and South Dakota. "We even had whooping cranes sighted
on a number of these sites."
In wet years, a limited amount of money is spent on
pumping, but in dry years, the Game and Parks Commission
typically spends about $30,000 on its wildlife management
areas, primarily in the fall to provide opportunity for hunters,
said Ted LaGrange, wetland program manager with the Game
and Parks Commission. Were it not for the funding provided
by DU's water fund, the Commission may have not pumped
any of the 12 wetlands it did this past spring, LaGrange said.
The USFWS typically spends between $80,000 and
$125,000 on pumping on its waterfowl production areas
in the spring and fall, said Brad Krohn, project leader of
the Rainwater Basin Management District. The additional
funding from DU allowed them to run pumps powered by
diesel longer than they would have on some areas, a growing
concern amid high fuel prices.
Ducks, geese, shorebirds and other water birds stop in the
Rainwater Basin during spring migration to feast on fl ooded
seed sources, such as smartweed and barnyard grass, along
with a smorgasbord of insects and other invertebrates.
Research has shown the quality of spring migration habitat
is key.
"If you can get the birds to the breeding grounds alive and
Ducks, primarily northern pintails, along with mallards and teal, take fl ight at Hultine Waterfowl Production Area
in Clay County in March. If not for groundwater being pumped to fi ll the wetland, it would have been dry.
August-September 2022 • Nebraskaland 49
