Ducks unlimited has brought together thirteen partners to support this nawca request to fund the kansas prairie wetlands XII grant

This $3,558,677 Project Grant award from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service under the North American Wetlands Conservation Fund (CFDA 15.623) supports Ducks Unlimited's effort to protect, restore, and enhance 14,006 acres (plus an additional 1,489 non-add acres) of wetlands and associated grassland habitats in Kansas. The grant, which runs from July 2024 through June 2028, is part of a nearly 10-year wetland conservation initiative encompassing the entire state of Kansas and involving over 70 partners. Key objectives include permanently conserving 4,366 acres of wetlands, expanding conservation work into neighboring Colorado and Oklahoma, and engaging 13 partner organizations, 8 of which are new to the effort. This project continues Ducks Unlimited's legacy of successful wetland preservation in the Great Plains region, leveraging federal funding to drive large-scale habitat conservation and ecosystem restoration.

This proposal includes seven tracts that will protect, restore, and enhance 14,006 (with an additional 1,489 non-add) acres of wetlands and associated grassland habitats, many of which will have perpetual benefits and some that will include public access. This proposal is a landmark and continues a nearly ten-year wetland conservation effort encompassing all of kansas, working with over 70 partners, conserving tens of thousands of acres, and matching funds of over 18 million dollars. Nawca funding has been a driving force behind DU s work, and this proposal is a continuation of tremendously successful conservation efforts. Through this success, DU has been approached about expanding this work into the arkansas river valley into colorado, as well as the playas of the oklahoma panhandle. The main factors that highlight the importance of this kansas prairie wetlands proposal include 1) 4,366 acres of wetlands overall will be conserved, 2) the engagement of thirteen partners, eight of which are new, that have pledged their support to combat habitat loss in kansas, and 3) conservation expansion into colorado and oklahoma.