COLUMBIA, S.D. (AP) - A construction project at Sand Lake National Wildlife Refuge has begun in order to create more habitat for ducks, geese and other wetland wildlife.
The finished project will let refuge managers have more control over water levels in an 80-acre wetland near the Columbia Dam fishing area. The project includes building a new water-control structure, the Aberdeen News (https://bit.ly/2k4WinM) reported.
Steve Donovan, manager of conservation programs in South Dakota for Ducks Unlimited, said that draining wetlands gives plants that can’t germinate underwater the ability to grow. Ducks can then eat the seeds of those plants, mainly smartweed or barnyard grass, when the wetland is flooded in late summer.
“Those are two pretty common species that grow when you draw down a wetland,” Donovan said. “A lot of people asked why refuge staff let all the water out of the lake last year, but the proof was in the pudding last fall when it got flooded and saw swarms of ducks return. It’s important to grow some food instead of just cattails.”
Ducks Unlimited engineer Maddie Saylor said the new structure’s concrete pipe was placed recently, and the concrete headwall was formed and poured Jan. 23. Saylor said the next step is to put in the canal gate that will allow staff to control water levels.
Donovan said the project is also being funded by grants from the James River Water Development District and the North American Wetlands Conservation Act.
According to Saylor, the project is scheduled for completion in February.
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Information from: Aberdeen American News, https://www.aberdeennews.com
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