Partners Assist in Wetland Restoration and Enhancement at Raystown Lake

Corbins Island wetland after construction.

Partners for wildlife wetland on mitigation lands.

Lake: Raystown Lake, PA

Partners: USACE; Ducks Unlimited; Huntingdon County Conservation District; Pennsylvania Game Commission; US Fish & Wildlife Service; Pennsylvania Conservation Corps; Western Pennsylvania Watershed Protection Program, · Pennsylvania Mountain Service Corps, · Pennsylvania Audubon Society

Partnership Type: MOU

Corps POC: Jeffrey F. Krause Wildlife Biologist, Raystown Lake

Story: From 1991-2000, the Corps of Engineers at Raystown, working jointly with the Pennsylvania Game Commission, Ducks Unlimited (DU), and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service established two separate 10-acre wetland complex projects on mitigation lands. The project dramatically increased the acreage of high-quality habitat in the Aitch area for mallards and wood ducks.

On July 22, 2002, the Corps entered into a National MOU with Ducks Unlimited to provide a foundation for collaboration related to protection, restoration, and management of wetlands and associated uplands of mutual interest. A third partner’s project under the guidance of the new MOU was recently completed in November 2002 near the Corbin's Island Recreation Area. The project, pictured on the left, included five wetland complexes and associated moist soil habitat. The project received assistance from numerous partners and provided to restore wetlands that were prior converted for farmland. Throughout the process the National DU staff and local volunteers played an integral role in completing the project.

This project exemplified the ability of partners who each contributed resources to achieve a common goal. The Corps provided permits, some materials, seed and some labor at a minimum cost for the benefits. Ducks Unlimited provided funding for heavy equipment and other groups provided labor for design and planting.

URL: http://raystown.nab.usace.army.mil/LandManagement/ducksunlimited.htm