the river valley, from river to ridge top. |
| MARYLAND | |
| Project: E.A. Vaughn Wildlife Management Area Wetland Restoration Project. Location: Worcester County, Maryland. Congressional District: 1. Grantee: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Chesapeake Bay Field Office. Contact: Dan Murphy, (410) 573-4521, dan_murphy@fws.gov. Partners: Maryland Department of Natural Resources (MDNR)-Wildlife and Heritage Division, MDNR-Chesapeake Bay and Coastal Wetlands Services Division, MDNR-Engineering and Construction Division, Maryland Department of the Environment, and Maryland Department of Agriculture's Mosquito Control Program. Approved: March 2006. Grant: $39,000. Matching Funds: $39,630. Nonmatching Funds: $16,000. Joint Venture Region: Atlantic Coast. Flyway: Atlantic. BCR: 30. |
Project partners will construct approximately 50 water-control structures to restore the natural hydrology of 400 acres of high salt marsh in the State’s E.A. Vaughn Wildlife Management Area. The restored hydrology will approximate that which existed prior to the implementation of grid-ditching practices carried out in the early 1900s for the purposes of mosquito abatement. Stabilization of water levels will create a variety of permanent and semi-permanent water conditions characteristic of high marsh areas, such as shallow pools, pannes, and mudflats—all of which are important to foraging wetland-associated birds and other wildlife. |
| MASSACHUSETTS | |
| Project: Fitzgerald
Lake Conservation Area and Saw Mill Hills Conservation Area Bird Habitat
and Wetlands Expansion Project. Location: City of Northampton, Hampshire County, Massachusetts. Congressional District: 2. Grantee: City of Northampton-Office of Planning and Development. Contact: Wayne Feiden, (413) 587-1265, wfeiden@NorthamptonMA.gov Partners: Broad Brook Coalition. Approved: March 2006. Grant: $50,000. Matching Funds: $62,000. Nonmatching Funds: None. Joint Venture Region: Atlantic Coast. Flyway: Atlantic. BCR: 30. |
Project partners’ goal is to protect, safeguard, and enhance contiguous habitats within Northampton for the benefit of bird populations and other wildlife. To do this, they have been working together to purchase and permanently protect core areas as well as wildlife corridors in the city. In this project, partners will acquire several parcels of land in fee simple, approximately 100 acres in total, within and between the Fitzgerald Lake Conservation Area and Saw Mill Hills Conservation Area. The acreage being acquired contains approximately 17 wetland acres; the remaining, associated uplands. The project lands will be owned by the city and will be protected in perpetuity by the Northampton Conservation Commission. |
| MICHIGAN | |
| Project: Nayanquing
Point State Wildlife Area Coastal Wetland and Grassland Project. Location: Bay County, Michigan. Congressional District: 1. Grantee: Ducks Unlimited, Inc. - Great Lakes/Atlantic Region. Contact: Dennis McDonough, (734) 623-2000, dmcdonough@ducks.org. Partners: Michigan Department of Natural Resources’ Wildlife Division and Michigan Duck Hunters Association. Approved: March 2006. Grant: $36,105. Matching Funds: $38,735. Nonmatching Funds: $152,895. Joint Venture Region: Upper Mississippi River/Great Lakes. Flyway: Mississippi. BCR: 12. |
Project partners will enhance 865 acres of habitat important to waterfowl production and migration located at the State’s Nayanquing Point State Wildlife Area, on the western shore of Saginaw Bay. Partners’ work will involve replacing an outdated water-delivery and water-management system, including the pumps, water-distribution boxes, piping, and water-control structures. Within the project area, 46 acres of associated upland grassland will be enhanced through the removal of invasive shrubs. Partners’ efforts will help to provide waterfowl with more water for longer periods of time, native aquatic vegetation, and nesting habitat during critical times in their lifecyle. |
