Historically, 5 million acres of wetland habitat existed in California, primarily in the Central Valley. Today, less than 450,000 acres remain. The surviving wetland habitat supports more than 60% of the Pacific Flyway's waterfowl. About 55% of California's wetlands are owned and maintained by private interests, primarily duck clubs, with the balance protected as State and federal areas. In 1978, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service initiated a Conservation Easement Program to help protect private wetlands in California. Using duck stamp funds, a one-time cash payment is made to club owners on a willing seller basis. Clubs under Easement remain in private ownership, but must continue to be managed as wetland habitat in perpetuity. As of September, 1982, Conservation Easements have been acquired on about 17,500 acres of duck clubs in the "Grasslands" of Merced County and in the Butte Sink 715 acres are under Easement. In today's climate of tight federal budgets, outright purchase of new refuge lands for waterfowl is not always feasible, but purchasing Easements is an effective way to preserve our remaining wetlands.
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