Bird group works to protect habitat

Hunters, birdwatchers and Valley residents who are just out taking a walk with their dog all enjoy the sight of ducks on the wing, flapping and quacking their way across the sky. To keep the waterfowl coming home each summer, Ducks Unlimited is continuing to strive to identify and protect critical wetlands.

For the past five years, Palmer resident Jim King has been the regional director of Ducks Unlimited in Alaska, and as the group prepares for its annual fund-raising banquet next weekend, King says the organization remains committed to its mission.

"Probably the biggest thing that drew me to Ducks Unlimited originally is that they put their money into habitat work and they don't spend their money on legal or political battles," King said.

Here in Alaska that habitat work has involved millions of dollars worth of mapping and inventorying of wetlands across the state. Using satellite remote sensing technology and digital image processing techniques, Ducks Unlimited has worked with agencies such as the Bureau of Land Management to map millions of acres during the past 10 years. The information is used by a variety of agencies and private industries to allow them to make informed decisions about how development will affect wildlife and wetland resources.

"By having these maps we can identify very specific habitats that are critical to the well being of specific birds that we're trying to protect," King said.

As an example, he said, for a long time experts did not know where Cook Inlet tule geese nested. Using habitat mapping, however, they were able to identify areas important to these birds based on their food sources.

"Then, we know how to help those birds," King said.

King said Alaska is a rarity not only because not all states have this type of mapping, but also because the vast majority of Alaska's wetlands haven't been affected by development the way they have in other places.

"It really provides a good baseline," King said.

In addition to this large-scale mapping effort, Ducks Unlimited uses its funds to purchase land from private people to increase protected areas such as the Palmer Hay Flats State Game Refuge. King said the group is in the process of working with the Nature Conservancy to add another parcel of land to this wetland area, frequented by hunters and birdwatchers alike.

The effect of keeping Alaska's waterfowl populations healthy stretches well beyond the borders of this state, however. King pointed out that Alaska produces 80 percent of the waterfowl in the Pacific Flyway, including those that winter in places like California.

"Alaska is very significant to the whole waterfowl picture for the Pacific Flyway," King said.

Conversely, the health of wetlands in these wintering grounds affects how well Alaska's bird populations do.

"Those are Alaska's birds," King said.

While waterfowl are the group's main focus, Ducks Unlimited emphasizes that birds are not the only beneficiaries of the habitat efforts. Wetlands recharge and purify groundwater, moderate floods, reduce soil erosion and provide recreation opportunities for people.

Ducks Unlimited was formed more than 65 years ago by a group of hunters who were concerned about the effect of the Dust Bowl drought on waterfowl. But while the founding fathers of Ducks Unlimited were hunters, as are many of its members today, including King, it is not exclusively a hunting club.

"It's people who believe in our mission, and they support us because these are also good social events -- grassroots fund-raising events," King said.

Here in Alaska, Ducks Unlimited has about 5,800 members. Nationally, the membership is nearing 700,000. These members, and the nearly $140 million they raise nationally each year, have resulted in more than 10 million acres of habitat being conserved in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

"The only way we could do this is because we have a great volunteer base and great community support," King said.