2008 CONSERVATION REPORT | GREAT LAKES/ATLANTIC REGIONAL OFFICE

Duke Energy Completes $1 Million Commitment to Indiana Conservation

Ducks Unlimited extends a warm thank-you to Duke Energy given to acquiring land located within the acquisition boundary (formerly Cinergy Corp.) for fulfilling a $1 million commitment of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s (USFWS) Patoka River to Ducks Unlimited (DU) and in Indiana. National Wildlife Refuge. The amended agreement calls for using This unique partnership began in 1998 when Cinergy Corp. and revenue generated from the sale of reforested properties to the DU entered into a 10-year partnership to reforest cleared floodplain USFWS or other conservation buyers to acquire and reforest ad- forests along major river systems in southern Indiana. Over the life of ditional properties. Since 2004, DU has acquired two properties the partnership, Duke Energy provided $100,000 each year to DU totaling 130 acres of floodplain , including the fall 2007 to plant a diversity of bottomland hardwood tree seedlings to restore acquisition of the 70-acre Clement tract along the Patoka River. In floodplain wetlands. A $10,000 portion of each annual installment addition to permanently protecting two properties, the accomplish- was used to purchase 100 Duke Energy wildlife sculptures, which ments of this rewarding and successful partnership also include the were auctioned at DU fund-raising banquets in Indiana. planting of 539,000 tree seedlings to reforest more than 1,700 acres of waterfowl habitat. From the start, this program has been a win-win for both organizations. DU restored hundreds of acres of prime waterfowl migration and wood Although DU has received its last payment from Duke Energy, duck-nesting habitat in Indiana, while Duke Energy will receive benefits much work remains within this partnership. In 2008, DU will derived from the atmospheric carbon the planted trees will sequester. reforest 43 acres of the Clement tract and expects to sell the 60-acre Hughes-Brown property (acquired and reforested by DU In 2004, DU and Duke Energy modified and expanded this suc- in 2005–2006) to the USFWS. In addition, DU is searching for cessful partnership to include the fee title acquisition, additional properties to acquire and reforest in southern Indiana and permanent protection of cleared bottomland properties in the to perpetuate this program. Thanks again to Duke Energy for this floodplains of the Patoka, White and Wabash rivers. Priority was wonderful partnership in Indiana!

Oak seedlings planted on the Hughes-Brown property in 2006 through the Duke Energy/Ducks Unlimited conservation partnership.

Ducks Unlimited • Great Lakes/Atlantic Regional Office 1 INDIANA HABITAT HAPPENINGS

Northeast Indiana Pothole Initiative Conserves Vital Waterfowl Breeding Habitat

Since its inception in 2000, the Northeast Indiana Pothole Initia- tive has focused on the restoration of small wetlands and adjacent native grasses on private lands in eight northeast Indiana counties to promote waterfowl production. Initiated by DU, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and the Indiana Department of Natural Resources (IDNR), this partnership has been successfully restoring critical mallard and blue-winged teal nesting habitat in Allen, DeKalb, Elkhart, Kosciusko, LaGrange, Noble, Steuben and Whitley counties. This region in northeast Indiana very much resembles the “Duck Factory” of the , as it is dotted with countless small wetlands that are surrounded by large expanses of native grasses. These habitats combine to offer high-quality nesting and brooding habitat for waterfowl and other wildlife. Much of this habitat has been cleared and drained to fa- An emergent and adjacent warm season grassland restored in north- cilitate agriculture and other developments, but it remains available east Indiana through the Northeast Indiana Pothole Initiative. for fairly easy and inexpensive restoration. Through this successful program, DU and its conservation partners, which also include and PF. Additionally, Monsanto Company, through the CropLife Pheasants Forever (PF), have restored 203 acres of wetlands and America Program, donated 200 gallons of ROUNDUP® Pro established 918 acres of native grassland nesting habitat. herbicide for native prairie restoration in this region. The value of this herbicide also has been used to leverage NAWCA funds. DU A key accomplishment in 2007 was the successful closeout of a expects to know in March 2008 if the current NAWCA proposal $50,000 grant from the North American Wetlands Conservation will be funded. Act (NAWCA), awarded to DU in 2005 to continue implement- ing this important program. DU accepted and administered this The landscape of northeast Indiana is highly conducive to the federal grant on behalf of its partners, the USFWS and IDNR. In restoration and establishment of quality waterfowl habitat and, December 2007, DU submitted a $75,000 Phase II NAWCA pro- through funding sources such as NAWCA and private donations, posal to help fund this program over the next two years. The Phase DU and its partners will continue to work toward the conservation II effort includes matching funds provided by DU, USFWS, IDNR of additional wetland and grassland acres.

