Ducks Unlimited Encouraged by Inclusion of Agricultural Exemptions, Science, in Final Clean Water Rule

Memphis – May 27, 2015 – Officials from Ducks Unlimited, the world’s largest nonprofit wetlands and waterfowl conservation organization, reacted to the final rule announced today clarifying which wetlands, rivers and streams in the United States will be protected by the Clean Water Act.

“Because this new rule has broad implications for many bodies of water that are important to North America’s waterfowl, Ducks Unlimited will be reviewing how potential changes might affect our waterfowl, their habitats and our agricultural partners,” said Ducks Unlimited CEO Dale Hall. “We strongly supported using science as the foundation for the new rule, and we were encouraged to see that all of the longstanding exemptions for normal agricultural practices appear to remain in place.”

Given the complexities of this rule, Ducks Unlimited will need time to review and analyze the complete rule and the accompanying information in order to fully understand the implications to waterfowl habitat and our conservation partners.

The purpose of the new rule is to identify and clarify which waters will be protected by the Act and which will not. The new rule designates some areas in the Prairie Pothole Region, also known as North America’s “Duck Factory,” as places of special importance, not only because of their significance to waterfowl, but because of the extreme density of wetlands in the region and the benefits these wetlands provide to downstream flooding, water quality and other water-based issues.

“We appreciate the special consideration afforded the Prairie Pothole Region, and we will be looking at the final rule very carefully to understand the extent to which these important wetlands are protected,” said Ducks Unlimited Chief Scientist Dr. Scott Yaich. “We do appreciate the balance that must be struck between science and the law to end up with a regulation that is clear and pragmatic to implement.”

Ducks Unlimited Inc. is the world’s largest non-profit organization dedicated to conserving North America’s continually disappearing waterfowl habitats. Established in 1937, Ducks Unlimited has conserved more than 13 million acres thanks to contributions from more than a million supporters across the continent. Guided by science and dedicated to program efficiency, DU works toward the vision of wetlands sufficient to fill the skies with waterfowl today, tomorrow and forever. For more information on our work, visit www.ducks.org. Connect with us on our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/DucksUnlimited, follow our tweets at www.twitter.com/DucksUnlimited and watch DU videos at www.youtube.com/DucksUnlimitedInc.

Ducks Unlimited

Ducks Unlimited is the world's leader in wetlands and waterfowl conservation. DU got its start in 1937 during the Dust Bowl when North America’s drought-plagued waterfowl populations had plunged to unprecedented lows. Determined not to sit idly by as the continent’s waterfowl dwindled beyond recovery, a small group of sportsmen joined together to form an organization that became known as Ducks Unlimited. Its mission: habitat conservation. Thanks to decades of abiding by that single mission, Ducks Unlimited is now the world’s largest and most effective private waterfowl and wetlands conservation organization. DU is able to multilaterally deliver its work through a series of partnerships with private individuals, landowners, agencies, scientific communities and other entities.