tion, and invertebrates in remaining wetlands.
“Luckily, there have been dedicated conservationists interested in restoring wetlands in this
region,” he said.
The class witnessed one of these restoration efforts
firsthand on a boat ride on Pool 19, a reservoir
established in 1913 stretching along 46 miles of the
Mississippi River. Each spring, Pool 19 provides
habitat for one of North America’s largest concentrations of migrating diving ducks, including lesser
scaup (Aythya affinis) and canvasback (Aythya
valisineria). Jim Lamer, a fisheries doctoral student
at the University of Illinois, talked about how fluctuations in river silt impact the aquatic occupants
of Pool 19, including vegetation, mussels, and fish.
Lamer then helped students collect some of these
fish using Fyke nets, which trap fish underwater
without killing them. Students got a lesson in the
hardships of field work on the return trip to shore
as a storm approached, tossing large waves onto the
boat and soaking most of Team Duck.
Day 4. After a long drive through parts of
Illinois, Missouri, and Iowa, students were eager
to get outdoors for a tour of central Nebraska’s
Sacramento-Wilcox Wildlife Management Area,
courtesy of district wildlife manager Bob Meduna
and area manager Mick Bresley. The two explained
how they helped manage part of the so-called
Rainwater Basin along the Platte River to sustain
high quality wetlands and uplands for migratory
and resident wildlife. “We flood, use prescribed
burning, and cattle graze vegetation to mimic historical effects of Native Americans, precipitation,
fire, and bison,” said Bresley.
Day 5. Early the next day the class visited one of
the most unique features of the Nebraska plain:
playa wetlands. Playas in the Rainwater Basin are
shallow wetland basins carved by wind and water
erosion. The wetlands are ephemeral, often fed by
spring snow melt or rainwater, and are prone to
drying in low-rainfall years. More than 4,000 playa wetlands once existed in the Rainwater Basin;
today less than 10 percent remain, many converted
to agricultural land.
“The Rainwater Basin is a continentally important spring stopover region for millions of ducks,
geese, sandhill cranes, and other birds,” explained
MSU alumnus Mark Vrtiska, Nebraska’s state
waterfowl biologist. He also explained the im-
a 4,000 mile journey gave students from Mississippi State University insight into what
waterfowl face during their annual migration through the Mississippi and Central flyways. at
the Ducks Unlimited Goebel Ranch (below), participants explored prairie potholes, searching
for nesting ducks and recording data on nests and eggs.
Credit: Jacob Straub
Credit: Rick Kaminski