Quiggens and Lexington Coal Company Acquisitions Protect Bottomland Hardwoods at Patoka River NWR Ducks Unlimited helped the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (US- NWR, and protects habitat for nesting wood ducks, spring-mi- FWS) purchase two properties for inclusion in the Patoka River grating waterfowl and the federally endangered Indiana bat. DU’s National Wildlife Refuge (NWR). The 4-acre Quiggens property contribution to this acquisition was provided through a generous contains quality bottomland hardwood wetland located in the bequest from the William A. Walker Estate. floodplain of the Patoka River. Acquisition of this property filled an important gap in the connectivity of protected lands at the DU also partnered with the USFWS to purchase 357 acres of bottomland hardwood and scrub/shrub wetlands spanning five separate tracts, collectively known as the Lexington Coal Company LLC property. This acquisition helps protect the floodplain of the Patoka River while providing quality habitat for wintering and migrating waterfowl and myriad other wildlife. The purchase of the Lexington Coal Company property was made possible by a bequest to DU from the William A. Walker Estate, the federal Land and Water Conservation Fund and the Southwest Indiana Habitat Ex- pansion North American Wetlands Conservation Act (NAWCA) grant. The addition of these properties to the NWR protect quality waterfowl habitat in southern Indiana, strengthen DU’s conserva- tion partnerships in the region and provide more than 360 acres of The 4-acre Quiggens Tract, a forested wetland located in the Patoka River NWR. additional land open to public recreation.

2 www.ducks.org INDIANA HABITAT HAPPENINGS

Partnerships Key to Conservation in Kankakee River Basin

For more than a decade, Ducks Unlimited has been an active member of the Indiana Grand Kankakee Restoration Proj- ect (IGKMRP). The IGKMRP is a group of conservation organiza- tions and individuals dedicated to the recovery and perpetuation of waterfowl and other wetland wildlife populations by protecting, enhancing and restoring the wetlands and associated ecosystems of Indiana’s Grand Kankakee Marsh. The Grand Kankakee Marsh was once a 500,000-acre wetland complex, encompassing eight counties in northwestern Indiana. The Grand Kankakee Marsh has been drained extensively to promote agricultural activities in the region’s rich and fertile soils.

The IGKMRP has been working cooperatively to restore what was once one of the largest freshwater in the United States, The Hog Marsh wetland located at Grand Kankakee Marsh County Park in successfully using several North American Wetlands Conserva- northwestern Indiana. tion Act (NAWCA) grants to fuel the effort. To date, DU and its partners in the IGKMRP have permanently protected nearly 9,000 Grand Kankakee Marsh County Park), Place Trail Marsh (St. acres of wetlands and adjacent uplands, and have restored or en- Joseph County Parks) and Aukiki Area. hanced another 9,400 acres of wetlands and native grasses impor- Currently, DU is working with many IGKMRP partners, such as tant to waterfowl during nesting, brood rearing and migration. the Indiana Department of Natural Resources and Lake County Parks Department, to identify and restore additional wetlands in Over time, DU has contributed significant financial resources and the region. As DU moves forward with its mission of waterfowl and wetland conservation expertise to many of the showcase projects wetlands conservation, we continue to form important partnerships completed in the Grand Kankakee Marsh. Notable DU engineer- that will lead to significant habitat conservation for the benefit of ing accomplishments include Goose Lake and Hog Marsh (at wildlife, wetlands and people.

Kingsbury and Willow Fish and Wildlife Areas

Ducks Unlimited and the Indiana Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) have a long history of working together toward a common goal of wetland con- servation. This relationship continues to develop into good projects, as in 2007, when DU joined the IDNR to explore wetland enhancement opportunities at two state-managed wildlife areas.

Ducks Unlimited biological and engineering staff assisted the IDNR in develop- ing a design for enhancing the management of water levels and aquatic vegeta- tion in the 200-acre Tamarack Slough, located at Kingsbury Fish and Wildlife Area (FWA). DU designed a new water control structure that IDNR will pur- chase and install in 2008 with help from a North American Wetlands Conser- vation Act (NAWCA) grant awarded to the Lake Heritage Parks Foundation.

