Habitat program on endangered list

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A federal program that preserves Midlands wildlife habitat from the banks of the North Platte River in western Nebraska to the Owego Wetlands of western Iowa faces possible extinction.

Conservationists, birdwatchers, hunters, anglers, landowners, even city dwellers, are banding together to stop — or at least deflect — the budget ax.

The would-be executioners say they are sympathetic but have a job to do.

All spending is under scrutiny in these tough budgetary times, said Sen. Ben Nelson, D-Neb., a hunter whose state welcomed now-threatened federal funds to enhance wetlands when he was Nebraska's governor in the 1990s.

“There will be cuts, some of them painful, to bring down our national debt,” Nelson said.

At risk is the North American Wetlands Conservation Act. The $47.6 million program provides grants to restore and renovate wildlife habitat nationwide. The program enhances habitat used by migrating sandhill cranes, waterfowl and shorebirds in the spring and prairie songbirds in the summer and fall.

The wetlands program's funding for the remainder of this fiscal year is eliminated in the House of Representative's proposed budget bill released this month. The Senate is slated to propose its budget bill within a few weeks.

Many conservationists agree that the nation's projected budget deficit of nearly $1.5 trillion and a national debt level above $14 trillion are harming the U.S. economic recovery.

But cut federal waste while leaving the good alone, said H. Dale Hall, chief executive of Ducks Unlimited, a national waterfowl habitat conservation organization.

Hod Kosman of Scottsbluff, Neb., put it this way: “Find places where dollars aren't working hard for taxpayers. These dollars are working hard.''

Nebraska has 19 wetlands projects spurred by the federal program either completed or under way; Iowa has 34.

Kosman, president of Platte Valley Bank and Platte River Basin Environments, said he has personally donated to wetlands projects made possible by the federal seed money. Platte River Basin Environments works to protect important wildlife habitat and natural areas in the North Platte basin.

“These are the finest projects. They pinpoint critical waterfowl migration habitat,” he said. “Where else do we have programs where someone in Scottsbluff can span an entire continent?”

The national debate flared in the Midlands as conservationists signed final purchase papers Friday to acquire a 40-acre tract to round out the Smith Waterfowl Production Area in Clay County. Landowner Jeary Morgan sold the property to Ducks Unlimited and other organizations to enhance their ability to manage the now 520-acre site for waterfowl.

The $150,000 purchase was made possible by a $50,000 grant from the federal wetlands program and $100,000 from the Nebraska Environmental Trust, which distributes state lottery funds.

“It was the last piece of the puzzle in the conservation and protection of Smith lagoon,” said Steve Donovan of Grand Island, manager of Ducks Unlimited's state conservation programs.

The North American Wetlands Conservation Act not only protects migratory bird habitat but creates jobs, launches billions of dollars in private matching funds, expands recreational opportunities, benefits hundreds of wildlife species and increases water quantity and quality across Nebraska, Donovan said.

It also provides a boost to recreation and tourism, he said. Nearly two weeks ago, Ducks Unlimited awarded a $100,000 contract to a local construction firm to restore wetland habitat near Scottsbluff. The project was made possible by a federal wetlands grant, he said.

Since the act's inception in 1989, about 150 projects have enhanced more than 50,000 acres of Nebraska wildlife habitat. Initial federal grants of $11.4 million in Nebraska have stimulated more than $21.2 million in contributions by project partners. In Iowa, $16.4 million in federal funds triggered contributions of more than $65.7 million.

Among the early Nebraska projects was Heron Haven Wetland near 120th Street and West Maple Road in northwest Omaha. It was kept out of commercial development in part by $44,000 from the wetlands program. The site is a spring-fed sanctuary featuring one of the last oxbow wetlands on Big Papillion Creek.

In western Iowa, the Owego Wetlands Complex near Hornick has grown into a 1,330-acre showcase for migratory birds since it was acquired in 1998 with $50,000 in federal funding and nearly $610,000 from other sources.

The endangered program has provided Nebraska with an average $2 million annually in grants over the past five years. Every federal dollar is matched at least 2-to-1 in Nebraska by about five to 10 partners for each project. Projects are statewide, but most are split between the Rainwater Basin in south-central Nebraska and the Platte River across the entire state.

Andy Bishop, coordinator of the Grand Island-based Rainwater Basin Joint Venture, said the federal program has been vital to restoring and expanding wetlands for public use by birdwatchers, hunters and others.

The Rainwater Basin is an important wetland ecosystem in the central United States. The area provides migration habitat for more than 10 million waterfowl and other migratory birds each year. Nearly a third of the continent's pintail ducks use the basin during spring migration. About 90 percent of the midcontinent's white-fronted geese depend on the habitats.

Many of Nebraska's projects aided by the federal program are in the western two-thirds of the state, an area served by Rep. Adrian Smith, a Republican.

Smith said he has supported the program in the past because it is an ideal example of using public and private money to protect natural resources. The national economy, however, forces tough decisions, he said.

“As much as I wish there were available funds for a lot of great projects,'' he said, “a responsible, sustainable budget is what America needs and Nebraskans deserve, and the only way to ensure we have the resources to preserve our wildlife habitats for future generations is by reducing our debt.''

Donovan said hunters and anglers have carried the costs of conservation, and the federal government needs to do its part.

Every year, sportsmen pay special federal taxes that are returned to the Treasury for specific conservation use in the states. Hunting and fishing licensing fees also help fund state fish and wildlife agencies.

Mark Brohman, executive director of the Nebraska Environmental Trust in Lincoln, lamented that conservation programs seem to be among the first targets when elected officials look for ways to cut budgets.

“Some people,” he said, “won't realize what's gone until it's gone.”

Contact the writer:

402-444-1127, david.hendee@owh.com

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