By Bruce Ross, Executive Director – bross@wisducks.org
This article appeared in the Wisconsin Waterfowl Association’s April 2025 Newsletter edition.
Check it out! WWA has a new website! Let us know what you think!- Project Funding: The state’s Migratory Bird Committee meeting to allocate waterfowl stamp funds for the next few years met last week. I expect WWA projects to fare pretty well in this competition. When I rolled the expected amounts into our project tracking tool, it showed that WWA manages approximately $2.7 million to fund projects around the state. You’ll read more about these upcoming projects soon, but few of them would be possible without the funding your membership provides and your purchase of duck stamps.
- Recent restoration projects: Here are recent WWA reports on how we are using these dollars to complete significant public land projects that restore habitat on publicly accessible lands for spring nesting success and fall hunting opportunities. Over the next several weeks, we will release additional reports to keep you informed about our work to make landscape-level wetland improvements.
Little Yellow River project: We anticipate receiving waterfowl stamp funding to continue our project work on the Meadow Valley State Wildlife Area and Necedah Wildlife Refuge. While nearly $1M in US Fish and Wildlife Service funds is currently held up under federal funding review, the contractor (Earth Inc.) continues to do great work turning miles of ditches into hundreds of acres of wetlands—check out the related story by WWA ecologist Mark Pfost.- Legislative Update: WWA spent several days in March talking with Madison legislators and staff about our top three policy priorities:
- Advancing a responsible sandhill crane hunting season.
Continuing the state’s stewardship investments in public lands while increasing the program’s focus on caring for the properties currently in the public inventory. You can expect a “call to action” soon, inviting you to reach out to your legislators and show your support for the program.- Addressing the $15M structural deficit in the DNR’s Wildlife Account.
All three topics will require substantial education for legislators in the months ahead, and you can play a role—keep an eye out for our Calls to Action to contact your legislators.
EXPO: As we move to a two-day EXPO, vendors and sponsors are flocking to play a role. We’ve had to increase our outdoor footprint with circus-sized tents! Expect the same great activities—but more of them! Our target is 305 vendor booths, and we’re about 90% of the way there. Mark your calendar now for Friday, 22 August and Saturday, 23 August—different activities on different days mean you’ll want to consider coming on both!. Make a night of it and join us for the inaugural Duckhunter Banquet on Friday night!