In addition, DU biological and engineering staff are working with IDNR at Willow Slough FWA to explore options for enhancing the Pogue Moist Soil Units, located north of J. C. Murphey Lake. If enhancement is feasible at this location, the project likely will be funded via the same NAWCA grant awarded to the Lake Heritage Parks Foundation. DU is excited about its partnership with the IDNR and looks forward to working collaboratively to implement these two important wetland enhancement projects in northwest Indiana.

The IDNR’s Tamarack Slough, located at Kingsbury Fish and Wildlife Area, will be en- hanced by the installation of a new water control structure.

Ducks Unlimited • Great Lakes/Atlantic Regional Office 3 INDIANA HABITAT HAPPENINGS

Southwest Indiana Habitat Expansion Project

Over the last decade Ducks Unlimited has worked with an work in this region. Some notable projects with which DU has been extensive group of state, federal and non profit organizations and involved include the acquisition of Goose Fish and Wildlife conservation-minded individuals to acquire, restore and enhance Area (FWA), the development of the Dillin and Cane Ridge Moist waterfowl habitat in southern Indiana. The Southwest Indiana Soil Units at Patoka River National Wildlife Refuge, the develop- Habitat Expansion Project focuses its efforts on permanently pro- ment of the Weyerbacher and Half Moon Moist Soil Units at Hovey tecting and restoring bottomland hardwood and other important Lake State FWA and the development of the Least Tern Nesting wetlands, and on developing managed moist soil wetlands impor- Unit at Cane Ridge. Additionally, DU has worked with the U.S. Fish tant to migrating and wintering waterfowl in the floodplains of the and Wildlife Service, Duke Energy and other partners to protect Lower Wabash, White, Patoka and Ohio rivers. and restore hundreds of acres of bottomland hardwood wetlands. DU and its southwest Indiana partners are working on several high- Ducks Unlimited and its partner organizations have received four profile projects that, when complete, will result in the protection and $1 million grants from the North American Wetlands Conserva- restoration of thousands of additional acres of prime wetland habitat tion Act (NAWCA) over the past 10 years to fuel the conservation for the benefit of waterfowl, fish, other wildlife and society.

The Dillin Moist Soil Unit at Patoka River National Wildlife Refuge in southwestern Indiana.

Goose Pond FWA

As the restoration of nearly 8,000 acres of the Goose Pond Fish and Wildlife Area (FWA) nears completion via the Wetlands Re- serve Program, Ducks Unlimited, in partnership with the National Wild Turkey Federation (NWTF), the Indiana Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) and Duke Energy is working to en- hance an additional 58 acres of emergent wetlands.

Ducks Unlimited biological and engineering staff are working closely with the IDNR to install a new water control structure and other management infrastructure that will improve the IDNR’s ability to manage water levels and wetland vegetation in two moist soil manage- ment units totaling 58 acres at Goose Pond FWA. These wetlands are located next to large expanses of warm season grasslands and other restored wetlands, and will add significant benefit to the complex of waterfowl habitat at Goose Pond. The IDNR already has reported good waterfowl use and hunter success in this area, and the completion of this project will help increase those numbers even further.

A new water control structure will be installed at this site to provide better water level management capability for the wetland complex at Goose Pond Fish and Wildlife Area.

4 www.ducks.org INDIANA CONSERVATION SUMMARY

2007 Accomplishments Northeast Indiana Pothole Initiative Area 13 projects completed

$510,884 invested

486 acres conserved

5,274 acres of Technical Assistance

Goose Pond FWA

Lexington Coal LLC Acquisition DUCKS UNLIMITED

completed current featured

Note: Project points may represent more than one project.

