Craig the high crop prices and development of short-growing season corn and beans have accelerated wetland drainage and conversion of native grassland and domestic hayland to cropland across the U.S. portion of the Prairie Pothole Region. This is reducing the ability of the Region to support breeding ducks even though the fall migrants may stay around for a bit longer on the deeper lakes and reservoirs. Another serious problem is the loss of diversified farms. I can show you hundreds of wetlands that were formerly grazed, sunlit and filled with short emergent or submerged native plants that are now idle and choked with hybrid cattail and willow. These are next to useless for breeding ducks and nearly all other native wetland birds. And its not only private land that is in this condition...most of our National Wildlife Refuges and Waterfowl Production areas are in the same sad condition.
