# Questions about WPA ???



## Fetch (Mar 1, 2002)

I posted this on another site

Why is it there does not seem to be more & more WPA's being added in states like ND ???

Where does this money come from ???

I'd like to know more about the History of this ???

There sure are lots of wetlands out there that should / could be put into WPA 's - if someone were agressively pursueing them ???

We have a state program called PLOTS - But it seems it is more related to deer & pheasant lands ???

I know DU partners in some of these - But we don't need more signs & parking lots We need to aquire all the wetlands possible ??? Trust me DU is a small part of the amount of exsisting WPA's ???

Also with the high waters & extreme wet cycle ND has expirenced the past ten years or so - Why has no one considered or moved the waterfowl rest areas ??? Especially for Snowgeese. They are very particular where they roost. & now with lots of new water - I can tell they want to use some areas more as roosts - But are harassed & hunted so hard - they move on ??? That plus older Rest areas are now too deep & no longer conducive to holding SOB's & because of rising waters - no longer have good vegetation for ducks ??? --- It sure seems we are missing the boat on these things ??? Is it the USF&W job to study & provide these ???

I know I have written the State G&FD & they seem cool/cold towards the things the USFWS have controll of ???

These are things that can / would seriously help waterfowl & are underfunded, or are being ignored altogether ??? ??? ???

I get a reply that there is a moratorium on the USFWS aquiring any more lands in ND ??? Is this true ??? & Why ???


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## muzzy (Mar 21, 2002)

Any land aquired by a public entity such as the USFWS needs to have approval by the Governor of ND. They are typically reluctant to do this and to get land out of private ownership is like pulling teeth even with willing sellers. It does happen though, in your county of Grand Forks, the USFWS has acquired some additional land to the Kelly's slough complex. It was stalled at the govenors office for a long time and his staff claimed he had some concerns about how the USFWS manages land. It wasn't until the people who wanted to sell it called him and said that they really wanted/needed to get out of this basically nonproductive land that he moved on it. I don't think that all of the transactions have been approved yet. As far as the waterfowl rest areas, they are a agreement between the private landowners and the game and fish. These are not shoved down any ones throat and are often times requested by the landowners. They are a short term agreement usually about every 5 years. NDGFD has actually been removing some of them, and the trend is not to enroll new ones. A lot of these rest areas involve multiple land owners surrounding the water and they all have to be in agreement. If one of them does not want to participate, it won't be made into a rest area. By the way, we do have some plots that are geared towards waterfowl and not just deer and pheasants, I can think of some around the Michigan/Petersburg areas, and a few just north of Devils Lake that are wetland complexes


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## Fetch (Mar 1, 2002)

What years were most of these put in ???

Why was it such a successful program at one time ???

& now it is controlled by the Govenor ??? :roll:

Is it beacause of Swampbuster & No Net Loss ??? So now it's pretty much a dead program ???

I know some plots are OK for waterfowl - But you have to admidt it is better for deer.

Is anyone looking into other programs to rent CRP back or fields for waterfowl hunting. So as to be a alternative for landowners who don't want guides & outfitters to have all the better SOB & pheasant fields ??? Aprogram with a new access liscense to help pay for it by freelance residents & Non residents alike ???

Does anyone agree at NDG&F that roosts have evolved & changed for SOB's - but there are very few of the original ones being used by the SOB's & if they start using a area it gets leased or hunted, making it no longer good for hunters & SOB's ???

One of the biggest concerns is that residents are apathetic (take it for granted)about waterfowl hunting & #'s are reducing & Non Residents don't get get alot of chance to give input. (Plus what we have is soooo much better than they have back home, they don't see the problem.) Thus waterfowl hunting is not a big focus of being constantly improved ??? -- You go to a regional meeting & it is so dominated about deer hunting - that no one takes waterfowling serious anymore.

But it could be better & expanded (public/freelance opportunities) I wish more hardcore waterfowlers could get together & promote ideas & get landowners ideas & input. I still think all these groups being so generic & diverse makes em less effective ??? :eyeroll:

We are seeing that private (for profit) folks are doing there thing ??? How can the public / freelancers do more to promote things that can work ??? If alot of these older programs have ran their course or are no longer good options ??? Or can they be fixed & improved to make them better for all ??? - To many waterfowlers around the country assume DU & Delta is doing this - But are they really ???


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## tsodak (Sep 7, 2002)

Well, if you really want to tork landowners in an area off, just try to purchase more land into Government hands. In SD it was awful. The FWS was such a bad neighbor, noone wanted anything to do with public ownership. The general sentiment in the public is against it. I think that is why the FWS has gone to doing easement work. they can have bigger impacts on the landscape that way, although the access is not related. Make your voices heard on the field issue.Who knows what could happen if the right buttons were pushed.


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## Fetch (Mar 1, 2002)

There are something like 1100 WPA's in ND & all must have come aprox. around the same time ??? I'd just like to know how that was possible ??? I agree many are not well maintained or at least could be improved.

But to get that many & there are that many more out there that should be got today. Also not being improved or mauntained for wildlife.

It just seems like it would be $$$ well spent to start doing this instead of out of state interests buying them up & using them for 2 weeks a year.

All the $$$ DU has & spends & how they SPIN their importance in saving & rasing ducks ??? You would think they would / could be doing so much more, than they really are ??? --- Some of the ones I see they partner on are not that well maintained either :eyeroll:


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## prairie hunter (Mar 13, 2002)

Here is post I put on this site in March.

http://www.nodakoutdoors.com/members/ph ... 6930290ee1

Here is a route to more permanent access without footing much of the bill:

North Dakotans talk to your government officials and let everyone's Federal duck stamp money work for your own use again. Remove all state and county blockage of WPA land requisition by the US Fish and Wildlife Service

A little history: 
In the 1980s the US Fish and Wildlife Department tried to purchase many new Waterfowl Production Areas. In fact at one time the goal may have been to double the acreage in ND.

The governor at the time (80s) essentially blocked all federal land requisition to counter act the growing anti-garrison diversion movement. Even land donated to the USF&W was denied.

Hey here (garrison diversion) is another hot political subject that impacted hunters.

I have notice that there have been a few WPA added to the North Dakota landscape over the past two years.

We no longer have the Garrison Diversion arguments as a block.

We do have county commissioners who try block federal land accession due to the reduced tax payments often made by federal government.

The North American Waterfowl Management plan could probably authorize quite a bit of wetland acquisition in ND. Your state and county governments are stopping these. Stutsman County (Jamestown area) has been one of the greatest opponents to land purchases in their county by the federal government.

Have them work with the feds to pay full taxation on the land so that county governments do not suffer.

Stop wetland drainage. Plenty of ditches and drain tile are still being installed.


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