Meet Your Indiana Biologist As Ducks Unlimited grows previously worked for the U.S. Carbondale. Michael is an avid and evolves, we look for ways Geological Survey in North waterfowl and deer hunter, to improve the efficiency and Dakota, where he conducted and enjoys fishing and playing effectiveness of our habitat waterfowl and endangered rugby. conservation programs. To this species research. Michael holds end, in May 2007, Michael a bachelor’s degree in Zoology Contact Info: Sertle was hired to assume from Western Illinois Univer- Michael Sertle responsibility for DU’s conser- sity, and a master’s degree in Regional Biologist vation programs in Indiana and Wildlife Management from [email protected] southwest Michigan. Michael Southern Illinois University 734.623.2000

Ducks Unlimited • Great Lakes/Atlantic Regional Office 5 GLARO’S CONSERVATION VISION

Remember the family vacation to your grandparents’ farm? Or that first morning in the blind with your uncle? Nearly all of us have a bond with land. Build on that connection with Ducks Unlimited’s conservation land services.

Habitat Development and Wetland Mitigation Ducks Unlimited projects on private lands provide tremendous benefits to waterfowl, other wildlife and you! DU has teams of biologists and engineers that provide wetland restoration, management and protection services directly to landowners. When a private land project is matched up with wetland mitigation funds, the result is habitat for wildlife and financial gain to the landowner. Let us know if you are interested in a wetland project on your land!

HGetabitat Informed Protection and you

Conservation easements Conservation Lands Conservation easements provide a unique opportunity for the If you own land that contains prime wetland habitat, you can protection of private lands by restricting development and assuring donate it to DU; it benefits our mission and could provide that the property remains open as wildlife habitat in perpetuity. you with tax benefits. DU may choose to perform habitat Each easement is tailored to meet the needs and interests of each enhancement on the property while it is owned by DU. Ul- individual landowner, allowing for the protection of key natural timately, though, DU’s goal is to permanently protect the habitats while continuing to use the land for economic gain or rec- property with a and then sell that reation. Such protection assures that large areas of riparian wetland habitat to a conservation buyer. We reinvest the habitats and important uplands will be preserved for the benefit of proceeds to protect further habitat! waterfowl and other wildlife, and for future generations. Conservation Buyers Trade Lands These conservation-minded individuals Property can be donated to Ducks Unlimited with the understand- are an integral and necessary component ing that DU will sell it. Some may be personal residences or com- of DU’s ability to accomplish its mission. These buyers purchase mercial properties with no conservation value whatsoever. DU’s protected properties from DU and DU, in turn, reinvests those objective is to sell the parcel for top dollar and use the proceeds proceeds to protect more wetland and wildlife habitat that is at to fund habitat-saving transactions. DU typically will accept only risk of being lost forever to development. If you are interested in such donations when we believe the property can be converted becoming a conservation buyer, please visit DU’s Web site: readily into cash to fund our urgent wetlands conservation mission. http://prairie.ducks.org/index.cfm?&page=/cld/listings.html

6 www.ducks.org GLARO’S CONSERVATION VISION

What can your land do for you?

If you own land and care about wetlands and wildlife, you can ’s Vanishing Wetlands: help DU protect and restore wetlands and other types of habitat on Facing the Challenge your land! By letting DU know that you, or someone you know, own land and are interested in conservation, you are helping DU Poets write about it. Conservationists strive to continue it. achieve its mission of protecting, restoring and managing wetlands Sportsmen dream about it. The migration of North America’s for waterfowl, other wildlife and people. waterfowl and other birds is one of nature’s grandest and most anticipated events. Unlike a state or federal wildlife agency, DU is not a land-holding organization. Ducks Unlimited believes the urgency of its conser- Wetlands make this migration possible. Wetlands also provide vation mission is best served by acquiring, permanently protecting the foundation for North America’s water supply. We rely and divesting itself of the protected land. on them for clean and abundant water, flood protection and recreation. Wetlands are vital to us all, yet every 10 minutes Visit our Web site and participate in Ducks Unlimited’s conserva- another acre of wetlands is drained. tion efforts today! http://www.ducks.org Ducks Unlimited: Answering the Challenge

To answer the challenge to save North America’s wetlands, grasslands and waterfowl, Ducks Unlimited has embarked on the Wetlands for Tomorrow campaign, an ambitious continental effort to raise at least $1.7 billion for wetland habitat conservation.

With a proven track record of partnering with the private sector, government and other conservation organizations for nearly 70 years, Ducks Unlimited has restored and conserved nearly 12 million acres of crucial habitat that benefits water- fowl, other wildlife and people.

