On Thursday a consortium of key waterfowl conservation groups sent a letter to the Department of the Interior and five Republican lawmakers urging them to uphold conservation easements in the Prairie Pothole Region.
The letter is a response to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s request for information about wetland easements in the PPR of the Northern Great Plains and drainage locations adjacent to those wetlands. It’s addressed to Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum and signed by Delta Waterfowl donor and director John Childs as well as the CEOs of Delta Waterfowl, Ducks Unlimited, California Waterfowl, and the South Carolina Waterfowl Association. It reads, in full:
July 30, 2026
Honorable Doug Burgum
Secretary of the Interior
1849 C Street N.W.
Washington, DC 20240Dear Secretary Burgum,
We are writing in response to the Department of the Interior’s (DOI) Request for Information (RFI) regarding the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s (USFWS) 2024 drain tile setback rule, and out of our shared commitment to habitat conservation, waterfowl, and waterfowl hunters across the United States. It is this common interest that links us all to maintaining the waterfowl and habitat value of USFWS easements.
Our members — primarily hunters and anglers — have invested hundreds of millions of dollars in these easements through private philanthropy and Duck Stamp purchases to conserve prairie wetlands. Any action that facilitates wetland drainage would disregard those investments, leading to fewer wetlands, fewer ducks, and the erosion of our hunting heritage.
We respectfully urge you to maintain the 60 years of precedent and uphold the USFWS’s commitment to protecting publicly funded, voluntary conservation easements, critical wildlife habitat, and America’s outdoor traditions.
Sincerely,
Mr. John Childs
Mr. Jason Tharpe, Chief Executive Officer, Delta Waterfowl
Mr. Adam Putnam, Chief Executive Officer, Ducks Unlimited
Mr. Jake Messerli, Chief Executive Officer, California Waterfowl
Mr. David Wielicki, Chief Executive Officer, South Carolina Waterfowl Associationcc: Senator John Thune, Majority Leader; Senator Rick Scott; Senator Tom Cotton; Speaker of the House, Representative Mike Johnson; House Majority Leader, Representative Steve Scalise
“The fact that you see all of these organizations on the same page really speaks to the gravity of the situation and the urgency with which the entire waterfowl community is responding to this,” says Ducks Unlimited communications director Parker Williams.
The topic of drain tile setbacks, while seemingly mundane policy, is critical for North America’s ducks and geese.
“There are some in the agricultural community who would favor an approach to tile setbacks that has the potential to starve wetlands — especially small shallow wetlands that are most important for breeding ducks,” Delta Waterfowl’s chief policy officer John Devney told Outdoor Life last week. “So [changes to setbacks could result in] draining. Not by digging a ditch, but draining by starving [wetlands] of its water.”
Drain tile setbacks were a hot topic at DU’s annual expo in Memphis this past weekend. Everyone from attendees to influential leaders were talking about it, according to Williams.
“It’s really clear that the waterfowl community was sharing one voice here, and we’re all ready to be heard. The Prairie Pothole Region and the duck factory is enormously important to the future of waterfowl hunting. We support the current [drain tile] rule and don’t want to see anything happen to what supports the future of duck hunting for generations to come.”
Related: This USFWS Announcement Has Duck Hunters on High Alert
The short 14-day public comment period ends Aug. 7, and signatories on the list are urging hunters and other conservationists to speak up. The public can submit comments directly to the USFWS here and sign DU’s petition against changes to drain tile rules.