Related Research Articles
The Northwest Montana Wetland Management District is a wildlife management region in the U.S. state of Montana, a part of the National Bison Range Complex along with four other wildlife refuges and the National Bison Range.
Benton Lake Wetland Management District is located in the U.S. state of Montana and is the largest wetland district in the nation. Covering an area of 25,000 sq mi (65,000 km2) the district extends from the Canada–United States border to Helena, Montana. Within the district are 23 Waterfowl Production Areas under conservation easements with local landowners ensuring these areas will not be developed, yet will remain within private ownership. The district is managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service with headquarters located at Benton Lake National Wildlife Refuge.
The National Wildlife Refuge System in the United States has a long and distinguished history.
The Lostwood Wetland Management District is located in the U.S. state of North Dakota and extends from the Canada–United States border to the neighboring state of Montana. The district consists almost exclusively of privately owned property, and landowners work cooperatively with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to manage the land to maximize natural and agricultural needs. Hundreds of small bodies of water, wetlands and uplands are set aside to increase bird productivity and provide habitat for native animals and plants. The district comprises various areas spread throughout northwestern North Dakota which include waterfowl production areas, wetland easements, grassland easements, and easement refuges. The properties are located in Mountrail and part of Ward County, North Dakota.
The Crosby Wetland Management District is located in the U.S. state of North Dakota. The district is located in the extreme northwestern section of North Dakota, along the border with Canada and the state of Montana. Within the district is the Lake Zahl National Wildlife Refuge, 96 parcels of land owned by the U.S. Government which are managed as Waterfowl Production Areas, and several hundred easement refuges that are on privately owned land which are cooperatively managed by the landowners and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
The San Luis National Wildlife Refuge Complex is located in the northern San Joaquin Valley, within Merced County and Stanislaus County of California. The complex, with four federal National Wildlife Refuges, is managed by the U.S Fish & Wildlife Service.
Straddling the headwaters of the Minnesota River in west-central Minnesota, Big Stone National Wildlife Refuge is within the heart of the tallgrass prairie's historic range. Today, less than one-percent of tallgrass prairie remains.
Northern Tallgrass Prairie National Wildlife Refuge was established to provide a means of working with individuals, groups, private organizations, and government entities to permanently preserve a portion of the remaining remnant tracts of northern tallgrass prairie in Minnesota and Iowa. The United States Fish and Wildlife Service is acquiring remnant prairie tracts for the refuge in both easement and fee title interests from willing sellers.
Dakota Lake National Wildlife Refuge is a National Wildlife Refuge in North Dakota. It is managed under Kulm Wetland Management District.
Maple River National Wildlife Refuge is a National Wildlife Refuge in North Dakota. It is managed under Kulm Wetland Management District.
Butte Sink Wildlife Management Area is located in Colusa, Butte, and Sutter Counties. It is wetlands managed as part of the Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge Complex and is not open to the public.
Detroit Lakes Wetland Management District is located in northwest Minnesota and includes the counties of Becker, Clay, Mahnomen, Norman, and Polk - an area of approximately 6,000 square miles (16,000 km2). The district is divided into three general landscape areas, roughly equal in size. From west to east, these are: the Red River Valley floodplain, the glacial moraine/prairie pothole region, and the hardwood/coniferous forest. The district currently manages over 42,000 acres (170 km2) of public land in 165 waterfowl production areas (WPAs). Additionally, district staff are responsible for more than 300 wetland and upland easements on private property, totaling more than 11,000 acres (45 km2).
The Fergus Falls Wetland Management District is a protected area in the U.S. state of Minnesota. It was established in 1962 with the initiation of the Accelerated Small Wetlands Acquisition Program. It is located in west central Minnesota and includes the counties of Douglas, Grant, Otter Tail, Wadena and Wilkin.
Litchfield Wetland Management District is located on the eastern edge of the Prairie Pothole Region in central Minnesota. More than 33,000 acres (130 km2) of United States Fish and Wildlife Service-owned land and 8,000 acres (32 km2) of wetland easements provide marsh, prairie, transition, and woodland habitats. District lands are located on over 150 waterfowl production areas scattered throughout seven counties. These areas vary greatly in size and vegetation and provide habitat for numerous plant and animal species.
The Minnesota Valley Wetland Management District is a fourteen-county district located in east central Minnesota, United States. It includes portions of the Minnesota, Cannon, and Mississippi River watersheds. The United States Fish and Wildlife Service works to protect the area's natural landscape through private lands habitat restorations, acquisition of waterfowl production areas (WPAs), and management of FmHA conservation easements. Since 1990, the Service has acquired 4,255 acres (17.22 km2) of WPAs and approximately 1,898 easement acres (7.68 km2). Private land restoration projects total 7,011 acres (28.37 km2) of wetland in 1,227 basins and 4,849 acres (19.62 km2) of native prairie on 223 sites.
The Morris Wetland Management District includes 244 waterfowl production areas, encompassing over 50,000 acres (200 km2) scattered throughout an eight-county area. Like other wetland management districts in the prairie states, the goal of the Morris District is to restore and protect sufficient wetland and grassland habitat to meet the needs of prairie wildlife, particularly breeding waterfowl, as well as provide places for public recreation.
The Windom Wetland Management District acquires and manages Waterfowl Production Areas, enforces wetland easements, and provides conservation assistance to landowners in 12 southwestern Minnesota counties. The landscape is dominated by intense, row-crop agriculture, which has led to the drainage of most wetlands and widespread water quality problems. Deteriorating drainage tile systems and the abundance of historic wetland basins provide unlimited opportunities for wetland restorations.
Located in south-central North Dakota, Kulm Wetland Management District was established in 1971. Located in the Prairie Pothole Region of North America, Kulm Wetland Management District provides breeding, nesting, and brood rearing areas for many species of waterfowl and other migratory birds. The District currently manages 201 waterfowl production areas that total 45,683 acres (184.87 km2), 3 national wildlife refuges that are easement refuges, and 120,000 acres (490 km2) of wetland and grassland easements. The District's headquarters is in Kulm, North Dakota.
The Summer Lake Wildlife Area is a 29.6-square-mile (77 km2) wildlife refuge located on the northwestern edge of the Great Basin drainage in south-central Oregon. It is administered by the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. The refuge is an important stop for waterfowl traveling along the Pacific Flyway during their spring and fall migrations. The Summer Lake Wildlife Area also provides habitat for shorebirds and other bird species as well as wide variety of mammals and several fish species. The Ana River supplies the water for the refuge wetlands.
Over the past 200 years, the United States has lost more than 50% of its wetlands. And even with the current focus on wetland conservation, the US is losing about 60,000 acres (240 km2) of wetlands per year. However, from 1998 to 2004 the United States managed a net gain of 191,750 acres (776.0 km2) of wetlands . The past several decades have seen an increasing number of laws and regulations regarding wetlands, their surroundings, and their inhabitants, creating protections through several different outlets. Some of the most important have been and are the Migratory Bird Act, Swampbuster, and the Clean Water Act.
References
This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents ofthe United States Fish and Wildlife Service .