U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service FY 2015 Annual Report Migratory Bird Conservation Commission On the Cover: Pair of ruddy ducks. Painting by Jennifer Miller for the 2015–2016 Federal Duck Stamp. Illustrations: Bob Hines Table of Contents The Service’s Legacy of Conserving Migratory Waterfowl Habitat ...........2 The Migratory Bird Conservation Commission ................................3 The Migratory Bird Conservation Fund ........................................4 MBCF Collections and Obligations for Fiscal Year 2015 ............................5 MBCF Land Acquisitions for Fiscal Year 2015 .....................................6 Migratory Bird Conservation Act: MBCC Approvals for Fiscal Year 2015 .....8 Migratory Bird Conservation Act: New Area Boundary and Boundary Addition Approvals for Fiscal Year 2015 .......................................9 New Area Boundary Approval and Map ..........................................10 Boundary Addition Approvals and Maps ..........................................12 Status of Wetlands Conservation Projects for Migratory Bird Conservation 24 Migratory Bird Refuges Map ....................................................25 Table 1. Migratory Bird Refuges .................................................26 Wetland Management Districts Map .............................................35 Table 2. Waterfowl Production Areas .............................................36 The National Wildlife Refuge System: Public Hunting and Fishing ......... 42 Lands Opened and Expanded for Public Hunting and Fishing for Fiscal Year 2015 ..43 Table 3. National Wildlife Refuge Hunting Expansions ............................44 Table 4. Waterfowl Production Area Hunting Expansions..........................45 Lands Closed for Public Hunting and Fishing for Fiscal Year 2015 .................46 Status of Public Hunting and Fishing on Lands Acquired in Fiscal Year 2015 .......47 North American Wetlands Conservation Act Grants: Summary of MBCC Approvals for Fiscal Year 2015 ............................................... 48 Table 5. U.S. Wetlands Conservation Standard Grants ............................49 Table 6. U.S. Wetlands Conservation Small Grants ................................51 Table 7. Canadian Wetlands Conservation Standard Grants ........................52 Table 8. Mexican Wetlands Conservation Standard Grants .........................53 Membership of the Migratory Bird Conservation Commission .............. 54 Migratory Bird Conservation Commission Report Fiscal Year 2015 1 The Service’s Legacy of Conserving Migratory Waterfowl Habitat For more than 80 years, the Migratory Bird Conservation Program and the Federal Duck Stamp Program have helped secure key habitats to sustain migratory bird populations. These programs protect wetlands, which help dissipate storm water runoff, purify water supplies, and store flood water. As we look forward to the continuing conservation of these critical resources, we find inspiration in these programs’ extraordinary history of success. At the turn of the 20th century, and ammunition, and any appropriations overeager hunters and the commercial from the Wetlands Loan Act, which demand for meat and feathers had Congress authorized in 1961 as an decimated waterfowl populations. advance of funds against future revenues At the same time, periodic droughts from the sale of Duck Stamps. The Fund caused wetlands and other valuable is further supplemented by the proceeds waterfowl habitat to disappear. In the from the sale of products and from late 1920s, conservationists, hunters, rights-of-way granted across national and government officials worked wildlife refuges, disposals of refuge land, together to create the Migratory Bird and reverted Federal Aid funds. Conservation Act, which Congress passed in 1929. This landmark legislation Since 1934, the Service has spent authorized the Federal government more than 1.3 billion Migratory to acquire and permanently protect Bird Conservation Fund dollars to wetlands for waterfowl. It also created permanently protect more than 5.7 the Migratory Bird Conservation million acres of important waterfowl Commission—composed of Federal and habitat, including more than three State officials—to consider and approve million acres of Waterfowl Production proposals for land acquisition to conserve Areas (WPAs) in the U.S. Prairie Pothole migratory waterfowl habitat. Region. In fiscal year 2015 alone, the Service used more than $55 million Although the Act gave the Federal from the Migratory Bird Conservation Government authority to create Fund to protect more than 7,000 acres migratory bird refuges, it did not provide of waterfowl habitat at migratory bird a permanent source of acquisition refuges and more than 41,000 acres in the