Ducks Unlimited • Great Lakes/Atlantic Region 1

DU AWARDED $1 MILLION GRANT FOR SWAN LAKE NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGEDucks Unlimited was recently awarded a $1 million North American Wetlands Conservation Act (NAWCA) grant to facilitatewetland conservation habitat within the Lower Grand River Basin of north-central Missouri. Activities identified in this grant will specifically target Missouri’s Swan Lake National Wildlife Refuge (NWR). As a result of this funding opportunity and a dedicated partnership, we will be able to protect and restore some of the region’s most productive habitat for the benefit of waterfowl and other migratory birds.

Swan Lake NWR is the core component of a wetland complex within the Lower Grand River Basin of north-central Missouri that includes over 22,000 acres of state and federal lands and 16,000 acres of privately owned United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Wetlands Reserve Program (WRP) easement properties. Together, these wetlands and associated uplands provide vital habitat for migrating waterfowl, shorebirds, and many other wetland dependent species, representing some of the most premier wetland habitat in the Midwest. Habitat restoration in this region provides a national showcase of what is possible for landscape/wetland restoration when local, state, and federal government and nongovernment partners work together.

This project will affect 1,890 acres of habitat on Swan Lake NWR. This includes restoration of 780 acres (487 acres of wetlands and 293 acres of native grasslands) and enhancement of 1,110 acres of existing wetlands (918 acres in South Pool and 192 acres in M-15). See map of proposed NAWCA work at Swan Lake NWR for further details.

Ducks Unlimited partnered with private donors, the Missouri Department of Conservation and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to receive NAWCA funds. Project partners committed approximately $2.14 million in matching funds to the $1 million from NAWCA. Work on the refuge is expected to begin summer 2014, and weather dependant on-the-ground construction would be completed summer 2015.

MISSOURIS TAT E C O N S E R VAT I O N R E P O R T 2014

PART OF THE BIG RIVERS INITIATIVE

Proposed NAWCA Work at Swan Lake NWR. Ducks Resting in Swan Lake Moist Soil.

www.ducks.org2

S U P P O R T I N G T H E V I S I O N

CONFLUENCE FOCUS AREA – “AMERICA’S FLOODPLAIN”MISSOURI TARGET AREA: ST. LOUIS, ST. CHARLES, LINCOLN AND PIKE COUNTIESAt the Confluence of the Mississippi, Illinois and Missouri Rivers is North America’s greatest floodplain. Carrying waters from over half of the United States landscape, this region serves vital ecological functions such as storage and purification of floodwaters, and provides critically important migration habitat to over 250 species of waterfowl, wading birds and neo-tropical migrant songbirds.

Today however, the ability of “America’s Floodplain” to serve these vital ecological functions is at great risk. Approximately 90% of the historic wetland habitat base has been altered by man’s activities. Modern agriculture has utilized the naturally fertile flood plain to feed a growing world population while a locally sprawling urban population views the flood plain as expansion zones for factories, homes, airports and shopping malls.

Acknowledging the importance of this area to our mission, in 2003 Ducks Unlimited (DU) established the “Confluence Focus Area” (CFA) as one of DU’s priority Conservation Regions. In an effort to protect, restore and enhance the remaining floodplain and its ecological values DU and conservation partners are working to combine resources with those of other private, government, and non-government conservation entities to find win-win strategies for floodplain conservation. The Missouri portion of the CFA is generally described as the floodplain of the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers located in Pike, Lincoln, St. Charles and St. Louis counties containing approximately 292K floodplain acres. Historically this floodplain contained numerous wetlands and associated backwater areas with marshes and wet prairies on the poorly drained soils and bottomland hardwood forest on the better-drained sites. Today, a series of locks and dams on the Mississippi and channelization of the Missouri River for barge navigation have drastically altered the hydrology in the region. The main bottoms have been converted to cropland and although many of the islands are still timbered, they are now covered with low-value trees, such as willow, cottonwood and hackberry. The remnant oak-dominated forests were killed by submergence in the flood of 1993. The CFA contains approximately 43K acres of State and Federal public land in addition to over 31K acres of privately managed wetlands and duck clubs.

More than any other event, the great flood of 1993 has defined the realities and functional limits of the Missouri portion of the CFA. More than 1K flood protection levees failed, 70K buildings were damaged, and 50 people lost their lives. Estimated damages totaled over $12 billion, with $3 billion worth of damages occurring in Missouri.

Despite the flood of 1993, development of the Confluence floodplain remains the greatest threat to this important ecological resource. Since 1993 approximately 4K acres of floodplain have been converted to commercial buildings, factories, and shopping malls. The vast majority of these acres were under floodwaters just 20 years ago. Commercial and residential projects underway, or in planning stages, threaten to convert 14K additional acres in St. Louis, St. Charles, and Lincoln counties alone.

