Ditto the "good post" sentiments, Ole Bufflehead.
I had my fill long ago of unsubstantiated bashing of ANY organization, but DU does seem to get an inordinate amount of attention. However, I had to participate in this thread because of the NAWCA reference and the false implication that DU was preventing federal funding from getting to other organizations.
For those of you unfamiliar with NAWCA, it's a federal program that offers grants of up to $1-million for wetland habitat work. It contains a sub-program, the Small Grant program, for smaller projects that offers grants of $50,000. Besides the technical merit of the proposal, the key to getting NAWCA funding is partnerships and dedicated non-federal matching funds. NAWCA requires at least 1:1 match, but most successful proposals provide more like 2:1 non-federal matching funds.
Here is a briefing of the 5 proposals recently evaluated by the Gulf Coast Joint Venture Management Board including partners and non-federal matching funds.
1)
Mobile-Tensaw Delta IV (Alabama): $1,000,000 requested.
Project goal is to preserve, enhance, and restore forested wetland and marsh habitat within the Mobile-Tensaw River delta. This phase aim is to acquire 9 tracts of land contiguous to the USACE and Alabama Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries Division's tracts to be managed as public land.
$150,000 The Nature Conservancy of Alabama
$150,000 Mobile Water and Sewer Board
$200,000 Coastal Land Trust
$2,860,000 Alabama's Forever Wild Program
2)
Pointe-aux-Chenes Hydrologic Restoration: $992,914 requested.
Goal is to restore and enhance coastal marsh habitat on an estimated 5,960 acres of public land within the Gulf Coast J.V.'s Mississippi River Coastal Wetland Initiative Area. Specifically it aims to 1) stop erosion of 1,224 acres of coastal marsh by constructing a 3,200-foot rock breakwater and 2) restore historic salinities and hydrology to 4,736 acres of degraded coastal marsh by constructing 1 levee and installing/operating 4 water-control structures.
$4,696 Burlington Resources
$14,380 LaTerre Company Ltd.
$100,000 Ducks Unlimited Inc.
$855,963 Louisiana Dept. Wildlife and Fisheries
$1,200,200 Terrebonne Consolidated Government
3)
Louisiana Coastal Wetlands II: $1,000,000 requested.
Goal is to restore and enhance wetland habitat on an estimated 20,277 acres (2,202 public and 18,705 private) within the Gulf Coast J.V.'s Chenier Plain Initiative Area. Specific aims are 1) restore 297 acres of prior converted wetlands to moist-soil habitat via levee construction and water-control structures, 2) restore 1,356 of coastal marsh by constructing and planting terraces, 3) enhance 8,860 acres of agricultural lands as seasonal wetlands, 4) restore 10,275 acres of coastal marsh by renovating a failed levee, water-control, and trenasse system.
$104,000 Vermillion Corporation
$129,682 Ducks Unlimited Inc.
$164,500 Dedicated Landowner contributions
$1,059,178 Louisiana Dept. Wildlife and Fisheries
4)
Wetland Restoration and Enhancement Along the Texas Mid-Coast: $595,218 requested.
Goal is to acquire, restore and enhance wetlands and associated uplands in Matagorda, Colorado, and Wharton Counties (part of Gulf Coast Joint Venture's Texas Mid-Coast Initiative Area). Specific aims are 1) acquire 1,100 acres of tidal wetlands to be opened to the public and managed by Lower Colorado River Authority, 2) acquire 1,100 acres of wetlands and 300 acres of uplands on another tract to be restored by LCRA and opened to the public, 3) restore and/or enhance 500 acres of prior converted wetlands, 4) restore and/or enhance 36 acres of prior converted wetlands and 210 acres of prior converted uplands, 5) enhance 480 acres of agricultural land as seasonal wetlands, 6) restore 150 acres of prior converted coastal prairie, 7) restore 80 acres of prior converted forested wetlands, and
restore 1 acre of non-tidal freshwater wetlands to be managed by LCRA.
$4,000 Texas Parks and Wildlife Dept.
$5,000 Reliant Energy
$45,600 W.S. Sherrill Waterfowl Hunting (eligibility of $39,600 purchase of "duck water" is under review)
$94,600 Private landowner contribution
$99,338 Ducks Unlimited Inc.
$105,000 Private landowners enrolled in Texas Prairie Wetland Project
$130,000 Texas Rice Industry Coalition for the Environment
$576,632 Lower Colorado River Authority
5)
NWRS Centennial Mississippi River Initiative: $792,042 requested.
Goal is to restore and enhance wildlife habitat, hydrologic function, and water quality on various National Wildlife Refuges along the entire stretch of the Mississippi River. 19 projects are proposed on 18 NWR's including 1) restoring mudflats and emergent vegetation on 2 open-water impoundments at Bayou Sauvage NWR in Louisiana and 2) stablizing existing beach, accreting dunes, and stabilizing back-marshes valuable to waterfowl on Breton Island and other islands of the Chandeleur Chain that were damaged by Hurricane Georges.
This proposal was not complete. Only $458,493 in non-federal match was dedicated by The Centennial Commission and another $329,760 from other partners was under review.
As you can see, when DU has a role, it is to HELP other organizations get federal funding for projects of high value to waterfowl. This may be one of DU's most valuable functions .... leveraging donor's money and using their technical expertise to get funding for larger, more significant projects than they could fund by themselves.
But MUCH more importantly, notice how important the NAWCA program has been to implementing the conservation initiatives of the North American Waterfowl Management Plan. Regardless of who provides the "call to arms", it's important this program be supported by anyone interested in the waterfowl resource.
