How many ducks use the land that has been set aside by the government programs?
We estimate that about 27 percent of the breeding ducks that settle in the U.S. prairie pothole region are attracted to wetlands that the FWS has already protected through its acquisition programs, either via fee or easement. Q: Is there a difference between a fee or easement? A: No difference in how they attract ducks, but there are differences in what our interest is, of course. For fee, the people own the land and the FWS manages it for them. For easements, the landowner retains a lease but cannot drain, fill, or burn the wetlands. We monitor easements and protect the people’s investment. We maintain 26,000 wetland easements—they’re checked every year. Q: Are farmers increasingly interested in the conservation aspects of their land? A: We have a number of landowners who want to sell us an easement on grasslands, and less that want to sell an easement on wet areas that are cropped. When owners have already converted grassland to cropland, there is a stronger incentive to drain becaus
