Many bird species will benefit from the action described below, thanks,=20=
among others, to purchasers of the federal duck stamp and members of=20 Ducks Unlimited. I urge you to buy a stamp and consider DU membership.=20= Bird conservation wears many hats. Jim Williams Wayzata =46rom an announcement by Ducks Unlimited: HAND COUNTY, S. D., Oct.. 16, 2006 =96 More than 10,300 acres of South=20= Dakota native prairie grasslands and wetlands have been permanently=20 protected with a nearly $3 million grant. This is thanks to the efforts=20= of a broad coalition of conservation partners including Ducks Unlimited=20= (DU), the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF), the U.S. Fish=20 and Wildlife Service (USFWS), the North American Wetland Conservation=20 Act (NAWCA) and 13 private landowners in central South Dakota. DU=20 received a grant from NFWF that provided a springboard to purchase=20 grassland easements on native prairie grassland and wetland complexes=20 that supply critical breeding habitat for a diversity of grassland=20 birds including waterfowl, shorebirds, raptors and songbirds. The USFWS used significant funds from the Migratory Bird Conservation=20 Stamp, or =93duck stamp,=94 to help protect a large portion of these=20 ranches via easements. All migratory bird hunters in the United States=20= are required to purchase a Migratory Bird Conservation Stamp to hunt=20 waterfowl, and the proceeds are used to protect critical habitat such=20 as the breeding areas in South Dakota. Out of every dollar generated=20 through stamp sales, 98 cents goes to the protection of critical=20 habitat. Since its inception in 1934, sales of Duck Stamps have=20 generated more than $670 million for wildlife conservation. A portion of the funding from NFWF comes directly from the =93Help=20 Budweiser Help the Outdoors=94 program. As part of the Budweiser sales=20= promotion, more than 180 participating Anheuser-Busch wholesalers=20 donated a percentage of proceeds from all bottles and cans of Budweiser=20= sold from Sept. 1 to Oct. 31, 2005. Ducks Unlimited and Budweiser have=20= partnered for years to conserve vital acres of habitat. The=20 relationship continues to pay off for the benefit of waterfowl. The benefits of this collaborative conservation work include=20 maintenance of the diverse native mixed grass prairie along with the=20 embedded wetlands and protection of critical breeding habitat for=20 Northern Pintails, mallards, blue-winged teal, marbled godwits,=20 Wilson=92s phalaropes, chestnut-collared longspurs and Baird=92s = sparrow.=20 The grasslands are also critical to ensuring the viability of the local=20= ranching industry, which is a cornerstone of the rural communities=20 across South Dakota.
