|
Ducks Unlimited held a dedication ceremony Saturday to honor the partners who provided funding for the development of the McPherson Valley Wetlands Project, a critical area for migrating waterfowl and other wildlife near McPherson, Kansas. Prior to drainage, the McPherson wetlands complex was an important resting and feeding stopover for spring and fall migrant birds. More than 200 bird species were documented on the area between 1909 and 1927. "Today, fewer than 10 of the original 52 shallow marshes remain," said Julius Wall, chair of the Board of Ducks Unlimited. "Most of the area is farmed, although many tracts drain only partially or very slowly. In dry years, these sites are extensively farmed. In wet years (three out of five years), they hold enough water to provide quality habitat for waterfowl, shorebirds, and a variety of wildlife." Over the past decade, conservation interests, lead by Ducks Unlimited, the Kansas Department of Wildlife & Parks, and the Kansas Chapter of The Nature Conservancy, have purchased 2,770 acres of the original wetland basins and restored 40 percent of the area into functioning marshes. "Ecologically, these historic wetlands have been one of the most important landscapes in the state," said Alan Pollom, state director of the Kansas Chapter of The Nature Conservancy. "They provide a source of food and a resting place for migrating waterfowl and more than 112 species of birds, including rare species like the whooping crane, white-faced ibis, peregrine falcon, snowy plover, piping plover and the least tern." Completed restoration already has helped increase the number of bird species using the area by 27 percent. Recent counts record at least 112 species of birds, including 17 species of dabbling and diving ducks. Several threatened or endangered species use the area, including the whooping crane, which in 1995, was recorded on the area for the first time in 100 years. The long term goal of the project is to acquire 5,000 acres of wetlands and associated uplands and to restore the maximum number of acres possible.
|
