Montezuma NWR’s Massive Restoration Work Highlighted on Legislative Tour

Ducks Unlimited (DU) hosted a wetlands tour for state legislators and other officials at Montezuma Wetlands Complex (MWC) to highlight DU’s conservation work at one of the most critical waterfowl production and staging areas for migratory birds in the Atlantic Flyway. Montezuma also plays a crucial role in supporting the human population by filtering nutrients from rainwater and snowmelt runoff, which improves water quality. Wetlands mitigate flooding and decrease carbon emissions as well.

Assemblymember Sarah Clark (136th District), Assemblymember Anna R. Kelles (125th District), Assemblymember Jeff Gallahan (131st District), and their staff were among those in attendance.

“The Montezuma Wetlands Complex showcases a landscape-level conservation effort in partnership with state and federal agencies and other conservation non-profits in New York,” said Matt Wagner, DU’s regional biologist in New York. “Through our partnerships, we can identify, secure, restore, and manage wetlands in the Atlantic Flyway’s most critical stopover habitat. This work has proven highly successful by ensuring habitat protection critical for many threatened and endangered species. Given the area's history, these efforts represent a great success story, but also point to the tremendous amount of work still ahead of us.”

MWC spans over 18,500 acres of protected state and federal lands, most of which are open to the public. The Atlantic Coast Joint Venture Waterfowl Implementation Plan recognizes MWC as a waterfowl focus area. Each year, the habitat supports more than 1 million migrating waterfowl and hundreds of thousands of priority bird species.

DU, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC), and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) are actively purchasing, restoring, and managing lands within the Complex to benefit migratory birds and other wetland-dependent wildlife.

This collaborative effort focuses on restoring unique habitat types, including grasslands, forested wetlands, emergent marshes, rare inland salt marshes, and upland forests. The North American Wetlands Conservation Act (NAWCA) is a key funding source for the MWC's success. Along with matching partner funds, NAWCA has protected over 102,000 acres in New York. In July, DU secured its fifth round of NAWCA funding for Montezuma, aiming to protect and restore 1,800 acres.

DU has conserved 60,000 acres of habitat across New York, investing over $41 million. This work is made possible through close partnerships with NYSDEC, USFWS, and non-governmental agencies.

Proposed legislation, expected to be introduced in 2025, will enable DU to work more with private landowners to expand wetlands restoration in the state. By easing the process, DU will be able to secure even more federal funding for New York in the most environmentally sensitive corners of the state.

DU employs licensed professional engineers with technical backgrounds and expertise in conservation and related engineering design, but it is limited in some of the services it can provide in New York. The proposed legislation would ensure DU can perform even more of this critically important wetland restoration design work.

“It’s no secret that this part of the country is one of the most densely populated in the U.S.,” said DU Government Affairs Manager Nikki Ghorpade. “That means the number of acres we can conserve is limited because so much of the land is privately owned. But, if we can work with landowners to create more wetlands, it will only benefit the people of New York and the wildlife that depend on its resources.”