| Project: Wetland Property Acquisition for Migratory Birds. Location: Battle Creek Township, Calhoun County, Michigan. Congressional District: 7. Grantee: Calhoun Conservation District. Contact: Tracy Bronson, (269) 781-4867 extension 5, tracy.bronson@macd.org. Partners: Michigan Department of Military & Veteran’s Affairs-Fort Custer Environmental Section, Potawatomi Resource Conservation & Development Council, and Conservation Resource Management. Approved: March 2006. Grant: $50,000. Matching Funds: $61,800. Nonmatching Funds: None. Joint Venture Region: Upper Mississippi River/Great Lakes. Flyway: Mississippi. BCR: 13. |
Project partners will acquire in fee simple approximately 82 acres of State-owned wetlands containing mature hardwood forests, to be owned and maintained for conservation by the Calhoun Conservation District. Conservation easements on the project land will protect the wetlands in perpetuity. Partners also will acquire an easement on the adjacent, privately owned land for access to the otherwise “land-locked” project area. The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will provide technical assistance during the design and implementation of a Conservation Plan for the project area. |
| MINNESOTA | |
| Project: Rapids Lake Acquisition and Restoration Project. Location: Carver County, Minnesota. Congressional District: 2. Grantee: Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge Trust, Inc. Contact: Tom Cooper, (952) 858-0713, tom_cooper@fws.gov. Partners: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Approved: March 2006. Grant: $50,000. Matching Funds: $75,000. Nonmatching Funds: $4,741. Joint Venture Region: Upper Mississippi River/Great Lakes. Flyway: Mississippi. BCR: 23. |
Project partners will acquire approximately 12.5 acres of land adjacent to the Rapids Lake Unit of the Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge, adding to their accomplishments in acquiring and protecting another 103 adjacent acres previously. As part of this project, partners will donate the combined 115.5 acres of floodplain to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) for inclusion in the refuge, protecting in perpetuity habitat important to migratory birds and other wildlife. The Service will purchase and plant 10,000 trees on 40 acres of the refuge to advance its floodplain-forest restoration goals. In total, partners' efforts will affect 155.5 acres. |
| Project: Roberts
Waterfowl Production Area Restoration Initiative. Location: Blue Earth County, Minnesota. Congressional District: 1. Grantee: Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge Trust, Inc. Contact: Deborah Loon, (612) 728-3772, dloon@mn.rr.com. Partners: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program. Approved: March 2006. Grant: $50,000. Matching Funds: $360,700. Nonmatching Funds: $5,000. Joint Venture Region: Prairie Pothole. Flyway: Mississippi. BCR: 11. |
Project partners will acquire the 280-acre Roberts Waterfowl Production Area, located in the Maple Creek Watershed, and donate it to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service). The acquired land will be added to the Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge, where the Service will protect it in perpetuity and manage it for waterfowl production. This parcel will help to replace the value lost on existing refuge land due to an airport expansion project. Partners also will restore the parcel’s 80 acres of wetlands and 200 acres of grasslands. |
| NEVADA | |
| Project: Desert
Gun Club Wetland Restoration and Enhancement. Cancelled. Location: Churchill County, Nevada. Congressional District: 2. Grantee: Ducks Unlimited, Inc. Contact: Mark Biddlecomb, (916) 852-2000, mbiddlecomb@ducks.org. Partners: Desert Gun Club, Bruce Cunningham, Scott Snelling Construction, and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Approved: March 2006. Grant: $50,000. Matching Funds: $143,923. Nonmatching Funds: $25,890. Joint Venture Region: Intermountain West. Flyway: Pacific. BCR: 9. |
Project partners will enhance approximately 295 acres of wetlands and 5 acres of wetland-associated uplands on the 850-acre, privately owned Desert Gun Club property, located along Massie Slough. In particular, partners’ activities will include conducting a topographic survey, preparing an engineering design, installing a well and pump, constructing a 3,500-feet water-conveyance system and 300 lineal feet of levee, replacing five deteriorated water-control structures, acquiring additional water rights, and removing non-native, invasive vegetation. Partners’ efforts will help to improve water distribution, increase efficiency of water use, increase the acreage of wetland habitat, and improve vegetation-management capabilities. |
