12,000 wetland acres to be restored and protected in four states

The Migratory Bird Conservation Commission recently awarded $2.17 million in North American Wetlands Conservation Act (NAWCA) funds for three projects within the Playa Lakes Joint Venture (PLJV) region during its Sept. 12 meeting in Washington, D.C. The combined projects will protect and restore nearly 12,000 wetland and upland acres in critical bird migration areas in northcentral Kansas, central Oklahoma, western Nebraska, and eastern Wyoming.

In Kansas, $468,000 in NAWCA funding was awarded for the Phase II of the Jamestown Wildlife Area restoration project. This project is being led by the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks and Ducks Unlimited, with help from The Nature Conservancy, Pheasants Forever, and several other conservation groups, municipalities, and companies. Partners’ combined contributions for this phase total $940,682. For phase II, partners will continue wetland restoration and acquisition work underway on two large marshes totaling 1,130 acres. Once all phases of the project are completed, 7,000 acres will have been restored and/or acquired. This area contains migration and wintering habitat for four high-priority waterfowl species and more than 20 other high priority wetland-associated birds.

More information on PLJV projects may be found on their website, www.pljv.org.

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