A young pelican sits on its nest as its mother stands by. Oil has reached the shore of islands near Grand Isle, La., where thousands of birds nest. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times / May 24, 2010)
The Migratory Bird Habitat Initiative will pay to use up to 150,000 acres of land “to provide feeding, loafing and resting areas for migratory birds,” according to an announcement by the Agriculture Department’s Natural Resources Conservation Service.
The program applies mainly to former wetlands and low-lying land in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri and Texas. Conservation officials are hoping to attract birds to safe areas before they land on shores and wetlands contaminated by the massive oil spill.
Landowners would be expected to flood fields and promote the growth of vegetation favored by migratory birds, or to enhance existing wetlands on their properties, for three to five years, said NRCS spokeswoman Chris Coulon.
Rice fields and fish farms are particularly suited to the initiative.
For birds, “it’s an alternative so they’ll have a lower probability of landing in areas affected by the oil spill,” Coulon said.
Up to $20 million has been allocated for the initiative, but how much actually is spent depends on farmers’ response, she said. (FULL STORY)
By Andrew Zajac, Tribune Washington Bureau
June 29, 2010
