Grant to benefit Rainwater Basin
Source: Washington County Pilot-Tribune & Enterprise
June 01, 2007
The Rainwater Basin Habitat Conservation Project, Phase II, a joint project of Pheasants Forever (PF) and Ducks Unlimited (DU), has received a $1 million grant through the North American Wetlands Conservation Act (NAWCA).
The project will restore or enhance over 8,500 acres of wetland and grassland habitat in the Rainwater Basin to benefit the millions of waterfowl, other migratory birds, pheasants and other wildlife that call the basin home.
NAWCA is a federal grants program that funds wetland habitat conservation projects throughout North America.
NAWCA projects protect, restore and enhance habitat for waterfowl and other wildlife that depend upon wetlands.
According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Rainwater Basin has been identified by the North American Waterfowl Management Plan as a waterfowl habitat of major concern, having lost approximately 90 percent of its original wetland habitat.
NAWCA grants require applicants to match each federal dollar with at least one dollar from a non-federal source, so the project has also secured an additional $1 million through matching funds provided by PF, DU and other partners.
The more than $2 million in grant and match will help benefit wildlife in Adams, Butler, Clay, Fillmore, Franklin, Gosper, Hall, Hamilton, Kearney, Nuckolls, Phelps, Polk, Saline, Seward, Thayer and York Counties.
"Pheasants Forever is pleased to see the Rainwater Basin region of Nebraska recognized as an area of conservation importance," said Pete Berthelsen, PF senior field coordinator. "Many hunters and landowners are equally as passionate about pheasants and waterfowl, and two conservation powerhouses-Pheasants Forever and Ducks Unlimited-have the potential and the power to improve the area's wildlife habitat."
Steve Donovan, Ducks Unlimited's manager of conservation programs for Nebraska, said he is also excited about the project.
"Ducks Unlimited is very excited to be working with Pheasants Forever and several other partners involved in this effort," said Donovan. "The restoration and enhancement of wetlands, in association with native grasslands, will provide significant benefits to waterfowl, upland game birds and many other species of wildlife."
Steve Moran, the coordinator of the Rainwater Basin Joint Venture, said the project is an example of great teamwork.
"This project is an excellent example of conservation organizations and agencies working cooperatively to accomplish habitat restoration," Moran said.
In addition to PF and DU, the project includes the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, the Nebraska Environmental Trust, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Phelps County, numerous private landowners and four natural resource districts.
PF/QF has more than 115,000 members in 700 local chapters across the continent.
With more than a million supporters, Ducks Unlimited is the world's largest and most effective wetland and waterfowl conservation organization with almost 12 million acres conserved.
The United States alone has lost more than half of its original wetlands - nature's most productive ecosystem - and continues to lose more than 80,000 wetland acres each year.
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