FWS Announces $10 Million Land Purchase Program For Prairie Potholes

WASHINGTON, DC, March 15, 2004 (ENS) - "Half the amount in this year’s Duck Stamp Fund, $21 million, will be awarded to support wetland and grassland acquisition in the prairie pothole region, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said Friday. Stretching from Montana through Iowa, the region is the most important waterfowl producing area 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.

The largest of the joint venture areas under the North American Management Plan, the 3.67 million acre U.S. prairie pothole region, is a mosaic of prairie wetlands from Montana through North and South Dakota into Minnesota and Iowa.

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The Prairie Pothole Joint Venture intends to provide breeding habitat capable of supporting 6.8 million breeding ducks, including 1.2 million mallards and 1.1 million pintails, that produce a fall flight of 9.5 million ducks under average environmental conditions."

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http://forests.org/articles/reader.asp?linkid=30179