Michigan Wetland Management District

The 629 acre Michigan Wetland Management District is part of the National Wildlife Refuge System. These lands were put aside using the Waterfowl Production Area Program which was authorized by Congress in 1958 by an amendment to the Migratory Bird Hunting Stamp Act. Since its initiation in 1961 it has been preserving natural wetlands that were rapidly being destroyed nationwide by agricultural drainage, housing development and other commercial land use practices. Waterfowl production areas are comprised of small natural wetlands and grasslands that provide breeding, resting and nesting habitat for millions of waterfowl, shorebirds, grassland birds and other wildlife. In 1980, with approval from then Governor Milliken and the support of the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service through a Memorandum of Understanding announced it was proposing to acquire up to 30,000 acres of wetlands in a 14 county area of south-central Michigan under the Waterfowl Production Area Program. The counties include Kent, Ionia, Barry, Eaton, Ingham, Livingston, Van Buren, Kalamazoo, Calhoun, Jackson, Cass, Saint Joseph, Branch and Hillsdale. In 2004, the Memorandum of Understanding between the two agencies was renewed and resulted in the expansion of the wildlife production area acquisition area from the original 14 county wetland management district to include all or parts of 46 counties that lie within the primary focus areas of the North American Waterfowl Management Plans, regional landscape ecosystem areas for Michigan. By 2020 Michigan Wetland Management District had five waterfowl production areas in three counties with plans to expand as funding and lands become available. Malan, Kinney, Schlee and Edger Waterfowl Production Areas are within the original 14 county wetland management district, while the Schnoover Waterfowl Production Area is located within the primary focus areas of the North American Waterfowl Management Plans regional landscape ecosystem areas for Michigan. All five waterfowl production areas in Michigan provide nesting, resting and brood rearing grounds for various waterfowl, shore and water birds, and other wildlife.