Ducks Unlimited receives nearly $52 million for agricultural conservation efforts

Four USDA grants support climate-smart agriculture practices on working land

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced major investments in climate-smart agriculture practices, including four projects totaling $52 million awarded to Ducks Unlimited (DU).

The grants are awarded under the Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP), which incentivizes a voluntary, partnership-driven approach to conservation on working agricultural lands. The DU-led projects to receive funding are located in Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota and Wisconsin.

“Over the last 86 years, DU has learned the tremendous value in partnering with producers to create the best outcome for both waterfowl and people,” said DU CEO Adam Putnam. “The partnership-driven, incentive-based agricultural practices supported by these grants will make meaningful improvements to water and soil quality, biodiversity and habitat for waterfowl and other wildlife – all while helping increase the productivity and sustainability of the land. We applaud this historic investment and look forward to helping transition these dollars into the landscape.”

The funding is part of a $1.7 billion investment by USDA in climate-smart agriculture practices, which support habitat for waterfowl and other wildlife, offer additional revenue streams for farmers and ranchers, and have a host of ecosystem services.

“This isn’t just an investment in habitat or agriculture, it’s a down payment on the long-term sustainability of our land, wildlife and natural resources,” said Dr. Karen Waldrop, DU Chief Conservation Officer. “From helping to sequester carbon and improve soil health to preventing erosion and filtering and storing water, each of these projects offers an immense amount of value to our environment that far exceeds the habitat benefits alone. These grants will help DU magnify that impact on a larger scale.”

A brief summary for each DU-led project receiving funding is below. For a full list of projects to receive funding, visit the USDA’s website, here.

Scott County Iowa Working Lands for Resilient Communities –$8,000,000

Ducks Unlimited, through the Scott County Iowa Working Lands for Resilient Communities project will install Climate smart conservation practices such as in-field and edge-of-field wetland restoration to improve water availability (flood and drought), water quality, soil health, and wildlife habitat.

Kansas-Nebraska Wetland Initiative –$10,000,000

The Kansas-Nebraska Wetland Initiative project will create, restore and protect wetland and riparian barriers in Nebraska and Kansas. The project will address inadequate habitat for fish, wildlife, and invertebrates, excess/insufficient water/drought, and degraded plant condition. Ducks Unlimited anticipates protecting 5,000 wetland acres, 9,000 upland acres, restore 3,000 acres of upland grassland and remove 7,000 acres of invasive species.

South Dakota Grasslands Initiative –$25,000,000

Ducks Unlimited and other project partners expect to restore 25,000 acres of grassland over five years in South Dakota. These activities will support the increase of soil carbon, reduce nitrogen loss, and sequester atmospheric carbon. The project will integrate spatial data with scientific modeling to translate acres of grassland restored into environmental outcomes such as carbon sequestered, flood water storage, increased migratory waterfowl biodiversity, reduced soil erosion and nitrogen and phosphorus runoff.

Wisconsin Priority Watershed Protection –$8,833,105

Ducks Unlimited’s Wisconsin Priority Watershed Protection project will restore and protect 800 acres of wetlands and associated upland areas, resulting in lasting improvements in water quality, carbon sequestration, and biodiversity. This project aims to improve native habitat availability by 20% and net greenhouse gas emission reductions through soil health improvements, including work in high organic material soils.

For more information, visit www.ducks.org, and be sure to Follow DU’s Twitter feed – @DucksUnlimited and @DUConserve – to get the most up-to-date news from Ducks Unlimited.

Ducks Unlimited Inc. is the world’s largest nonprofit organization dedicated to conserving North America’s continually disappearing waterfowl habitats. Established in 1937, Ducks Unlimited has conserved more than 14.5 million acres thanks to contributions from more than a million supporters across the continent. Guided by science and dedicated to program efficiency, DU works toward the vision of wetlands sufficient to fill the skies with waterfowl today, tomorrow and forever. For more information on our work, visit www.ducks.org.