Keep up with the latest news on bird and habitat conservation efforts across the Prairie Pothole Joint Venture!
Shaun is a Farm Bill Biologist III for Pheasants Forever (PF) working with landowners across the northeastern portion of Montana, known as the Hi-Line. Our first “People of the Partnership” recognition, the PPJV would like to say: Thank you, Shaun, for all of the hard work you’ve done for grassland conservation! I enjoy working with
Key takeaway: Duck productivity depends on fluctuating wetlands. The wet-dry phases of a prairie wetland act like a reset button, helping to recycle nutrients, grow plants, produce insects, and create the food and cover ducks need to survive. Wet-dry rhythms supercharge wetland productivity: Drying and refilling phases help create the food and cover ducklings need.
South Dakota Partners for Fish and Wildlife (PFW) biologist Steve Spawn recently headed to the field, not to meet with a private landowner, but to provide hands-on wetland restoration training to habitat technicians and a group of Student Conservation Association interns working for the Madison Wetland Management District in Madison, SD. During the field day,
January 23, 2026 — The JV8 Central Grasslands Conservation Initiative is excited to announce the official launch of its newly redesigned website, now live at JV8.org. The JV8 Central Grasslands Conservation Initiative is a long-term collaborative effort by eight Migratory Bird Joint Ventures (JVs) working together to implement grassland conservation from Mexico to Canada. The
Every spring, the Prairie Pothole Region (PPR) teems with duck calls and wings splashing on water. Shallow ponds glisten amidst rolling grasslands and farmlands, filled with waterfowl returning from the south to nest and raise their young. Spanning Montana, the Dakotas, Minnesota, Iowa, and southern Canada, the PPR is often called the cradle of North
The Four-Square Mile Breeding Waterfowl Survey (FSMS) is a targeted, long-term monitoring initiative established by scientists from the USGS Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center to assess the contribution of National Wildlife Refuge System land in the U.S. Prairie Pothole Region (US-PPR). Initiated in 1987 and managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s (USFWS) Habitat
Minnesota’s wetland restoration efforts are working to address the loss of critical habitat across the Prairie Pothole Region, with key projects at Butler Lake, Moore Slough Wetland Protection Area (WPA), and Herberger Lake Wetland Management Area (WMA). These initiatives, driven by partnerships among federal agencies, non-government conservation organizations, and private landowners, restore vital ecosystems that
Brian and April Fox of Turner, MT were recently honored as the 2024 MT Ducks Unlimited (DU) Landowner of the Year. DU Biologist Adam McDaniel expressed a deep respect for how Fox has managed his operation and the well-being of the land as he presented the award. “Brian exemplifies the kind of rancher we like
Thanks to the help of partners and supporters, TNC has reached a major milestone in conservation. The Nature Conservancy (TNC)—a conservation organization committed to building a future where both people and nature thrive—announced a significant milestone: 1 million acres protected across Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota. For more than 65 years, TNC’s Minnesota, North
The Ranchers Stewardship Alliance (RSA) is proud to announce Jacquelyn (Jacquie) Evans as the recipient of the 2024 Gold Star Award. Evans, the Science Integration Specialist with the Prairie Pothole Joint Venture (PPJV), received this prestigious accolade on Wednesday, June 12, 2024, at the Matador Ranch Science Symposium. The Gold Star Award is presented annually
https://youtu.be/rBgGYeEyxho The U.S. Geological Survey at Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center (NPWRC) has a robust history of studying pollinators and pollinator habitat demonstration plots to illustrate the multiple benefits these lands provide. Like our native prairies, pollinator habitat requires active management to thrive – without proper management, the ecological and economic value of the habitat
While the monarch is iconic for its status as an imperiled butterfly, there are other less-known butterflies on the prairie that deserve just as much recognition for their status as prairie jewels: the prairie skippers. Like all butterflies, skippers have wings made of scales; when the sunlight reflects just right, these scales shine like brilliantly