| Project: Ruby Lake National Wildlife Refuge Wetland Enhancement. Location: Elko and White Pine Counties, Nevada. Congressional District: 2. Grantee: Ducks Unlimited, Inc. Contact: Mark Biddlecomb, (916) 851-5309, mbiddlecomb@ducks.org. Partners: Nevada Waterfowl Association, Bald Mountain Mine, Wildlife & Habitat Improvement of Nevada, and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Approved: March 2006. Grant: $50,000. Matching Funds: $125,000. Nonmatching Funds: $469,760. Joint Venture Region: Intermountain West. Flyway: Pacific and Central. BCR: 9. |
The 40,000-acre Ruby Lake National Wildlife Refuge represents one of the most significant wetland areas in Nevada and in the entire Intermountain West. Aging and failing water-management systems on the refuge, however, are causing the degradation of management unit levees, loss of open-water areas due to cattail and bulrush encroachment, and loss of loafing islands for migratory birds due to erosion. The resulting situation is deterioration of prime wildlife habitat. Project partners will replace 21 failing water-control structures and install seven new structures, enabling better manangement and enhancement of 9,055 acres of palustrine emergent wetlands. Prior to carrying out these enhancement activities, a refuge-wide topographic survey will be conducted to better inform the design and placement of structures. |
| NEW HAMPSHIRE | |
| Project: Piscassic Greenway Conservation Initiative. Location: Towns of Newfields and Newmarket, Rockingham County, New Hampshire. Congressional District: 1. Grantee: Rockingham Land Trust. Contact: Brian Hart, (603) 778-6088, bhart@rockinghamlandtrust.org. Partners: Town of Newfields, New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Adminstration’s Coastal and Estuarine Land Conservation Program, Newbury North Development, and Trust for Public Land. Approved: March 2006. Grant: $50,000. Matching Funds: $100,000. Nonmatching Funds: $8,422,908. Joint Venture Region: Atlantic Coast. Flyway: Atlantic. BCR: 30. |
Project partners will acquire and protect the 329-acre Piscassic Greenway, the largest block of undeveloped land in the Town of Newfields that is otherwise slated to become a residential development of 100 or more houses. The greenway is located along the Piscassic River and contains significant wetlands and riverine habitats important to migratory birds and other wildlife. Of the 329 acres to be protected, one 318-acre parcel will be owned in restricted fee and managed by the Rockingham Land Trust; the remaining 11-acre parcel will stay in private ownership. The Town of Newfields will hold the conservation easements on both parcels. The Piscassic Greenway acquisition is the key to linking more than 2,600 acres of prior-conserved land spanning four towns. Partners’ efforts also will help to protect the quality of two public water supplies and offer extensive outdoor recreational activities for the long term. |
| NEW YORK | |
| Project: Acquisition and Protection of Private Property within Wetland Complex. Location: Town of Moravia, Cayuga County, New York. Congressional District: 24. Grantee: Owasco Flats Nature Reserve, Inc. Contact: Jean Siracusa, (315) 252-7436, jeans@bci.net. Partners: Finger Lakes Land Trust, Ducks Unlimited, Inc., The Nature Conservancy, and Owasco Valley Audubon Society. Approved: March 2006. Grant: $16,400. Matching Funds: $35,500. Nonmatching Funds: None. Joint Venture Region: Atlantic Coast. Flyway: Atlantic. BCR: 13. |
