The conservation project improved and restored 186 acres in 48 prairie potholes
OSAKIS, Minn. – June 15, 2026 – More than 100 Ducks Unlimited (DU) supporters, philanthropists, and project partners recently celebrated the restoration and enhancement of 186 acres in 48 prairie pothole wetlands in Minnesota’s Orange Waterfowl Production Area (WPA).
The event celebrated over $1 million in conservation investments at the complex and is part of DU’s Living Lakes Initiative, which has focused on restoring shallow lakes and wetlands in Minnesota and Iowa since 2004.
Orange WPA is a 431-acre federal wildlife habitat featuring prairie pothole wetlands and native prairie grasslands. Once drained for agriculture using surface ditches and subsurface tiles, the land was acquired by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) using Federal Duck Stamp funds.
“The partnership between the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and DU exemplifies the type of outcome that can be achieved when organizations work together for the benefit of waterfowl conservation,” said USFWS Fergus Falls Wetland Management District Project Leader Neil Powers. “We are proud to join in the celebration of this amazing project and excited that it will provide wetland and grassland conservation that benefits people and communities well into the future.”
DU engineered and hired a private contractor to construct two steel water-control structures to restore two large wetlands that extend onto private lands protected by conservation easements, and to restore or enhance 46 smaller wetlands.
The project succeeded due to strong funding partnerships and the cooperation of adjacent private landowners who permanently protected their property. Today, these restored and enhanced wetlands provide vital habitat for aquatic vegetation and invertebrates, supporting breeding, brood-rearing, and migration of waterfowl. They also filter and store water on the land for other game and non-game wildlife species, as well as people.
“The emphasis on this project’s partnerships cannot be overstated,” said DU Mississippi Flyway Senior Regional Vice President Jeff Maletzke. “It is amazing how DU uniquely forges partnerships between passionate volunteers, major sponsors, private landowners and state and federal agencies that work alongside expert biologists and engineers to deliver important on-the-ground wetlands conservation.”
Partners in the project included the USFWS, the Lessard-Sams Outdoor Heritage Council, the North American Wetlands Conservation Act, the Minnesota Outdoor Heritage Fund, the Pioneer Heritage Conservation Trust, neighboring private landowners and DU Major Sponsors.
The bronze plaque unveiled at the dedication reads: “Ducks Unlimited joins with our partners to celebrate the success of this important wetland conservation project. Together, we will fulfill our mission of filling the skies with waterfowl today, tomorrow and forever.”
The names of more than 80 DU Major Sponsors are listed on the plaque.
“The wetlands that DU restored and enhanced on Orange WPA represent some of the most important waterfowl breeding and brood-rearing habitat in the Prairie Pothole Region of Minnesota,” said Jon Schneider, DU senior manager of conservation programs. “The small wetlands now provide optimal duck pair ponds used early in spring as birds arrive and begin to breed, and the two large wetlands now provide critical brood-rearing habitat in summer. Many other wildlife species benefit from this improved prairie wetland habitat complex, too, including many non-game species.”
Ducks Unlimited Inc. is the world’s largest nonprofit organization dedicated to conserving North America’s continually disappearing wetlands, grasslands and other waterfowl habitats. Established in 1937, Ducks Unlimited has restored or protected more than 20 million acres thanks to contributions from more than a million supporters across the continent. Guided by science, DU’s projects benefit waterfowl, wildlife and people in all 50 states. Learn more at www.ducks.org.
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