Kentucky Partners for Wetland Wildlife

Kentucky Partners for Wetland Wildlife (KPWW) is a cooperative landowner assistance program offered jointly by the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources (KDFWR), Ducks Unlimited, Inc. (DU), the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS).

The program was developed to provide landowners interested in wetland conservation and/or waterfowl habitat management coordinated assistance from participating governmental and private organizations.

KPWW’s goal is to increase the quantity and quality of habitat available to migrating and wintering waterfowl and other wetland wildlife species.

Kentucky makes its largest contribution to waterfowl and other migratory bird species as a migrational staging and wintering area.

Most opportunities for private landowners to implement waterfowl and shorebird management practices involve creating this critical staging and wintering habitat.

Kentucky is also host to substantial resident populations of wood ducks and Canada geese, creating added wetland management opportunities.

Moist-soil management is a technique used to promote the growth of naturally occurring herbaceous pants. Waterfowl find the seeds, herbage and invertebrates of these moist-soil plant communities especially attractive when flooded in fall and winter.

Moist-soil sites have a natural supply of seeds already in the ground waiting for proper germination conditions.

Flooding is accomplished by closing water-control structures to catch and hold rainfall and runoff.

Moist-soil management is ideal for cropland in long-term, set-aside programs and is especially suited to fields where drainage structures and/or levees are already in place.

Bottomland hardwood forests provide excellent wetland habitat and can be managed as "green tree reservoirs" by constructing levees and installing water-control structures.

When flooded, lowland forests comprised of oak and other mast-producing species provide excellent winter feeding and resting habitat, especially for wood ducks and mallards.

Note: Hardwoods are not usually damaged by winter flooding when trees are in their annual dormant stage.

Water control for wetland management consists of shallow water (usually two to 12 inches) on idle acreage, hardwood forests or harvested cropfields between November 1 (or following fall harvest) and March 1.

The KPWW program will provide water-control structures at no cost to the landowner, for approved projects.

For approved projects where levees must be constructed (or refurbished), KPWW may reimburse the landowner as much as 50 percent of those costs up to a $5000 maximum payment.

Projects involving free water-control structures and/or cost-shared levee work require a minimum 10-year agreement and hunting is limited on those project areas.

Pre-approval is always required.

Wood duck nesting boxes and predator guards are available FREE of charge for approved sites. Note: Boxes and guards not properly installed and/or maintained annually will be invoiced at a rate of $90 per unit.

Plans for Canada goose nest structures are available and landowners can be reimbursed for materials costs up to a $75 maximum payment.

Pre-approval is always required.

KPWW always provides FREE technical advice and guidance for achieving the management goals of private landowners.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture offers several programs that benefit landowners as well as wetland wildlife. The Wetlands Reserve Program (WRP), the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) and the Wildlife Habitat Improvement Program (WHIP) are just a few of the current Farm Bill programs that contain practices beneficial to wetlands and waterfowl. To find out more, contact your area’s KDFWR-NRCS Liaison (listed on this web site) or phone the your nearest NRCS field office (listed in the White Pages under U.S. Government).

The USFWS "Partners for Fish & Wildlife" program assists landowners with various habitat improvement projects including restoration of natural wetlands such as bottomland hardwood forests. For more information, contact their Southeast Regional Office; phone 1-404-679-7138.

Participation begins with a no-obligation site visit. Contact your nearest KDFWR private lands biologist (PLB) or NRCS Liaison and arrange an appointment. They will meet with you, take a look at your property and discuss your habitat management goals.

In a short time, you’ll receive a custom-tailored habitat management plan to fit your needs, including information about KPWW and any other applicable state and/or federal assistance programs. There’s no risk and no obligation. Whether (and to what extent) you implement your habitat plan is entirely up to you.