New program adds 12,000 acres of Arkansas wetlands for waterfowl

BY Randy Zellers

LITTLE ROCK — Nearly 12,000 additional acres of wetlands will greet waterfowl in The Natural State this winter, thanks to the successful implementation of the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission’s Conservation Incentive Program.

The program was funded through special set-aside funds by the Arkansas General Assembly. Throughout spring and summer, AGFC staff worked with private landowners to offer $3.5 million in incentives to help improve wildlife habitat on their property. The initiative was developed similar to many cost-share conservation incentives provided through Farm Bill programs, but is targeted specifically at wildlife and fisheries needs in Arkansas on a state level.

Two of the nine practices comprising the initiative focused on open wetland habitat, and another incentivized forest management on private greentree reservoirs.

According to Randy Brents, Assistant Chief of the AGFC Private Lands Habitat Division, roughly 11,871 acres of land has been placed under contracts to enhance habitat for waterfowl this winter. Many of these acres may have been tilled early or left dry during the migration if not for the incentive.

“We have contracted with farmers to flood 10,961 acres of rice fields using surface water sources during a 90-day portion of the waterfowl wintering period, and none of those acres will be tilled, leaving as much waste grain as possible for ducks and geese,” Brents said. “Another 910 acres of native wetland plants will be flooded that can offer even more benefit to waterfowl and other migratory species.”

According to Brents, 127 landowners signed up to implement the flooded rice and wetland practices.

“Those are all acres that are above and beyond what normally would be contracted by other programs,” Brents said. “One of our requirements was that the land couldn’t be enrolled in another cost-share or incentive that paid for flooding.”

Brents said this boom in additional acreage is only a portion of the wetlands being provided by the AGFC and other agencies. The AGFC will fund nearly 16,000 acres of wetlands on private land this season.

“We have another 4,000-plus acres in the Waterfowl Rice Incentive Conservation Enhancement Program this winter that promotes flooded rice fields with an additional caveat that landowners allow some limited public hunting through a permit-based draw system,” Brents said. “And this year, thanks to the federal Migratory Bird Resurgence Initiative, an additional 29,946 acres are enrolled in federal programs to promote wetlands in the state for wildlife benefits. Our private lands biologists have been working hard with landowners to apply for these incentives as well.”

Garrick Dugger, Private Lands Habitat Division Chief, says the vision of this new initiative is simple: “You don’t manage wildlife in a bubble. Whether it’s private or public land, the success of wildlife habitat management depends on the land surrounding you, not just what you control. Even if we manage the public land absolutely perfect, we’re only affecting 10 percent of Arkansas’s land, the rest is up to private landowners, so we want to help with their efforts as well.”

Dugger said the connection between private and public land management is most obvious in migrating birds like waterfowl.

“We know that it takes wetland habitat on a landscape level to provide energy for migrating ducks and geese,” Dugger said. “Even if all of the public land in Arkansas is flooded and full of food, it’s only a fraction of the habitat needed to draw ducks to Arkansas and give them the nutrition they need during and after migration. Private land accounts for so much more of our state’s landmass, and it’s the actions of those landowners that play a pivotal role in wildlife management for us all. If rice fields aren’t wet, hunters everywhere notice it in empty skies and empty game straps.”

The Conservation Incentive Program is an undertaking by the AGFC’s Private Lands Habitat Division and is made possible by Greenway Equipment, an AGFC cultivating partner. Visit www.agfc.com/habitat for more information.

Boozman, Cardin Laud Congressional Passage of Legislation Protecting Migratory Birds

Photo by Steve Smith

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators John Boozman (R-AR) and Ben Cardin (D-MD), senior members of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, applauded passage of bipartisan legislation that will enable the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to support conservation partners along migratory flyways throughout the Western Hemisphere. The Senate approved the bill Wednesday and it now heads to the president’s desk to be signed into law. 

