Interior Department Approves Funding to Conserve 190,000 Acres of Critical Wetland

Certain species of migratory birds are critically dependent on wetlands.

The sun rises over a wild rice bed in Steamboat Bay on Leech Lake in Minn., on Sept. 12, 2022. Jessie Wardarski/AP Photo

More than $67 million has been approved in two separate funding grants for conserving 190,457 acres of wetlands used by migratory birds in the United States, the Department of the Interior (DOI) said in a May 19 statement.

The first grant involves the approval of $44.8 million in North American Wetlands Conservation Act (NAWCA) funding by the Migratory Bird Conservation Commission. The funds will go to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and its partners to conserve, restore, or enhance 185,203 acres of wetlands and upland habitats for migratory birds.