The North American Wetlands Conservation Act is one of the most effective sources to fund habitat conservation for organizations like Ducks Unlimited.

Enacted in 1989, NAWCA provides federal cost-share funding to support the North American Waterfowl Management Plan by stimulating public-private partnerships to protect, restore, and manage wetland habitats for a diversity of migratory birds and other wildlife. NAWCA partnership grants play an important role in meeting the DU mission, from restoring wetlands that have been altered, and enhancing water availability, to reducing soil erosion and the likelihood of floods. In addition, many projects provide outstanding recreational opportunities, from bird watching to hunting.

NAWCA provides challenge grants for wetlands conservation projects in the U.S., Canada and Mexico. Every $1 of federal money allotted to NAWCA must be matched by $1 or more from non-federal sources like Ducks Unlimited, or state fish and wildlife agencies. Because the program is so effective, NAWCA funds are usually doubled or tripled on the local level. More than $1 billion in federal grants has been allocated for NAWCA projects – a figure that has leveraged an additional $3 billion from matching and non-matching funds. Since its inception, more than 2,644 NAWCA projects have contributed to the conservation of almost 33.4 million acres of habitat across North America.

Click on your state below to see a list of projects that DU has funded in part thanks to the NAWCA.

• Alaska
• Arizona
• California
• Idaho
• Hawaii
• Nevada
• Oregon
• Utah
• Washington