DU Wins Fourth NAWCA Grant in Great Salt Lake Ecosystem
In April 2010, Ducks Unlimited was awarded its fourth North American Wetlands Conservation Act (NAWCA) grant for conservation work in the Great Salt Lake Ecosystem. Partners contributed approximately $2.3 million to match the $1 million NAWCA grant. Grant and matching funds will deliver conservation work on Farmington Bay, Ogden Bay, Harold Crane, and Salt Creek waterfowl management areas, as well as four tracts of private land.
These projects will improve water-level management capabilities and help control nonnative invasive phragmites and common carp. Project activities will include the construction of new levees, excavation of interconnecting water-delivery swales, and installation of new water-control structures. These efforts will restore 100 acres and enhance 6,816 acres of wetland habitat on project areas. Grant and matching funds also acquired 116 acres of wetland-associated uplands, which will provide nesting cover for waterfowl and other birds.
This large-scale wetland habitat project was made possible by a diverse group of partners, including the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Nature Conservancy, the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, the Utah Quality Growth Commission, three private foundations, and two private landowners.