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Kansas Wildlife Area Dedicated
Jamestown Wildlife Area Restoration and Expansion Project Underway.

Ducks Unlimited

CHARLESTON, S.C. –-(AmmoLand.com)- JAMESTOWN, Kansas --(AmmoLand.com)- Partners gathered on September 19th for a dedication and greenwing event on the Jamestown Wildlife Area. One of 12 expansive wetlands deeded by the U.S. Congress to the State of Kansas in 1859, Jamestown WA was once a waterfowl migration cornerstone made of fresh and saltwater marshes, riparian areas, and native grasslands of the Lower Republican River Basin.

Greenwings, Ducks Unlimited members under 18, had the opportunity to band Canada Geese under the supervision of Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks personelle. Following the banding, speakers representing a variety of partners discussed the importance of the project and the area.

As with many wetlands across North America, Jamestown wetlands were deeded to settlers and drained for other land uses resulting in the loss of many thousands of acres of important wildlife habitats. Today, conservation organizaitons and agencies striving to restore and protect these crucial wildlife habitats are celebrating great strides in the Jamestown Wetland Project.

Dedication speakers included Kansas Greenwing Chair Jane Irvine, Asst. Secretary of the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks Keith Sexton, Past Chair of the Kansas Alliance for Wetland and Streams Dennis Haag, Playa Lakes Joint Venture Conservation Policy Director Barth Crouch, Pheasants Forever Field Representative Jordan Martincich, Executive Director of CloudCorp Kirk Lowell, Representative Elaine Bowers, Kansas House District 107, and Mayor Judy Hill of Jamestown.

The overall goals of the project are to expand the present day Jamestown WA from 4,620 acres to as much as 7,285 acres, thus creating a 13-mile wetland habitat corridor. Additionally, 3,500 acres will have wetlands and grasslands restored to habitat representing the pre-settlement landscape in 1859. To date, our conservation partnership has accomplished 35% of these land acquisition and restoration goals.

Partners on the project include Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks, North American Wetland Conservation Council, Ducks Unlimited, The Nature Conservancy, Kansas Alliance for Wetlands and Streams, Pheasants Forever, Westar Energy, Kansas Wildlife Federation, CloudCorp, Cloud County Board of Commissioners, City of Jamestown, Cloud County Convention and Tourism, Jewell County Board of Commissioners, Republic County Board of Commissioners, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and over 30 private individuals.

About:
With more than a million supporters, Ducks Unlimited is the world’s largest and most effective wetland and waterfowl conservation organization with more than 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 important to waterfowl each year.

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DU And Partners Receive $1 Million For South Carolina Wetlands Conservation
Federal NAWCA Grant Supports Long-Term Wetland Conservation.

Ducks Unlimited

CHARLESTON, S.C. –-(AmmoLand.com)- Ducks Unlimited and partners received a $1 million North American Wetlands Conservation Act grant for protection and enhancement of over 8,000 acres of diverse wildlife habitat in Beaufort, Charleston, and Georgetown counties in South Carolina. Partners contributed over $3.2 million in matching funds toward the federal grant.

“Over 27 percent of South Carolina’s original wetlands have been lost,” said Craig LeSchack, Ducks Unlimited Director of Conservation Programs. “In response to this dramatic decline, DU established the South Carolina Lowcountry Initiative over 20 years ago to curtail the continuing loss of important wetland habitat. Today the Initiative is a nationally recognized wetlands conservation effort that covers 3 million acres across 14 coastal counties in cooperation with the goals of the North American Waterfowl Management Plan.”

As a continuation of these long term conservation goals, this grant includes four project sites in public and private ownership including the Ormand Hall Unit at Santee Coastal Reserve, the Tom Yawkey Wildlife Center, the Bonny Hall Unit at ACE Basin National Wildlife Refuge, and private land under a permanent conservation easement.

“The South Carolina Lowcountry Wetlands Initiative I project combines the financial contributions, expertise and management skills of government agencies, non-government project partners, and private landowners with grant funds to support a mix of wetlands protection and enhancement projects,” LeSchack said.

Project partners include the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Ducks Unlimited, Wetlands America Trust, the Yawkey Foundation, and a private landowner.

“The South Carolina Department of Natural Resources has partnered with Ducks Unlimited for over 25 years in improving habitat across the state and we are pleased to partner again with DU on the wetland enhancement projects at the Santee Coastal Reserve and the Tom Yawkey Wildlife Center,” John Frampton, SCDNR director, said. “The work on these areas will improve over 3,000 acres of habitat for waterfowl, shorebirds, wading birds, and other wetland wildlife.”

In Washington, D.C., Ducks Unlimited’s governmental affairs staff works with Congress to garner support for annual funding of NAWCA. To date, NAWCA has helped fund more than 1,600 wetland projects on 25 million acres in all 50 states, every province of Canada, and areas in Mexico. In South Carolina alone, NAWCA projects have conserved over 180,000 acres.

About:
With more than a million supporters, Ducks Unlimited is the world’s largest and most effective wetland and waterfowl conservation organization, having conserved over 12 million acres. The United States alone has lost more than half of its original wetlands – natures’ most productive ecosystem – and continues to lose more than 80,000 wetland acres each year.

Filed under: Conservation News by Ammoland No Comments »