Success in Indiana
The state of Indiana is set to become a national leader in wetlands and wildlife protection, as two landmark conservation projects were recently announced. According to the Chicago Tribune, Indiana in partnership with the federal government and private conservation groups will buy and preserve more than 25,600 acres along the Muscatatuck River which will ensure the protection of one of the state’s largest and most intact bottomland forest.
Along with the Muscatatuck Bottoms plan, the state announced the Wabash project, the largest conservation initiative ever undertaken by the Indiana Department of Natural Resources. The Nature Conservancy explains that the state will acquire 43,000 acres in the floodplain of the Wabash River and Sugar Creek from willing sellers, which will benefit wildlife, public recreation and the environment. The area involved spans 94 miles along the river, and according to Governor Mitch Daniels it will be one of the largest continuous wildlife and waterfowl habitats in the eastern United States.
The Tribstar reports that the state will use $21.5 million from the Lifetime License Trust Fund, a state trust fund dedicated to conservation purposes, and $10 million from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, to begin the necessary land acquisitions. Additional funding will come from Ducks Unlimited, the Nature Conservancy, and the U.S. Dept of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service.
The Wabash is biologically diverse and increased protection means that migratory birds such as ducks and geese will be able to find vital resting areas in Indiana while on their way to Mexico for the winter. Although the ultimate goal of the initiative is to protect habitats and threatened species, the project will also bring significant flood control advantages to the area, according to Governor Daniels in the Tribstar. Sounds like a win/win situation for all species!
Tags: Conservation, Ducks Unlimited, Governor Mitch Daniels, Indiana, Muscatatuck River, Nature Conservancy, Sugar Creek, Wabash, waterfowl
Happy World Wetlands Day!
World Wetlands Day (Feb. 2) recognizes those countries that have signed the Convention on Wetlands of International Importance, a conservation agreement called the Ramsar Convention. The agreement provides an outline for the conservation and wise use of wetlands and their resources. It came into popular effect in 1975, and remains today the only global environmental treaty that deals with a particular ecosystem.
Canada (with 37 Ramsar sites) and the United States (with 26 Ramsar sites) are among the many countries who have signed the agreement. Canada has more sites than the U.S. partly because Canada is home to 25% of the world’s wetlands.
Wetlands, according to the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC), include swamps, ponds, marshes, and peat bogs. They function similarly to giant sponges, soaking up rain and snow melt water, and slowly releasing it during drier seasons while filtering it to help reduce pollution and soil erosion.
Wetlands are the exclusive home to plants, fish and birds that use them for breeding, nesting and feeding. Sadly, wetlands are disappearing. In Canada, organizations such as the Nature Conservancy of Canada and Ducks Unlimited work together to try to preserve wetlands.
Much of this work is part of the Nature Conservancy’s partnership with the Government of Canada. The Natural Areas Conservation Program is a $225 million grant given to the NCC by the government in 2007, which the organization is responsible for managing. The grant assists NGOs in securing ecologically-sensitive lands, and involves the government matching funds raised by the NGOs. As of September 2009, the program has saved over 302,880 acres, protecting habitat for over 79 species at risk.
The Nature Conservancy of Canada determines which natural areas are significant based on an area’s level of biodiversity and the threats it faces. Much of this information is gathered through the eight Conservation Data Centres established by the organization across Canada since 1988.
Once priorities are set, the NCC works with private landowners to secure ecologically-significant land identified as conservation priorities. NCC acquires and protects land through land purchase, donation, conservation agreement or relinquishment of mining or timber rights.
NCC’s work doesn’t end when the land is acquired. Ongoing land management is needed to ensure the continued health of ecosystems and the plants and animals that live within them.
The program is certainly a positive one for a government that didn’t do much good in Copenhagen. Let’s hope that by recognizing the good that they’re doing here, we can encourage the government to care for the climate – the very climate that provides the rain and snow that make wetlands possible.
Tags: Ducks Unlimited, marshes, Nature Conservancy, peat bogs, ponds, Ramsar, swamps, Wetlands
