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We all need food, water and shelter to survive – that's true to ducks too! We at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service are excited to share news about a large effort we’re advancing in Minnesota to restore and enhance wetlands on waterfowl production areas. Take a moment to learn about how we’re working with Ducks Unlimited to bring more small, seasonal wetlands to Minnesota’s prairie and grasslands in a way that’s good for wildlife and for people.
Under the rows of corn and soybean in many parts of Minnesota are subterrain drainage systems that remove water from the surface and aim to increase crop production and farming efficiency. While this may be great for farms, it makes the area pretty much flyover country for waterfowl that need places to rest, feed and reproduce. Across the United States, this relatively invisible skeleton has removed about 100 million acres of wetlands. In addition to the loss of wetland habitat, drainage systems concentrate pollutants like nitrogen and alter flooding for those living downstream. Made up of underground perforated pipes, referred to informally as drain tile, these systems are like a bathtub drain. One of our first tasks when restoring old agricultural lands is to locate and remove these tiles.
"It’s transformational!"
That’s how it feels to make massive change on the landscape and bring more waterfowl to the prairies and grasslands of the midwest. Meet Brianna, Nick and Sophie, they’re part of a team of biologists who are leading the restoration work on the ground. They work for Ducks Unlimited, Incorporated and are helping us bust tile.
This partnership blends state funding from the Lessard-Sams Outdoor Heritage Fund, with federal funds from the North American Wetland Conservation Act and the Inflation Reduction Act to employ restoration biologists who design custom improvements to the highest priority waterfowl production areas in the Prairie Pothole Region in the western part of the state. Since 2021, we have collectively restored or improved more than 560 wetlands through this partnership.
Ducks Unlimited Biologist Brianna Ashworth, who works in the Fergus Falls Wetland Management District, describes one of her first restoration projects at PCA Waterfowl Production Area as transformational. The 408-acre unit within the forest prairie transition zone of Otter Tail County had a long farming history that had built up sediments in the basin and the surrounding uplands and welcomed invasive cattails and Siberian elm.
Ashworth worked to remove 1,368 feet of clay drainage tile and just weeks after the Ducks Unlimited restorations and remarked that, “Seeing the wildflower response to the spring burn and the yellowlegs sandpipers utilizing the freshly excavated wetland edges on this waterfowl production area waterfowl production area
Waterfowl production areas are small natural wetlands and grasslands within the National Wildlife Refuge System that provide breeding, resting and nesting habitat for millions of waterfowl, shorebirds, grassland birds and other wildlife. Virtually all waterfowl production areas are in the Prairie Pothole Region states of Iowa, Minnesota, Montana, North Dakota and South Dakota.
Learn more about waterfowl production area was rewarding and motivating for me.”
Ashworth isn’t alone in feeling this way. Based out of the Litchfield Wetland Management District, Nick Hoffard and Sophie Arhart broke ground on one of their first projects in August 2024 at Sogge Waterfowl Production Area in Todd County, Minnesota. Within a matter of weeks, they could see the change. Seeing wetlands come back is a point of pride and seeing the natural systems come back so quickly leaves these biologists describing the whole process as transformational. How did they do it? These dedicated biologists scraped cattail, rebuilt failing ditch plugs and filled others. They also restored uplands and wetland edges from a monoculture of invasive plants back to native wildflowers, grasses and sedges. It’s not just adding cordgrass, tickseed sunflower and fox sedge to the landscape, the crew removed about 330 feet of tile!
“The sound of hearing the tile crunching under the 3-ton bucket of the excavator gave us a feeling of immense satisfaction and pride,” noted Arhart. “Although the work we do benefits many different kinds of critters, seeing broods of waterfowl species using our restored wetlands puts the icing on the cake!”
More than bustin’ tiles
Since restoration biologists first started removing draining systems in the 1960s and returning wetlands to a natural system of prairies and grasslands, the practice has advanced from the basic idea that if we removed a wetland drain, the wetland would be restored. Today we use a much more holistic review of the history of land use and its impact on wetlands.
Since we perpetually protect these lands for everyone to enjoy, it’s best to increase the longevity of these restorations so that they are as permanent and as high-quality as possible. Contemporary techniques are designed to restore the ecology and hydrological function of a piece of land. Rather than just plugging a ditch or busting a tile drain, we remove tiles, as well as the sediment from prior land use and the hybrid cattail mats that resulted. We also completely backfill ditches whenever possible to restore the natural movement of water. Getting the right mix of native plants are essential to restore a landscape. With that in mind, we use high quality wetland edge seed mixes to battle invasive wetland plants like hybrid cattails and reed canary grass.
Visit your public lands
Did you know that all this restoration work is for you? You’re welcome to visit for great photography and birding opportunities. As units of the National Wildlife Refuge System, waterfowl production areas are generally open to hunting and other recreation activities, unless public safety or other concerns, and these areas provide a home for more than ducks too. Grab your binoculars because you’re likely to see all sorts of wetland and grassland birds, raptors and shorebirds during a visit. In addition to the economical and ecological importance that these areas bring to the Upper Midwest, these areas serve as natural sponges that reduce runoff and help local communities with flood control.
Thanks to the Inflation Reduction Act and the other federal and state funding sources, these biologists are leading the restoration of thousands of wetlands that will be on the landscape for generations to come. This work leaves high quality habitat on public lands that are critical for nesting waterfowl and wetland dependent species and are also open to the public to hunt, fish, photograph, and enjoy these wild spaces.
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