“I applaud Senate passage of legislation to protect migratory birds. This will allow us to build on the success we’ve seen from this program and provide certainty for vulnerable bird populations for generations to come,” said Boozman, a Migratory Bird Conservation Co-Chair.

“I am glad to see the Senate take swift action to pass Migratory Birds of the Americas Conservation Enhancement Act. This bill makes thoughtful improvements to a critical bird habitat conservation program at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The unique program helps to ensure that in the backyard birds we know and love in Maryland like the Baltimore Oriole have places to nest and winter along their full migratory journey,” Cardin said. “Support for this important conservation program has been a cornerstone of my environmental work in the Senate, but I am not done yet. I will continue to work with my colleagues to ensure the program’s funding levels continue to keep pace with its important work.” 

The Migratory Birds of the Americas Conservation Act, formerly the Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act, has a proven track record of reversing habitat loss and advancing conservation strategies for the hundreds of species of birds considered neotropical migrants—birds that spend summers in North America and winter in Central and South America and the Caribbean. Since 2002, the program has provided more than $89 million in grants to support 717 projects across five million acres of bird habitat in 43 countries. The federal investment in this program is leveraged to spur significant private partner funding.

Boozman, Cardin Introduce Bill to Safeguard Migratory Bird Habitats

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators John Boozman (R-AR) and Ben Cardin (D-MD), senior members of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, introduced legislation to reauthorize the Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act which enables the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to support conservation partners along migratory flyways throughout the Western Hemisphere. This is the only federal grant program that ensures the links in the full migratory chain have the conservation support they need. It promotes the long-term conservation, education, research, monitoring and habitat protection for more than 380 species of migratory birds along their full migratory pathway.

Photo by Robert Gramner

The legislation makes key improvements to the program, most notably lowering the required cost-sharing requirement for grant recipients from 3:1 to 2:1, which will make it more accessible to smaller organizations. The new legislation provides $6.5 million over five years. These and other strategic improvements will allow the program to better respond to the demonstrated need for funding and grow the local partner base.

 “As a Migratory Bird Conservation Co-Chair, protecting and improving migratory bird habitat is a priority for me. The Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act will continue to build on the success we’ve seen from this program and provide certainty for vulnerable bird populations for generations to come,” said Boozman, a member of the Migratory Bird Conservation Commission.

“Neotropical migratory birds, like our beloved Baltimore Oriole, take tremendous journeys,” said Cardin, “Their migratory paths require ‘habitat anchors’ that the species have relied on for tens of thousands of years. The wetlands of the Chesapeake Bay watershed provide one such critical stopover for hundreds of species traveling along the Atlantic Flyway each year. However, it is just one of many habitats that link together the full migratory chain. The Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act program supports habitat conservation along their entire flight path. It is a proven success story, and I am proud of the improvements this bill makes.” 

“At a time when we are losing billions of birds, the legislation led by Senators Cardin and Boozman is critical to ensuring the survival of migratory birds all along their hemispheric routes, and to help communities conserve their own natural landscapes," said Felice Stadler, vice president of government affairs, National Audubon Society. “We thank Senators Cardin and Boozman for their leadership in conserving migratory species, who delight 96 million birdwatching Americans every year.”

“Public-private partnerships are essential to effective conservation efforts in the U.S. and globally. I applaud Senator Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Cardin and International Conservation Caucus Co-Chair Senator Boozman on their leadership promoting sound policy solutions regarding migratory birds as well as resource management issues around the world,” said David Barron, Chairman, International Conservation Caucus Foundation.

“Projects funded through the Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act help conserve vulnerable bird populations while strengthening our ecosystems across the Americas,” said Karen Waldrop, Ducks Unlimited Chief Conservation Officer. “From Canada to the Bahamas – and everywhere in between – migratory birds know no boundaries, and the habitat investments of this bipartisan program reflect that. We applaud Senators Cardin and Boozman for their leadership.”

Since 2002, the Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act program has provided more than $89 million in grants to support 717 projects across five million acres of bird habitat in 43 countries. The federal dollars invested in this program are leveraged to spur significant private partner funding.