For the past two years, western North America has been under serious drought conditions. Alberta and western Saskatchewan, the prairie areas that provide the Central Valley with a preponderance of its wintering waterfowl, saw a breeding pair decline of approximately 15 percent two years ago, and roughly an additional 25 percent last year. Wintering waterfowl populations were dramatically reduced, and the birds present were dominated by adults who had seen ducks blinds and decoys before. It was tough hunting.

When going through a poor hunting season, it's difficult to remember that periodic drought is the key to the productivity of prairie wetlands. The nutrients are released through decay of vegetation, and when the wetlands re-flood, an explosion of invertebrates occurs. These little "protein nuggets" are essential for egg production and the boom times that waterfowl can experience on the breeding grounds.

What's in store for this year? Much of Alberta and western Saskatchewan continue to be held under severe drought, and some areas are "driest on record." We anticipate another reduction in breeding pairs surveyed on the prairies. We also anticipate some form of reduction in the hunting season. Populations are managed by daily bag, length of the season, and dates of the season. Based upon spring breeding conditions, it's fairly safe that our 2002-2003 waterfowl hunting season in the Pacific Flyway won't be better than last year's, and could decline even further. In the meantime, Ducks Unlimited continues to be highly focused on the issue of keeping the Pacific Flyway intact. Demographic projections indicate California could double in population in 40 years, and that the Central Valley could increase by some 10-15 million by 2020!

This burgeoning human population will take up a large amount of land and water, both of which are crucial to the future of waterfowl and our waterfowl hunting heritage. What we accomplish in terms of habitat conservation in the next decade could well determine the fate of the Pacific Flyway for the next century!

Reprinted with permission from Ducks Unlimited