Project partners will acquire the 15-acre, privately owned Larkin Tract, which is within the Owasco Flats—an extensive, 350-acre area at the south end of Owasco Lake. The property contains 14 wetland acres and 1 upland acre; although relatively small, the Larkin Tract’s adjacency to protected wetland parcels owned by Cayuga County and the City of Auburn make it an integral part of partners’ future wetland restoration plans in the Owasco Flats wetland complex. The tract also contains 1,000 feet of frontage each on the Owasco Inlet and on State Route 38, making it a prime target for development. The tract will be acquired in fee simple and managed for conservation by the Owasco Flats Nature Reserve; Finger Lakes Land Trust will hold a reversionary interest in the deed. |
| NORTH CAROLINA | |
| Project: Butner-Falls of Neuse Game Land Managed Wetlands Enhancement Project. Location: Durham County, North Carolina. Congressional District: 4. Grantee: North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission. Contact: George Norris, (919) 707-0066, George.Norris@ncwildlife.org. Partners: None. Approved: March 2006. Grant: $50,000. Matching Funds: $50,000. Nonmatching Funds: None. Joint Venture Region: Atlantic Coast. Flyway: Atlantic. BCR: 29. |
The Butner-Falls of Neuse Game Land is owned by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and is under cooperative, long-term management by the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission. In this project, four failing or failed water-control structures will be replaced with ones that are more durable, longer lasting, and capable of allowing maximum water-management flexibility in three sub-impoundments of the project area’s Flat River Impoundment. Enhanced water management on the 246 project acres will help to provide improved habitat for migrating and wintering waterfowl and other wetland-associated species. The project area is located within the Atlantic Coast Joint Venture’s Jordan-Falls of Neuse Waterfowl Focus Area. |
| Project: Suggs Millpond Game Land Managed Wetlands Enhancement Project. Location: Bladen County, North Carolina. Congressional District: 7. Grantee: North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission. Contact: George Norris, (919) 707-0066, George.Norris@ncwildlife.org. Partners: None. Approved: March 2006. Grant: $28,000. Matching Funds: $80,052. Nonmatching Funds: None. Joint Venture Region: Atlantic Coast. Flyway: Atlantic. BCR: 27. |
Within the 9,280-acre, permanently protected Suggs Millpond Game Land area, approximately 10,365 linear feet of detrimental tree growth will be removed along interior windrows and exterior dikes, and 8,500 feet of ditches will be cleaned. These enhancement efforts will help to provide more efficient water-level management on 130 acres within the project area, optimize the conditions desireable for producing wetland vegetation, and increase the attractiveness of the area to waterfowl, shorebirds, and other waterbirds. Incorporated into this project as match is the value of the 53-acre MacFayden property; it was purchased last fall by the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission, which added it to its Suggs Millpond Game Land area. The project area is located within the Atlantic Coast Joint Venture’s Carolina Bays Waterfowl Focus Area and within priority areas of the South Atlantic Migratory Bird Initiative. |
| RHODE ISLAND | |
| Project: Wetland Restoration on Three National Wildlife Refuges and Adjacent Lands in Rhode Island: Phase I. Location: South Kingston and Charlestown, Washington County, Rhode Island. Congressional District: 2. Grantee: Ducks Unlimited, Inc. Contact: Dennis McDonough, (734) 623-2000, dmcdonough@ducks.org. Partners: Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management's Office of Mosquito Abatement Coordination, Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s (USFWS) Rhode Island National Wildlife Refuge Complex, USFWS Southern New England Coastal Program, and USFWS Partners for Fish and Wildlife. Approved: March 2006. Grant: $50,000. Matching Funds: $60,938. Nonmatching Funds: $47,500. Joint Venture Region: Atlantic Coast. Flyway: Atlantic. BCR: 30. |
