When the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service opened a brief review this summer of the rule that keeps farm drain tile from pulling water out of protected wetlands in the Prairie Pothole Region, Mississippi's leaders spoke up quickly. Governor Tate Reeves, Senators Roger Wicker and Cindy Hyde-Smith, and Congressmen Trent Kelly and Michael Guest each signed letters urging Interior Secretary Doug Burgum to keep those protections in place. They are to be commended for protecting the wetlands that produce the ducks Mississippi hunters depend on.
On July 24, the Service issued a Request for Information asking whether its 2024 drain tile setback rule was working. The rule formalized a policy followed for more than 60 years by administrations of both parties. It sets science-based distances that keep drain tile on neighboring cropland from draining wetlands protected by permanent, voluntary easements, and it gives landowners who follow their individualized setback plans a regulatory safe harbor. Conservation groups feared the review could align the rule with USDA Swampbuster standards, which allow up to 12 inches of water to be drained from a wetland over 14 days.
The stakes reach well beyond the northern prairie. The Prairie Pothole Region, known as the Duck Factory, produces more than half of North America's migratory waterfowl, and many of those birds winter in Mississippi. Hunters have paid for these easements through Duck Stamps, hunting licenses, and Pittman-Robertson excise taxes.
In his August 5 letter, Governor Reeves called the rule a reasonable, science-based approach that protects wetland function while giving landowners certainty, and noted Mississippi hunters have long been among the nation's most committed conservationists. Senators Wicker and Hyde-Smith joined six colleagues on a letter warning that waterfowl populations are already declining and further habitat loss would be felt throughout the Mississippi Flyway. Congressmen Kelly and Guest joined 18 House colleagues on a letter asking the Department to uphold the integrity of voluntary easement contracts and prevent any drainage of protected wetlands.
They were in good company. Hunters submitted 219,428 personalized comments during the 14-day window, and more than 100,000 people signed a Ducks Unlimited petition. Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry, state wildlife agencies, conservation organizations, and outdoor brands added their voices.
On August 14, the Service announced that no further action is planned at this time while it reviews the information received. The protections remain in place for now, though the issue is not settled. We thank our state's leaders for defending the Duck Factory and will keep working to ensure the wetlands sportsmen have already paid to conserve stay wet for generations.
James L. Cummins is executive director of Wildlife Mississippi, a nonprofit conservation organization founded to conserve, restore, and enhance fish, wildlife, and plant resources throughout Mississippi. Their web site is www.wildlifemiss.org.
