Prairie Pothole Region not protected by Clean Water Act

World’s most productive duck breeding grounds in immediate danger

MEMPHIS, Tenn. June 5, 2007 - Most wetlands remain in jeopardy today. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, geographically isolated wetlands are not protected under the Clean Water Act. The two federal agencies issued a joint guidance Tuesday for how their field offices should interpret and implement the Rapanos-Carabell Supreme Court decision of 2006.

"The guidance issued today in response to the 2006 Supreme Court decision provides some clarity with respect to protection of a small subset of wetlands, but it excludes protection for tens of millions of acres of geographically isolated wetlands. These wetlands, typified by the prairie potholes, are the lifeblood of the breeding grounds and are the most important wetlands to waterfowl on the continent," said Ducks Unlimited Executive Vice President Don Young. "This guidance makes it clear that passage of legislation such as the Clean Water Restoration Act is vitally important if we are going to maintain the wetlands that waterfowl depend upon. Ducks Unlimited will work with Congress, with federal agencies, and with the White House to find ways to protect prairie potholes and other important wetlands."

Contact Ducks Unlimited to join and make a difference in this very important issue!

BP America $2 million donation helps DU secure wetlands grant

Louisiana coastal wetlands restoration is the focus

LAFAYETTE, La., June 2, 2007 – A new North American Wetlands Conservation Act grant awarded to Ducks Unlimited will fund conservation activities on 11,024 acres in southwest Louisiana. Ducks Unlimited used a $2 million donation by BP America to match federal dollars to earn the grant.

“Ducks Unlimited is grateful to have BP as a partner on this project, and we commend their commitment to wetland conservation along the Louisiana coast,” said Bob Dew, Ducks Unlimited (DU) regional biologist.

The restored wetlands will provide wintering and migration habitat for several waterfowl species including northern pintails, mottled ducks and mallards. BP’s contribution to this grant came from a $40 million conservation donation it gave Louisiana in 2002.

The objective of the project is to restore and protect coastal wetlands on public and private lands damaged or at risk of damage from human-caused saltwater intrusion. Saltwater intrusion kills vegetation and exposes marsh soils to severe wave erosion.

DU will manage the installation of two water control structures on Rockefeller State Wildlife Refuge. DU and several private landowners will also share the cost of replacing at least 13 inoperable water control structures. The new structures will allow control of water levels and help reduce saltwater intrusion and excessive flooding.

Managing water and salinity levels that mimic natural fluctuations will prevent conversion of vegetated wetlands to open water.

“In some situations, elevated freshwater conditions for extended periods are just as harmful as high salinity saltwater,” Dew said. “Adequate management of fresh and saltwater is necessary to achieve desirable habitat conditions in these situations in southwest Louisiana.”

BP America donated the 71,130-acre White Lake Wetland Conservation Area to Louisiana for conservation purposes in 2002. The property containing fresh marsh and associated uplands was valued at $40 million. The property’s value has provided key matching funds for eight North America Wetlands Conservation Act grant projects. These projects have restored or enhanced thousands of wetland acres in southwest Louisiana.

“We realize the benefits wetland conservation has for wildlife, people and the oil and gas industry,” said Marti Gazzier, general manager of BP government and public affairs for the Gulf Coast. “By restoring marshes and maintaining a sustainable ecosystem we can ensure the commercial, recreational and ecological functions of coastal Louisiana remain intact.”

The project will also benefit several commercially and recreationally important species including brown and white shrimp, blue crabs and red drum.

Additional partners providing funds to help secure the grant were the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, Louisiana Department of Natural Resources and several private landowners.

The Ducks Unlimited Governmental Affairs staff works with Congress in support of annual funding for the North American Wetlands Conservation Act. Louisiana’s delegation has been very supportive of the Act, including U.S. senators Mary Landrieu and David Vitter and representatives Rodney Alexander and Charles Boustany, whose districts are where the project will occur.

For more information on the North American Wetlands Conservation Act, go to www.ducks.org/nawca

Contact: Jennifer Kross
(601) 206-5449
jkross@ducks.org

With more than a million supporters, Ducks Unlimited is the world’s largest and most effective wetland and waterfowl conservation organization. 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.

Bruce Lewis elected Ducks Unlimited President

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MEMPHIS, Tenn., June 4, 2007 - Longtime Ducks Unlimited volunteer and national officer Bruce Lewis of Natchez, Mississippi, was elected president of Ducks Unlimited at the 70th Annual Ducks Unlimited Convention in Anchorage, Alaska. Lewis succeeds Dr. Jim Hulbert, who is now the wetlands and waterfowl conservation organization’s chairman of the board.

“To be standing here as president is an incredible and humbling experience,” Lewis said to a crowd of more than 1,200 Ducks Unlimited (DU) supporters.

“We all know of the imminent conservation needs of waterfowl and habitat. Our staff of biologists has prioritized those landscapes of greatest threat, and we will focus on those priority areas. We have the right team, the necessary tools and a noble mission,” Lewis said. “We will not deviate from our mission, and we will always remain true to our singleness of purpose to conserve, restore and manage wetlands and associated habitat for North American waterfowl.”

Lewis served as DU’s first vice president since May, 2005. He also served DU as an at-large board member, treasurer, regional vice president for the South Mississippi Flyway, sponsor chairman, district chairman, South Mississippi assistant state chairman and state chairman. In addition, Lewis served on both the Arts and Decoy Committee and Finance Committee and presently serves on the board of directors of DU Canada.

In his acceptance speech, Lewis outlined several goals during his tenure, which include focusing on DU’s conservation mission, while preserving its waterfowling heritage. Lewis also emphasized the importance of communication and education.

“What a heritage we have inherited. What a passion we have developed for that resource and this organization, which gives each of us the opportunity to give something back – to collectively make a meaningful and perpetual difference on the landscape when one person, working alone, cannot,” Lewis said. “Those of us who have been around this organization a long time don’t leave it, because we have been educated in what DU has accomplished and what we do so well. If we do a good job in educating our members and youth, it will pay dividends for Ducks Unlimited.”

Lewis, 57, received his B.A. and M.S.S. degrees from Mississippi State University and a J.D. from the University of Mississippi. He is a practicing attorney and partner in the law firm Gwin, Lewis and Punches in Natchez, where he resides with his wife Karen. They have three children, Grayson, Scott and Elizabeth.

Contact: Laura Houseal
(901) 758-3764
lhouseal@ducks.org

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.

Checkett OUT

Want to learn all about Ducks, Biology, Waterfowl Ecology.... Here is the blog that will help you do it all in regards to Ducks and Ducks Unlimited. Mike Checkett is a full time Waterfowl Biologist with Ducks Unlimited and his writing is educational! Check out the Blog Here!

Checkett Out, The official blog of Mike Checkett