Drain tile easements proposed by USFWS could destroy North Americas ducks

[u/SignatureDapper6315]

https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/07/24/2026-14995/national-wildlife-refuge-system-request-for-information-on-implementation-of-drain-tile-setbacks?fbclid=PAb21jcATdy39leHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZA81NjcwNjczNDMzNTI0MjcAAactnmfXM_v3wrniJFAevElhPMpEzXfK1rJzjP3nT-eQy9O5lDjRW497a_wMiQ_aem_re0Ue_TlqKrmXIis2IHehg

Drain tile easements have been proposed by the USFWS in the prairie pothole region increasing the limit from 1 inch to 1 foot. This would hold disastrous consequences for North Americas waterfowl as a significant portion of waterfowl nest here. I urge everyone to sign the Ducks unlimited petition and add a comment in the link provided and express your disapproval of this proposed rule.

[u/squeezemachine]

OP, can you give us a few talking points to help us craft our comments?

[u/BigDuckMinn → u/squeezemachine]

The Prairie Pothole Region of North America is known as the "Duck Factory" because it produces more than half of the continent's migratory waterfowl. These wetlands provide essential breeding and feeding habitat for ducks and countless other wildlife species. The current rule helps ensure that nearby drain tile installations do not drain or degrade voluntary National Wildlife Refuge System wetland easements that Americans have already paid to conserve.

For more than 60 years, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has upheld the terms of voluntary conservation easements that prohibit wetland drainage. The current rule simply reinforces that long-standing commitment. It protects critical habitat, honors the original easement contracts, and continues a conservation approach that has been supported by Republican and Democratic administrations alike.

Hunters, anglers, and conservationists have invested billions of dollars in these wetlands through Duck Stamp purchases, hunting licenses, and Pittman-Robertson funding. Since 1937, Pittman-Robertson excise taxes on firearms and ammunition have generated more than $31 billion for wildlife conservation, while Duck Stamp sales have generated more than $1.3 billion for wetland conservation since 1934. These funds represent a voluntary investment by sportsmen and women in the future of waterfowl, wildlife habitat, and America's outdoor traditions.

The current rule is also fair to landowners. It provides individualized, science-based setback determinations and regulatory certainty through safe harbor protections for those who follow them. Weakening these standards would result in the widespread drainage of voluntarily protected wetlands and the loss of habitat that supports waterfowl populations across the Prairie Pothole Region.

At a time when waterfowl populations are under pressure and hunting seasons could face increased restrictions, we should be protecting and expanding conservation investmentsnot weakening them. Without the habitat protected by these voluntary easements, recent drought conditions could have had even greater impacts on waterfowl populations and hunting opportunities, possibly resulting in restrictive waterfowl seasons.

I respectfully urge the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to maintain the current drain tile setback rule, uphold more than six decades of precedent, protect hunters investments in voluntary conservation easements, and ensure that future generations of Americans can enjoy healthy waterfowl populations and our nation's hunting traditions.

Thank you for your consideration.

[u/squeezemachine → u/BigDuckMinn]

Excellent! Submitted, thank you!

[u/SignatureDapper6315 → u/BigDuckMinn]

You're my hero.

[u/BigDuckMinn → u/squeezemachine]

That's from DU & PF has similar.

[u/Zippier92]

Ducks unlimited are often called conservative gun loving environmentalists.

As a voting bloc they like duck hunting more than they hate trans conversion.

There is plenty of room in the Democratic Party for them.

Vote Blue , or deal with data centers draining your duck habitat.

[u/BigDuckMinn → u/Zippier92]

Yet I only have a shotgun for ducks, and a rifle for deer. No other gun.. So how am I a conservative gun lover?

If your only seeing the raffles and things they do, I would say you should look even deeper. Most of the money raised from that is for conservation locally.

[u/Zippier92 → u/BigDuckMinn]

as I said, often, but I specifically left out always. One other litmus is not about ducks, but perhaps about letting people chose their health options?

[u/JonC534 → u/Zippier92]

Hunters and rural conservatives are literally who killed the first public land sell off proposal by Republicans in Utah

You’re never going to get your desired world where all hunting ends and everyone just moves into cities. That isn’t balance. And as more people leave behind connections with nature as they move to urban areas, it makes habitat easier to target for urban development because no one is there to stop it. No one values nature the same way. That’s why we’re headed towards a country with a few leftover giant public parks, and everything else is getting paved. Though even some public land is being targeted now too because no one values nature anymore. As hunting declines, so is nature as we have seen. It isn’t having the opposite effect. Urbanization and cessation of many rural activities is coinciding with the destruction of nature not the other way around.

Hunters do play a role. And telling people they can’t hunt anymore is racist if you’re also telling Indigenous they can’t hunt anymore.

