Ducks Unlimited and its partners enhanced 1,162 acres of habitat within the Wrape Plantation (712 acres) and Buckingham Flats (450 acres) units of Bayou Meto Waterfowl Management Area, one of the largest state-owned WMAs in the nation. Enhanced habitat included agricultural fields planted for wildlife, a natural hardwood brake and a green-tree reservoir on Buckingham Flats.

Engineers devised and installed a state-of-the-art water delivery system, including more than 2 miles of underground pipeline. This will provide dependable water for wetland management at Wrape Plantation and better water-level management on Buckingham Flats, to prevent stress on valuable red oaks.

Bayou Meto WMA encompasses more than 33,800 acres within the heart of the Mississippi Alluvial Valley, providing vital migration habitat for millions of waterfowl winging their way between the breeding grounds and the Gulf Coast.

Bayou Meto is the crown jewel of public lands for waterfowl hunting. This project enhanced the Wrape Plantation rest area as well as the adjacent Buckingham Flats hunting area.

The opening days of waterfowl season can be very crowded at Bayou Meto, with 1,500 to 2,000 hunters using the area each day. Approximately 350 hunters use the area daily the rest of the season.

This project was funded in part by a North American Wetlands Conservation Act (NAWCA) grant.

Partners: Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, Chip Murphy, Edward Weber, Jack Hartsell, North American Wetlands Conservation Council and Ducks Unlimited