funding. This problem was addressed Prairie Pothole Region, by fee purchase, in the 1930s when President Franklin lease, or easement. D. Roosevelt appointed Jay N. “Ding” Darling, a nationally known wildlife Today, as in the past, the Migratory Bird conservationist and political cartoonist, Conservation Program and the Federal to serve as the Chief of the Bureau Duck Stamp Program depend on the of Biological Survey. Darling was support of people who understand and instrumental in the creation of a stamp, connect with our natural world—people to be purchased by all waterfowl hunters, who understand the importance of our that would generate funds to pay for the wildlife resources and take action. What acquisition of waterfowl habitat. In 1934, can you do? Buy a Federal Duck Stamp. Congress passed the Migratory Bird Tell people how important Federal Hunting and Conservation Stamp Act, Duck Stamps are to ensuring healthy which requires all hunters older than 16 populations of all migratory birds and to purchase and possess a Federal Duck other wildlife. For more information, visit Stamp while hunting waterfowl. our Federal Duck Stamp Web site <www. fws.gov/duckstamps/> or our Division of Revenues from Duck Stamp sales are Realty Web site <www.fws.gov/refuges/ deposited into the Migratory Bird realty>. Conservation Fund. The Fund also includes import duties collected on arms 2 Migratory Bird Conservation Commission Report Fiscal Year 2015 The Migratory Bird Conservation Commission Section 2 of the Migratory Bird Conservation Act of 1929 established the Migratory Bird Conservation Commission. It reads as follows: Section 2, as amended. A commission member of the commission, if reelected to be known as the Migratory Bird to the succeeding Congress, may serve Conservation Commission, consisting on the commission notwithstanding the of the Secretary of the Interior, as expiration of a Congress. Any vacancy on chairman, the Administrator of the the commission shall be filled in the same Environmental Protection Agency, manner as the original appointment. the Secretary of Agriculture, and The ranking officer of the branch two Members of the Senate, to be or department of a State to which is selected by the President of the Senate, committed the administration of its game and two Members of the House of laws, or his authorized representative, Representatives to be selected by the and in a State having no such branch or Speaker, is created and authorized to department, the governor thereof, or consider and pass upon any area of land, his authorized representative, shall be a water, or land and water that may be member ex officio of said commission for recommended by the Secretary of the the purpose of considering and voting on Interior for purchase or rental under this all questions relating to the acquisition, subchapter, and to fix the price or prices under this subchapter, of areas in his at which such area may be purchased or State. For purposes of this subchapter, rented; and no purchase or rental shall the purchase or rental of any area of be made of any such area until it has been land, water, or land and water includes duly approved for purchase or rental the purchase or rental of any interest in by said commission. Any Member of any such area of land, water, or land and the House of Representatives who is a water. Additional Responsibility: In 1989, the and manage wetlands and other habitats Commission acquired the additional for migratory birds and other fish and responsibility of approving project wildlife. The North American Wetlands funding under the North American Conservation Council, which was created Wetlands Conservation Act. This Act by the legislation, submits project provides Federal funding to encourage recommendations to the Commission for partnerships to protect, enhance, restore, funding approval. 2015 Membership Hon. Sally Jewell Hon. Martin Heinrich Secretary of the Interior, Chair Senator from New Mexico Hon. Tom Vilsack Hon. Robert J. Wittman Secretary of Agriculture Representative from Virginia Hon. Gina McCarthy Hon. Mike Thompson Administrator, Environmental Representative from California Protection Agency Hon. Thad Cochran A Eric Alvarez Senator from Mississippi Secretary to the Commission Telephone: 703/358-1716 Migratory Bird Conservation Commission Report Fiscal Year 2015 3 The Migratory Bird Conservation Fund The Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation Stamp Act of March 18, 1934 (Duck Stamp Act), created the Migratory Bird Conservation Fund (MBCF) to provide the Department of the Interior with monies to acquire migratory bird habitat. There are three major sources of funds In accordance with the Federal Duck deposited into the MBCF account. The Stamp Act of 2014 (Pub. L. 113-264), most well-known