At the Rhode Island National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) Complex, project partners will control Phragmites australis, an invasive, non-native plant species considered to be the highest management priority of all such invasive plants. Its ability to establish itself easily, reproduce prolifically, and disperse readily makes eradication costly, labor-intensive, and difficult; in the meantime, it quickly displaces native communities by out-competing them for sunlight, water, and nutrients. Previous eradication efforts at Trustom Pond NWR, one of the complex’s five refuges, resulted in a 90 percent decrease in Phragmites. In this project’s first phase, partners will build on their success by continuing eradication efforts at this refuge, plus extending such efforts to adjacent private lands and to the Ninigret NWR. Additionally, partners will assess the Phragmites situation at John H. Cafee NWR. In total, partners’ Phragmites control measures will help to restore native habitat on 52 acres of protected coastal wetlands. The project lands are within the Atlantic Coast Joint Venture’s Coastal Ponds Focus Area, as well as its Ninigret Pond and Trustom Pond Sub-Focus Area. |
| SOUTH CAROLINA | |
| Project: Cedar Island Enhancement Project. Location: Georgetown County, South Carolina. Congressional District: 1. Grantee: South Carolina Department of Natural Resources. Contact: Jim Westerhold, (843) 546-3226, WesterholdJ@dnr.sc.gov. Partners: The Nature Conservancy, Ducks Unlimited, Inc., and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Approved: March 2006. Grant: $50,000. Matching Funds: $50,000. Nonmatching Funds: $3,000. Joint Venture Region: Atlantic Coast. Flyway: Atlantic. BCR: 27. |
Cedar Island contains 2,800 acres of managed coastal wetlands and is an integral part of the Santee Coastal Reserve Wildlife Management Area. Water-management systems on the island’s four moist-soil management units are not adequate, however, for producing the good water flow and variation of salinity levels needed to promote a diversity of wetland vegetation for migratory birds and other wildlife. Project partners will improve the infrastructure on the four units of Cedar Island by installing several water-control structres and constructing 1 mile of drainage ditch. Partners’ efforts will enhance and maximize their capability to control water levels and vegetation on 2,316 acres for the benefit of migrating and wintering waterfowl, wading birds, and shorebirds. |
| Project: Combahee Fields Revitalization Project. Location: Colleton County, South Carolina. Congressional District: 6. Grantee: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service-Ernest F. Hollings ACE Basin National Wildlife Refuge. Contact: Brian Woodward, (843) 889-3084, brian_woodward@fws.gov. Partners: Combahee Plantation, Sewee Association, South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, and Ducks Unlimited, Inc. Approved: March 2006. Grant: $20,000. Matching Funds: $20,000. Nonmatching Funds: $10,000. Joint Venture Region: Atlantic Coast. Flyway: Atlantic. BCR: 27. |
The 11,815-acre Ernest F. Hollings ACE Basin National Wildlife Refuge contains two tracts: the Edisto River Unit and the Combahee River Unit. At the Combahee River Unit, the ability to manage water on three rice field impoundments is significantly compromised by a severely deteriorated rice trunk, or water-control structure. Given this structure’s location directly on the Combahee River, it is imperative that it operate at optimum efficiency in order to capture irregular freshwater surges generated by riverine tidal influences. In replacing this structure, project partners will be enhancing a total of 375 wetland acres important to migratory birds and other wildlife on the refuge. |
| Project: Murphy Island Enhancement Project. Location: Charleston County, South Carolina. Congressional District: 1. Grantee: South Carolina Department of Natural Resources. Contact: Jim Westerhold, (843) 546-3226, WesterholdJ@dnr.sc.gov. Partners: The Nature Conservancy, Ducks Unlimited, Inc., and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Approved: March 2006. Grant: $50,000. Matching Funds: $80,000. Nonmatching Funds: $3,000. Joint Venture Region: Atlantic Coast. Flyway: Atlantic. BCR: 27. |
