By Peter Ziegler, WWA Project Director
Hunting seasons are upon us. I hope everyone has a great beginning to the season.
One thing I have found is that wildlife love new areas and, as with many bird species, waterfowl are quick to exploit newly flooded or disturbed areas. These areas typically have uncovered or provided access to water, a whole slew of new seeds and/or invertebrates. I always hear from landowners after we finish a project and water begins to return that birds are already using it. That is not atypical, which is why, when we have heavy rains, waterfowl quickly spread out to new areas and take advantage of those new food sources. So keep your eyes open for new habitat in places you can hunt, there are certainly new ones out there for all to enjoy.
One such area that is still under construction is within the Killsnake Wildlife Area, located in both southeastern Calumet and southwestern Manitowoc Counties. This project is being completed utilizing duck stamp dollars by the WDNR. WWA is playing a small role in this one, but as WDNR is a partner on our NAWCA grant we have been getting updates on its progress so we can work on reporting for our grant. This type of partnership is important to all, and especially the habitat within Wisconsin.
This project included some ditch plugging, small berms and scrapes generating ~13 acres of wetland habitat. Photo courtesy of Steve Easterly, WDNR
Until we get some precipitation and our fall recharge of wetlands begins, this new habitat may not appear very attractive, but it will certainly provide habitat and opportunity for waterfowl and waterfowlers for many years to come.