Ch. 4— Wetland Programs That Affect tlie Use of Wetlands • 73 



Photo credit: U.S. Fistt and Wildlife Service, David B. Marshall 



Over $240 million worth of "duck stamps" have been 



sold to hunters since the program's inception in 1934, 



financing the purchase of more than 2.5 million acres 



of waterfovi/l habitat 



are to be repaid with duck stamp receipts. Bills 

 pending in Congress seek to extend this act. 



The Land and Water Conservation Fund Act 



The Land and Water Conservation Fund Act 

 (LWCF) of 1965 funds the purchase of natural 

 areas, including wedands. FWS has used this source 

 of funding to protect endangered species and im- 

 portant natural resource areas and to extend the 

 National Wildlife Refuge System. From fiscal years 

 1967 through 1982, FWS used approximately $182 

 million of LWCF money to acquire some 221,000 

 acres of land, an unknown portion of which are wet- 

 lands. The National Park Service also has used this 

 source of funding for land purchases: from fiscal 



years 1965 through 1982, a total of $1.7 billion in 

 outlays for 1.4 million acres were made. As with 

 FWS outlays, information is not available on what 

 proportions of these outlays and acreage pertain to 

 wetlands. * 



Water Bank Program 



The Agriculture Stabilization and Conservation 

 Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture 

 (USDA) administers the Water Bank Program. 

 Authorized by the Water Bank Act of 1970, the ob- 

 jectives of the program are: 



To preserve, restore, and improve the wetlands 

 of the Nation, and thereby (1) conserve surface 

 waters, (2) preserve and improve habitat for mi- 

 gratory waterfowl and other wildlife resources, (3) 

 reduce runoff, soil, and wind erosion, (4) contribute 

 to flood control, (5) contribute to improved water 

 quality and reduce stream sedimentation, (6) con- 

 tribute to improved subsurface moisture, (7) reduce 

 acres of new land coming into production and to 

 retire lands now in agricultural production, (8) 

 enhance the natural beauty of the landscape, and 

 (9) promote comprehensive and total water man- 

 agement planning. 



While agreements have been in effect in 15 

 States, the program is concentrated in the prairie- 

 pothole region of Minnesota, North Dakota, and 

 South Dakota. Through the Water Bank Program, 

 private landowners or operators receive annucJ 

 payments in exchange for agreeing not to drain, 

 fill, level, burn, or otherwise destroy wetlands and 

 to maintain grassy cover on adjacent upland. 



With technical assistance from USDA's Soil 

 Conservation Service (SCS) landowners and oper- 

 ators enter into 10-year agreements with the Sec- 

 retary of Agriculture specifying requirements placed 

 on land use and rates of compensation. Compen- 

 sation varies with geographic area. Payments for 

 wetlands usually range from $5 to $10/acre; such 

 payments in California can range up to $22/acre. 

 Payments for adjacent cropland generally range 

 from $14 to $55/acre. 



Payment rates are subject to review after 4 years 

 and at the time agreements are renewed. For the 

 first group of contracts coming up for renewal, the 

 rate of renewal has been 50 to 60 percent. Agree- 

 ments are transferable when land is sold and may 