Murphy Island contains 5,913 acres of managed coastal wetlands and is an integral part of the Santee Coastal Reserve Wildlife Management Area. Project partners will improve the infrastructure on three large moist-soil management units at Murphy Island, enhancing and maximizing their ability to control water levels and vegetation for the benefit of migratory birds and other wildlife. In particular, partners’ work will involve dividing a 2,572-acre unit into three sub-units by reestablishing a 1.5-mile dike and installing several water-control structures. |
| TEXAS | |
| Project: Rio Bosque Water Supply Well. Location: El Paso County, Texas. Congressional District: 16. Grantee: University of Texas at El Paso. Contact: John Sproul, (915) 747-8663, John Sproul, (915) 747-8663, jsproul@utep.edu. Partners: El Paso County Water Improvement District No. 1, El Paso/Trans-Pecos Audubon Society, U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, and Western Dewatering. Approved: March 2006. Grant: $9,000. Matching Funds: $32,786. Nonmatching Funds: $13,032. Joint Venture Region: Playa Lakes. Flyway: Central. BCR: 35. |
The 372-acre Rio Bosque Wetlands Park is owned by the City of El Paso and managed by the University of Texas at El Paso. The park includes a historic 2-mile bend of the Rio Grande that has been cut off from the river since the mid 1930s, when the river was channelized. Today, the park’s wetlands are maintained by the treated wastewater they receive in the fall and winter from the adjacent wastewater treatment plant. During spring and summer, however, all of that water is typically used for irrigation, leaving the park completely dry. Project partners will install a well capable of providing a flow of water throughout the 2-mile historic river bend and inducing the periodic flooding of associated wetlands. A total of 68 acres will be positively affected by partners’ efforts and includes 22 acres of riparian habitats, 13 acres of palustrine emergent wetlands, 30 acres of palustrine unconsolidated shore, and 3 acres of riverine intermittent streambed. Providing water to the project area at critical times during the irrigation season will benefit waterfowl and other wildlife and will encourage the growth of more diverse wetland vegetation. |
| Project: Wetland Enhancement for the Myrtle Foester-Whitmire Preserve. Location: Calhoun County, Texas. Congressional District: 14. Grantee: Guadalupe-Blanco River Trust. Contact: Todd Votteler, (830) 379-5822, tvotteler@gbra.org. Partners: Bob Green (refuge volunteer). Approved: March 2006. Grant: $37,228. Matching Funds: $37,500. Nonmatching Funds: None. Joint Venture Region: Gulf Coast. Flyway: Central and Mississippi. BCR: 37. |
The 3,440-acre Myrtle Foester-Whitmire Preserve is part of the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge and hosts 18 percent of the waterfowl wintering on the Texas Gulf Coast. The preserve’s water-management systems are in need of improvements in order to provide adequate water levels and food resources for waterfowl and other migratory birds on the project area’s managed impoundments and second-crop rice fields. Based on the designs and planning provided by engineer/hydrologist and refuge volunteer Bob Green, project partners will install additional water-control structures and rehabilitate portions of the preserve’s existing canal system. A total of 900 acres of palustrine emergent wetlands and 240 acres of estuarine intertidal emergent wetlands will be enhanced. |
| UTAH | |
| Project: The New State Wetland Enhancement. Location: Salt Lake and Davis Counties, Utah. Congressional District: 1. Grantee: New State, Inc. Contact: Douglas Olsen, (801) 295-3421, dougolson2@qwest.net. Partners: Steven Bamberger, William Bennett, Owen Kent Covey, Douglas Olsen, Donald Penney, James Raines, James Heart Verden, Wetlands Foundation, and Ducks Unlimited, Inc. Approved: March 2006. Grant: $49,112. Matching Funds: $131,923. Nonmatching Funds: None. Joint Venture Region: Intermountain West. Flyway: Pacific. BCR: 9. |
Project partners will enhance approximately 1,200 acres of palustrine emergent wetlands on The New State property, a privately owned duck club located on the southeast shore of the Great Salt Lake marsh complex. Enhancement activities will involve eliminating Phragmites australis, an invasive, non-native plant species that quickly out-competes and wipes out native plant communities. Partners will be building on their previous, successful eradication efforts on 400 acres in the project area by carrying out such efforts on another 800 acres. |
