TRINITY RIVER REFUGE TO ACQUIRE WETLANDS

The Migratory Bird Conservation Commission recently approved more than $18 million in federal funding for the protection and management of nearly 175,000 acres of wetlands and associated habitats. Composed of members of Congress and federal cabinet secretaries, and chaired by Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne, the Commission also approved $6.8 million to protect and manage more than 4.1 million acres of wetlands in Canada and nearly $10 million for the purchase of 4,542 acres of wetlands for inclusion in the National Wildlife Refuge System. The funding will allow purchase of 1,598 acres of bottomland hardwoods for Trinity River National Wildlife Refuge in Liberty County, Texas. Funding comes from Duck Stamp sales, import duties on firearms and ammunition, and right-of-way payments to the refuge system.Trinity Refuge will acquire tracts at its southern boundary. The largest tract abuts the refuge and Pickett’s bayou, which flows out of Champion Lake.

Stuart Marcus, the refuge manager, plans to offer outdoor recreational opportunities such as fishing and boating, limited to small motors. Deer, squirrels, alligators, wood ducks, mallards and gadwalls are some of the more common wildlife species found there. Migrating songbirds and ducks use the swamplands as a resting and feeding stopover on their trans-continental routes.

“In the face of a changing climate, the Commission’s work is increasingly important for our continent’s wetlands, and our waterfowl,” said Secretary Kempthorne.” The Commission’s support of North American Wetlands Conservation Act projects and refuge acquisition efforts continue to provide important habitat that will stand as a bulwark against the changing habitat conditions faced by wetland-dependent species.”