Braxton Taylor
Ducks Unlimited recently released a roundup of the 2024 results from state agency breeding waterfowl surveys. These data provide insights into the status of regional waterfowl habitats and populations in the Pacific and Mississippi Flyways.
While these state-led surveys are often overshadowed by the more prominent May Survey, or Waterfowl Breeding Population and Habitat Survey (WBPHS), they play a crucial role in informing waterfowl management decisions, particularly through adaptive harvest management (AHM) frameworks.
The 2024 state survey results include:
Each year, survey data from the WBPHS and these state surveys are carefully analyzed and used to inform AHM recommendations by state agencies and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), ensuring harvest frameworks align with the long-term health of waterfowl populations.
“This year’s state numbers present both challenges and reasons for optimism, but we’ll have a clearer picture later this month when the USFWS survey report is released,” said Ducks Unlimited Senior Waterfowl Scientist Dr. Mike Brasher. “In the meantime, we extend our gratitude to our state and provincial partners for their unwavering commitment to the conservation and management of these incredible birds, which for over a century have united us in a cause greater than ourselves.”
This year’s state waterfowl survey results highlight progress and ongoing challenges in waterfowl populations, underscoring the need for sustained investments in population monitoring and habitat conservation. Ducks Unlimited continues to charge forward in wetland conservation in North America, recently announcing a milestone of delivering one million acres of conservation in a year. This includes long-term and permanent projects, such as conservation restorations and easements, and short-term or annual efforts, such as agricultural cover crop programs, as well as both new and revisited project sites.
Feature image via Chris Jennings | Ducks Unlimited.
Read the full article here