With the majority of land in the CFA privately owned, efforts to achieve focus area goals are dependent on the collective efforts and accomplishments of Federal, State and local private land programs. While conservation partners are utilizing numerous programs, long-term conservation easements including the Wetland Reserve Program (WRP), and/or donated/purchased DU conservation easements are among the best tools for preserving long-term conservation values of the CFA. With over 31K acres of privately managed duck clubs and hundreds of thousands of acres in agriculture production within the CFA, emphasis is needed on helping all willing landowners understand the importance of the Confluence and the variety of programs available to insure long-term floodplain protection.

From a MO DU specific accomplishment standpoint, to date DU holds 26 Conservation Easements in the Missouri Portion of the CFA for a total of 8,154 acres. These 26 Conservation Easements have generated nearly $38M in Conservation Easement Value (CEV) which has been made available as match to secure additional grant dollars for delivering additional wetland habitat acres. For example, DU and conservation partners in Missouri have used a portion of this CEV as match to secure 9 standard ($1M apiece) NAWCA grants which have enhanced/restored an additional 23K acres of wetland habitat, mostly on public lands in Missouri.

Ducks Unlimited • Great Lakes/Atlantic Region 3

MEET YOUR MISSOURI CONSERVATION STAFF

8 Projects Completed

718 Acres Conserved

83 Acres Protected via Conservation Easements

15,214 Acres of Technical Assistance

$432,070 Invested

2013ACCOMPLISHMENTS

C O N S E R V A T I O N S U M M A R Y

DUCKS UNLIMITEDP R O J E C T S

Completed to date Completed in 2013

Note: Project points may represent more than one project.

Mark FlaspohlerManager of Conservation Programs – IA, KY and MO20004 S. Hartsburg Hills RoadHartsburg, MO 65039

Contact:Phone: (573) 356-1146mflaspohler@ducks.org

Kerry G. Scott P.E.Regional Engineer – KY and MO3923 Viola ViewJefferson City, MO 65101

Contact:Phone: (573) 634-3800kscott@ducks.org

www.ducks.org4

MISSOURI AGRICULTURE WETLANDS “CONSERVATION PARTNERS DEMONSTRATING THE COMPATIBILITY OF WETLANDS AND AGRICULTURE”In Missouri 93% of the original wetland habitat base has been lost and an estimated 87% of that wetland loss occurred during the 1950’s thru the 1970s. In many locations across the state, modern engineering has tamed the once-existing swamps and marshes and converted the rich alluvial floodplains of the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers into highly productive farmland.

Today agriculture plays a vital role in sustaining Missouri’s social and economic well-being. If Missouri is to be successful in restoring wetland functions and values to our great floodplains we will need to do so in partnership with Missouri Agriculture.

The Missouri Agriculture Wetland Initiative (MAWI) is a cooperative partnership between Farm Service Agency (FSA), Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS), Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC), United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), Ducks Unlimited (DU), Missouri Audubon and Missouri landowners to integrate wetlands into agricultural operations.

MAWI originated as, and continues to be a good marketing, outreach and education effort directed at bringing awareness to Missouri producers and landowners regarding the important role wetlands play in regards to overall soil, water quality and wildlife conservation, and the multitude of practices currently available that can make a positive difference in their farming and conservation bottom line.

In 2004 DU, in partnership with MDC, NRCS and FSA, was granted United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) approval to provide additional financial support to landowners interested in “Enhancing” their CP-23 design to allow for the seasonal flooding

of adjoining cropland. The additional cost of the “Enhancement,” which usually entails additional earth work and/or larger water control structures, is provided by a cooperative agreement between DU and MDC and pays 100% of the “Enhancement,” costs up to a maximum amount of $10,000 per hydrologic site. The landowner must agree to pay for additional costs after the $10,000 limit and sign a cooperative wetland habitat development agreement with DU. To date, on-the-ground delivery of this program has been implemented primarily by the NRCS/MDC Wetland Teams located in the Chillicothe and Fulton Missouri USDA Offices.

MAWI has been reasonably successful in demonstrating the compatibility that exists between wetlands and agriculture. Presently, the partnership agreement has completed 25 separate projects on private lands and has restored the wetland function and values on 733 acres of moist soil wetlands and has provided flooding potential to an additional 1,031 acres of row crops.

The MAWI Agreement was modified in 2013 to incorporate MAWI Phase III, specifically to focus on a continuation of restoring wetlands in collaboration with the USFWS and MDC to address wetland dependent wildlife needs in Missouri. MAWI Phase III builds on a landscape-scale focus for other important historic wetland areas designated by the USFWS Partner for Fish and Wildlife Program’s 2013-2017 Strategic Plan, Conservation Opportunity Areas associated with the Missouri Comprehensive Wildlife Strategy (State Wildlife Action Plan) and DU’s Big Rivers Initiative to address wetland habitat needs along large river systems in Missouri.

F R I E N D S O F D U C K S U N L I M I T E D

Ducks Unlimited conserves, restores

and manages wetlands and associated habitats for

North America’s waterfowl. These habitats also

benefit other wildlife and people.1220 Eisenhower Place, Ann Arbor, MI 48108

734.623.2000 • 734.623.2035 (Fax)

MAWI Project Field Survey