| WASHINGTON | |
| Project: Bagley
Lake Farm Wetland Restoration, Olympic Peninsula. Location: Clallam County, Washington. Congressional District: 6. Grantee: Clallam Conservation District. Contact: Clea Rome, (360) 452-1912 extension 112, clea.rome@wa.nacdnet.net. Partners: John Warrick, Ruth Jenkins, and USDA National Resources Conservation Service. Approved: March 2006. Grant: $15,918. Matching Funds: $15,918. Nonmatching Funds: $1,276. Joint Venture Region: Pacific Coast. Flyway: Pacific. BCR: 5. |
Project partners will restore approximately 10 acres of privately owned wetlands in the Dungeness River Watershed, in a former lakebed drained for agriculture. The landowners are eager to restore the area to its historic condition for the benefit of migratory birds and other wildlife. Partners will excavate the site to a grade that will achieve saturation by groundwater and support aquatic and emergent vegetation; revegetate upland and wetland areas with native species; and control non-native, invasive species such as reed canary-grass. |
| Project: Otto Preserve Expansion Project. Location: Whatcom County, Washington. Congressional District: 2. Grantee: Lummi Island Heritage Trust. Contact: Rebecca Rettmer, (360) 758-7997, becca@liht.org. Partners: Northwest Ecological Services, Charles Beard, Holmes & Thorn, Dana Kershner, Peg Larson, Ann Morris, Michael Moye, Charles Papish, Smith Family, and Jean and David Kershner. Approved: March 2006. Grant: $50,000. Matching Funds: $239,000. Nonmatching Funds: $1,000. Joint Venture Region: Pacific Coast. Flyway: Pacific. BCR: 5. |
The 70-acre Otto Preserve is located on Lummi Island, part of the San Juan Island archipelago in northern Puget Sound. The preserve is owned and managed by Lummi Island Heritage Trust as a wildlife refuge and a place for people to experience nature. Project partners will enlarge the size of the Otto Preserve to 94 acres through the acquisition of a 17-acre parcel adjacent to the preserve and a donation of 7 additional privately owned acres. Of the 24 project acres being added to the preserve, approximately 20 are wetland acres. The 17-acre parcel is the largest remaining undeveloped tract of land in the immediate vicinity of the Otto Preserve. All project lands will be protected in perpetuity. |
| WISCONSIN | |
| Project: Leopold Memorial Reserve-Migratory Habitat Expansion. Location: Fairfield Township, Sauk County, Wisconsin. Congressional District: 2. Grantee: Sand County Foundation, Inc. Contact: Brent Haglund, (608) 663-4605 extension 24, bhaglund@sandcounty.net. Partners: None. Approved: March 2006. Grant: $50,000. Matching Funds: $91,550. Nonmatching Funds: None. Joint Venture Region: Upper Mississippi River/Great Lakes. Flyway: Mississippi. BCR: 23. |
In consultation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Aldo Leopold Foundation, the Sand County Foundation will acquire and add a 15-acre inholding to the Leopold Memorial Reserve. The project parcel, which had been managed for pasture and row-cropped, will be permanently protected and restored to native grassland habitat for waterfowl and other migratory birds. This parcel is contiguous to the floodplain of the Wisconsin River; protecting it from being developed will help to ensure water quality there as well as within the preserve. |
| Project: Scuppernong River Wetland Restoration, Phase II. Location: Waukesha County, Wisconsin. Congressional District: 5. Grantee: Kettle Moraine Natural History Association. Contact: Donald Reed, (262) 547-6721, dreed@sewrpc.org. Partners: Greater Milwaukee Foundation and USDA's Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program. Approved: March 2006. Grant: $50,000. Matching Funds: $50,000. Nonmatching Funds: $23,000. Joint Venture Region: Upper Mississippi River/Great Lakes. Flyway: Mississippi. BCR: 23. |
