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Welcome to Region 6
The Mountain-Prairie Region consists of 8 states in the heart of the American west including Colorado, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah and Wyoming.
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Science
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Science
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has a long tradition of scientific excellence and always uses the best-available science to inform its work to conserve fish, wildlife, plants, and their habitat for the benefit of the American public.
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- Wildlife Refuges
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Wildlife Refuges
Clean water. Clean air. Unusual and abundant wildlife. World-class recreation. The Refuge System provides and protects it all on 150 million acres of land and water from the Caribbean to the Pacific, Maine to Alaska.
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- Ecological Services
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Ecological Services
The Mountain-Prairie Region's Office of Ecological Services (ES) works to restore and protect healthy populations of fish, wildlife, and plants and the environments upon which they depend. Using the best available science, ES personnel work with Federal, State, Tribal, local, and non-profit stakeholders, as well as private land owners, to avoid, minimize, and mitigate threats to our Nation's natural resources.
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Migratory Birds
Providing leadership in the conservation of migratory bird habitat through partnerships, grants, and outreach for present and future generations. The Migratory Bird Program is responsible for maintaining healthy migratory bird populations for the benefit of the American people.
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- Fisheries
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Fisheries
The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Fisheries Program in the Mountain-Prairie Region helps conserve, protect, and enhance aquatic resources and provides economically valuable recreational fishing to anglers across the country. The program comprises 12 National Fish Hatcheries.
- National Fish Hatcheries
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- Law Enforcement
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Law Enforcement
Law enforcement is essential to virtually every aspect of wildlife conservation. The Office of Law Enforcement contributes to Service efforts to manage ecosystems, save endangered species, conserve migratory birds, preserve wildlife habitat, restore fisheries, combat invasive species, and promote international wildlife conservation.
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- External Affairs
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External Affairs
External Affairs staff in the Mountain-Prairie Region of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service provides support to the regional office and field stations to communicate and faciliate information about the Service's programs to the public, media, Congress, Tribes, partners, and other stakeholders in the 8-state region.
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WHY a Prairies Conservation Campaign?
“Historically, comparable grassland conversion rates
have not been seen in the Corn Belt since the 1920s and 1930s...”
Based on Wright and Wimberly, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. http://www.pnas.org/cgi/
content/short/1215404110"Losses of freshwater marsh also outdistanced gains in certain portions of the country including the prairie pothole region States of –
North Dakota,
South Dakota, Minnesota and Iowa."U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Status and Trends of Wetlands in the Conterminous United States 2004 to 2009
The Time to Act is Now
Within the U.S. portion of the Prairie Pothole Region (PPR) millions of acres of native prairie and imbedded pothole wetlands provide habitat for migratory waterfowl, shorebirds, waterbirds and songbirds. Grassland conversion continues to expand westward, posing conservation challenges to some of the most important breeding habitat for waterfowl in North America. Other impacts include a reduction in bird diversity across the region and accruement of a significant carbon debt. The development of landowner incentives to maintain grasslands becomes critically important.
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WHY the PRAIRIES MATTER
One acre of established tallgrass prairie
can absorb
9 inches of rainfall
per hour
before runoff occurs.Prairies can store much more carbon below ground than a forest can store above ground.
The region is commonly referred to as
America’s ‘duck factory’because it is the most productive area for nesting waterfowl on the continent.
Native prairie
roots are the
BEST
natural soil
anchors on
earth.Native Prairie supports a
healthy ranching
industry.The Value of the Prairies:
The Prairie Pothole Region (PPR) is arguably one of the most important wetland regions in the world. The PPR portions of North and South Dakota alone contain more than 19 million acres of grassland, including millions of temporary, seasonal and permanent wetlands. More than 50% of North American migratory waterfowl depend on its mix of wetlands and grasslands. This area is called the “duck factory” because it is the most productive area for nesting waterfowl on the continent.
Functional grassland and wetland ecosystems not only protect the watersheds in which they occur, but also protect downstream waterways and communities. Together, prairie grasslands interspersed with wetlands provide numerous societal benefits, including filtering water, reducing erosion and sedimentation, and absorbing flood waters. When these grasslands and wetlands are lost, serious impacts are felt further downstream in the Mississippi River Basin. Such habitat losses in the PPR have been linked to creation of the hypoxic area, or “dead zone”, which currently exists in the northern Gulf of Mexico adjacent to the Mississippi River.
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POTENTIAL SOLUTIONS
Conserve working landscapes based on ranching and livestock operations that support a viable livestock industry.
Building and maintaining relationships with private landowners
will be
critical to
conservation
delivery.Solutions:
It is critical that we raise public awareness about these issues that are occurring across the PPR. We are working with our partners to find conservation solutions, additional resources, and win-win solutions for landowners. In order to do this, one of our primary goals is to increase opportunities for voluntary incentive-based tools to keep cattle producers profitable. This will ensure that the region has healthy fish and wildlife populations, healthy soil and water resources, and an assurance that ranch families will always be an integral and profitable component of the region’s economy.
How Can You Contribute:
- Support conservation programs that benefit sustainable agriculture.
- Consider implementing grassland and wetland conservation practices on your land.
- Design and support programming that will have desired conservation outcomes with benefits and high acceptance amongst individual landowners, farmers and ranchers.
Private Land Programs for Ranchers, Grass Managers, and Wildlife Enthusiasts
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Prairies Conservation Campaign Partners
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the ISSUES
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the VALUE
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a SOLUTION
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PARTNERS
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