Wood duck pair. Wood ducks are one of the primary waterfowl species which benefit from CoF projects. - FWS photo

The Circle of Flight (CoF) program is a waterfowl restoration program unique to the Bureau of Indian Affairs Midwest Region.  It was initially funded in 1991 and has since distributed over 9 million dollars to 31 reservations and three inter-tribal organizations for waterfowl research and management projects as well as waterfowl habitat restoration and enhancement. 

CoF funds have been used as matching funds for tribes to participate in several North American Waterfowl Plan projects.  The reservations and inter-tribal organizations are key partners with federal agencies, state and county governments, and private organizations such as Ducks Unlimited, The Nature Conservancy and the Minnesota Waterfowl Association.

The Ashland Fishery Resources Office (FRO) working through the Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program has worked in partnership with the CoF program since its inception and has provided financial and technical assistance on tribal projects across the states of Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan. 

This year a new approach is being undertaken to better provide U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service assistance on CoF projects.  Instead of the Ashland FRO being responsible across three states, they will attend the CoF meetings and coordinate projects with the three individual state Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program offices.  This years CoF meeting was held in March at the Lac du Flambeau Reservation and the majority of the tribes within the Bureau of Indian Affairs Midwest Region were in attendance.

The Ashland FRO still directly assists the four tribes and three inter-tribal organizations located within its Wisconsin Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program area of responsibility.  The office’s Habitat and Wildlife Operations section is currently working with the Lac du Flambeau tribe to replace the water control structure on the 400 acre Sugarbush Impoundment of the 14,000 acre Powel Marsh. 

This highly important emergent marsh wetland system annually supports hundreds of thousands of migratory waterfowl and songbirds.  A second project is in partnership with the Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission and will restore the 43 acre Jackson Box Flowage in Douglas County Wisconsin. 

This emergent marsh wetland is an integral part of a 900 acre wetland system important to migratory waterfowl and songbirds.  Leveraging Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program dollars on these projects will have large scale long term benefits for migratory and local wildlife in northern Wisconsin.