The Scuppernong River Habitat Area is a 3,500-acre area of primarily state-owned land within the Kettle Moraine State Forest. The project area contains many wetland remnants, including shallow marsh, sedge meadow, wet prairie, wet-mesic prairie, and calcareous fen. In the past, the area’s wetlands were drained and farmed, and the marsh hay harvested. Project partners will restore 200 acres of wetlands in the northern half of the Scuppernong River Habitat Area through tree and brush removal, as well as restore 1 mile of old stream bed. |
| Project: Whitefish Lake and Wetland Preservation. Location: Gordon, Douglas County, Wisconsin. Congressional District: 7. Grantee: West Wisconsin Land Trust, Inc. Contact: Richard Gauger, (715) 235-8850, rgauger@wwlt.org. Partners: Ted Griggs, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, Lake Superior Land Trust Partnership, Duluth Superior Area Community Foundation, University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, Nelson Tietz and Hoye, and Lucretia Paddock. Approved: March 2006. Grant: $50,000. Matching Funds: $726,500. Nonmatching Funds: None. Joint Venture Region: Upper Mississippi River/Great Lakes. Flyway: Mississippi. BCR: 12. |
Shorelines along northwest Wisconsin’s Whitefish Lake and associated wetlands are being converted to residential development at an alarming rate. Project partners will acquire a permanent conservation easement on a 37-acre property along Whitefish Lake that contains an entire wetland complex, more than 2,680 feet of lake shoreline, and oak-savanna and prairie remnants. The private landowner, Ted Griggs, will continue to own and manage the property according to the conservation easement for the benefit of migratory birds and other wetland-associated wildlife. |
| Project: Willow River and Kinnickinnic State Parks Nesting Habitat Enhancement Project. Location: St. Croix and Pierce Counties, Wisconsin. Congressional District: 3. Grantee: Pheasants Forever, Inc. Contact: Ron Leathers, (651) 773-2000, rleathers@pheasantsforever.org. Partners: Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources-Wildlife Department. Approved: March 2006. Grant: $50,000. Matching Funds: $96,075. Nonmatching Funds: None. Joint Venture Region: Upper Mississippi River/Great Lakes. Flyway: Mississippi. BCR: 22. |
The Willow River and Kinnickinnic State Parks provide important nesting and stopover habitat for migrating waterfowl. The productivity of grasslands surrounding the parks’ rivers and backwaters has been significantly hampered through insufficient vegetative management in recent years. Woody vegetation encroachment and a predominance of monotypic smooth brome grass have reduced waterfowl use of the area considerably. Project partners will enhance 165 acres and restore another 305 acres of wetlands and uplands within the two parks to provide improved breeding and nesting habitat for waterfowl and other grassland birds. |
| Project: Wisconsin Private Lands Conservation: Ten projects in southern Wisconsin. Location: Columbia, Dodge, Juneau, Marquette, Rock, Waukesha, and Winnebago Counties, Wisconsin. Congressional District: 2, 3, 5, and 6. Grantee: Wisconsin Waterfowl Association. Contact: Matthew Ruwaldt, (608) 516-2441, livebaitboy@yahoo.com. Partners: None. Approved: March 2006. Grant: $12,000. Matching Funds: $12,697. Nonmatching Funds: None. Joint Venture Region: Upper Mississippi River/Great Lakes. Flyway: Mississippi. BCR: 23. |
The 10 wetland areas involved in this project all have been previously altered in some way, either through ditching, drainage-tile installation, or sedimentation from surrounding uplands. These privately owned wetlands, comprising a total of 89 acres, will be restored and protected through renewable 10-year landowner agreements. Restoration work will involve ditch filling, tile removal, and sediment removal. Participating landowners and their subproject locations are: John Welke, Columbia County; Bill Peebles, Waukesha County; Lee Engleman, Winnebago County; Robert Dralle, Dodge County; Richard Kilmer, Juneau County; Tom Knorre, Marquette County; Dave Jansen, Marquette County; Rodney Van Beeck, Rock County; and Mike Sina (two subprojects), Marquette County. |
/birdhabitat/Grants/NAWCA/Small/2006.shtm was last updated 11/01/07 06:34:37
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