DU has received the first North American Wetlands Conservation Act (NAWCA) grant awarded in the Lahontan Valley region of western Nevada. This grant will help conserve 8,780 acres of habitat for waterfowl and other wildlife. Approximately $2.3 million in partner funds will be matched by $1 million in NAWCA funds to underwrite wetland restoration and enhancement activities.

"The Lahontan Valley region is an important stopover for waterfowl and other migratory birds in the Pacific Flyway," said DU regional biologist John Ranlett, who prepared the grant application. "Wetland and upland habitat improvements provided by this project will benefit numerous waterfowl, shorebirds, other waterbirds, and songbirds that visit this area during their annual migrations."

This NAWCA-funded work will conserve wetlands and other migratory bird habitats on 11 sites in the Intermountain West Joint Venture's Lahontan Valley-Carson Valley Wetlands Focus Area. "Ducks Unlimited has been trying to bring these NAWCA dollars to the Lahontan Valley for the past 15 years," Ranlett said. "But the challenge has always been finding match money. The nonfederal conservation money being spent on the ground in western Nevada had been very limited and a real challenge to find-until now. A lot of the credit goes to our partners."