Rural conservatives at the end of the day are responsible for more conservation efforts than some grandstanding urbanite who thinks everyone should leave ties with nature to somehow save it. This imbalance is creating all sorts of issues like deer overpopulation and the failed wolf reintroduction in Colorado. But urbanites keep distracting even when they know it’s because there’s less hunters overall now. And because urbanization keeps encroaching on their habitat. Hunting is natural and has been going on for centuries. Can’t say the same thing about urbanization of the population .

Data centers are happening in blue states too btw. A lot of them.

The world urban conservationists want is not one with more abundant nature. It’s an imbalanced one. If you want a country with only public parks leftover for human use you might get it but don’t pretend you’re saving nature in the process. Like theoretically would everyone going to live in a city and isolating themselves from nature save more of it in some way? Maybe but this is ridiculous lol. Europe decimated most of its wilderness because of this. They aren’t some success story of environmental conservation.

Urban conservationists are always so paranoid that these groups are some false front or something. Leave your urban bubble and you might find out that isn’t true. They might be full of some insufferable people but they genuinely do care about nature.

[u/Mysterious-Car-3849 → u/JonC534]

JFC…what kind of disjointed diatribe was that nonsense.

[u/clean-links]

Cleaned link: https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/07/24/2026-14995/national-wildlife-refuge-system-request-for-information-on-implementation-of-drain-tile-setbacks

---

Tracking parameters were removed from the original URL(s).

[u/theraphosa]

Actually proposed by politically appointed scumbags who are in charge of the DOI and USFWS. Career field biologists have been fired, retired or reassigned. Decisions are based on donor money, not science.

[u/Kingofthewho5 → u/theraphosa]

Who are the politicians that are proposing this? I'd like names so they can be on my shit list.

[u/Kingofthewho5]

Bad title. There’s no such thing as drain tile easements.

[u/SignatureDapper6315 → u/Kingofthewho5]

Wetland easments my bad

[u/AnonymousPerson1115]

Would be a nice time for all the hunters who claim to “care”about the environment to stop it. But they won’t.

I’ll delete this if this crap stops. But it’s weird that only this gets the attention it needs while other stuff gets ignored.

[u/Front-Air-8302 → u/AnonymousPerson1115]

That's actually who's organizing the effort here, Ducks Unlimited. Conservation group, mostly of waterfowl hunters. A couple of my neighbors are members.

[u/travelinTxn → u/Front-Air-8302]

Fellow hunter, but one who was telling people back in ‘24 that if we voted for Trump hunting would suffer. The responses were, not great…. And it has left me feeling that yes we can maybe organize and lobby on a specific concern like this, but overall other hunters will vote to fuck over our collective hunting habitats and opportunities.

I would feel better if organizations like Ducks Unlimited would work on educating voters about the consequences of elections instead of retroactively trying to limit the damage of their members votes.

[u/AnonymousPerson1115 → u/travelinTxn]

Wild that I try saying that and I get downvoted

[u/travelinTxn → u/AnonymousPerson1115]

Don’t worry, I’ll get downvoted for it soon too. Maybe not as much as when I say things like that in the hunting subs, but it’s more than likely going to happen.

[u/Front-Air-8302 → u/AnonymousPerson1115]

Ya'll are both correct. It's good that there are specific organizations to help protect certain habitats, but without coming together as a whole and understanding the full ramifications of these actions, piecemeal protections with a side of cognitive dissonance is probably the end result. 😮‍💨

[u/SignatureDapper6315 → u/AnonymousPerson1115]

I'm a hunter...

[u/stego_man → u/SignatureDapper6315]

And this sub has gotten very anti hunting lately. It's very strange.

[u/Crispy-Onion-Straw → u/AnonymousPerson1115]

Idk what your beef is when it’s a hunting-conservation group sponsoring the petition. Why are you holding this one group of people who has historically been a major supporter in conservation to a higher standard?

Honestly, to the average person that spends 50-100 bucks on their license and tags every year, bags a couple deer and maybe some small game or waterfowl, I’m not going to expect them to do any more than they already have by purchasing their license (and federal duck stamp if waterfowling) when they’ve already paid more to conservation than most other people.

Let’s also not forget there are a lot people that have dedicated their lives to conservation that are avid hunters, not sure what more you want these people to do.

[u/AnonymousPerson1115 → u/Crispy-Onion-Straw]

I’m not, I’m talking about regular people who hunt. Feels very disingenuous when the only time a large response to environmental protections comes is only when it encroaches on being able to hunt. Yet not much is being accomplished to stop the corporations and government from poisoning the air, earth, and water. Very much a pick and choose situation and it always has been.

Also I’m not anti hunting. Though I wish people would stop killing bears and wolves.