Please join us to learn more about Wetlands for Tomorrow anLeaved help a theLegacy ducks and the initiatives to conserve North America’s critical wetlands. There are many ways that members, volunteers and private citizens are crucial to DU’s success in conserving wetlands. One way that has become increasingly important is offering conservation opportunities on your land. Our ability to leverage grants, grassroot funds and yes, your donations, is becoming increasingly dependent upon having a solid database of potential properties. That means having a list of landowners in every state that are interested in protecting and restoring wetland habitat on their land.

Within the Great Lakes/Atlantic Region, residents of the states of Delaware, Maryland, New York and Virginia may also qualify for significant state income tax benefits for the donation of conservation lands or easements on their properties.

Ducks Unlimited • Great Lakes/Atlantic Regional Office 7 FRIENDS OF DUCKS UNLIMITED

DU and the Indiana Duck Stamp Program: Supporting the Fall Flight Few Indiana sportsmen realize that a portion of the proceeds of limited for breeding and staging habitat projects in Ontario. DU the Indiana Duck Stamp program are dedicated to waterfowl habitat matches these duck stamp dollars with another $10,000 raised projects in Canada. Probably fewer are aware that funds raised by through banquets and other events. The combined sum is then Ducks Unlimited in Indiana and federal funds appropriated under matched with $20,000 from NAWCA, resulting in $40,000 of the North American Wetlands Conservation Act (NAWCA) are American money headed north for habitat improvement. Therefore, used to match these dedicated duck stamp dollars and go directly to each Indiana dollar is matched at least 4:1, a great investment in habitat restoration projects in southern Ontario, an important breed- conservation that directly benefits Indiana. DU Canada is responsi- ing and staging area for ducks that migrate through Indiana. Many ble for these habitat projects in southern Ontario, and helps stretch species of ducks nest in this region of Ontario, and approximately 60 Indiana duck stamp dollars even further with additional Canadian percent of all dabblers and 43 percent of all mallards harvested in In- funds. DU Canada uses these funds to help achieve its southern diana can be traced back to the breeding areas of southern Ontario. Ontario conservation goal of restoring 600,000 acres of wetlands and 345,000 acres of grassland nesting cover that benefit the ma- Approximately 29,000 duck stamps are sold to Indiana waterfowl jority of dabbling ducks that migrate through Indiana each year. hunters every year, $10,000 of which is donated to Ducks Un-

Indiana Volunteer Conservationist of the Year: Ray Mccormick Ray McCormick was honored as Indiana Volunteer Conservationist of the Year on April 21, 2007, during DU’s annual state convention in Indianapolis. This award is presented by the DU Great Lakes/Atlantic Regional Office to recognize and show appreciation for exceptional conservation and fund-raising efforts on the part of a volunteer who has helped advance DU’s mission in Indiana.

McCormick has been a long-time DU supporter and member of the Vincennes Chapter, and he has made significant contributions to the completion of several wetland conservation projects in Indiana. For nearly three decades, he has taken a hands-on approach to wetland restoration, providing consulting, design and construction services for more than 10,000 project acres in Indiana, Illinois, Montana and Washington. He played a major role in the acquisition and restoration Left to right: Steve Dey (senior VP flyway), Dave Seger (former state chair- of the Goose Pond Fish and Wildlife Area, improving nearly 8,000 man), B.J. Foster (regional VP), Ray McCormick (Volunteer Conservationist acres of wetlands and associated upland habitat in Greene County. of the Year), Bruce Lewis (president) and Frank Wolka Jr. (state chairman).

McCormick also has played a critical role for DU in wetlands con- Wetlands Conservation Act grants targeting waterfowl protection servation policy issues for nearly 20 years. He took part in President and habitat restoration in southwest Indiana. “Ray McCormick and Bush’s Domestic Policy Advisory Council on No Net Loss of Wet- volunteers like him are critical to the success of Ducks Unlimited,” said lands and helped formulate the 1990 Farm Bill conservation title. He Michael Sertle, DU regional biologist for Indiana. also participated in the DU-sponsored farmer fly-ins to support the reauthorization of the Farm Bill and its conservation provisions in “Ray has been instrumental in the long-term success of our volunteer 2007. McCormick is an active member and partner on the Southwest fund-raising efforts in southwest Indiana and has been a catalyst for a Indiana Four Rivers North American Waterfowl Management Plan tremendous amount of important wetland conservation in the state.” committee, providing oversight on four $1 million North American

8 www.ducks.org