RICE FOUNDATION AND DUCKS UNLIMITED PUBLISH A NEW GUIDE FOR RICE GROWERS

The USA Rice Foundation-sponsored publication, Conservation in Ricelands of North America, was released at the 2008 USA Rice Outlook Conference. Ducks Unlimited Director of Conservation Programs, Scott Manley, Ph.D., and the book’s editor, told the audience of producers and others that the “rice industry is a special steward” of resources.

“The rice agriculture and conservation communities have a mutually beneficial and long-lasting relationship with shared interests in habitat management for wetland-dependent birds, sustainable rice production, and conservation of natural resources such as soil and water,” Manley said. “The rice industry holds great conservation potential, and we hope this publication will aid in realizing that potential.”

Mallards lift off a fall flooded Arkansas rice field.

Manley spent several years working with 12 experts to research, summarize, and critique all known available data from more than 25 library databases, land grant university experiment station sources, and author-chosen venues on riceland conservation that 16 independent experts reviewed.

According to Manley, the 180-page text focused on two primary goals of producing “a summary document containing the current state of our knowledge on riceland conservation” and mapping a course for “future research and education programs” to advance the “compatibility between wildlife conservation, rice production, and the environment.”

This is not the first time DU has worked closely with the Rice Foundation. DU was one of the first organizations to work with farmers to flood harvested rice fields for waterfowl. These fields provide valuable habitat for waterfowl while helping rice growers improve their working farms to benefit the environment. Flooding the fields helps control weeds and prevents erosion, which reduces farmers’ chemical usage and conserves soil.

Flooded rice fields provide valuable habitat for waterfowl while helping rice growers improve their working farms to benefit the environment.

The total acreage of rice grown in the United States is relatively small in comparison to the vast acreage planted in corn, wheat, and soybeans each year. However, in the Mississippi Alluvial Valley, Gulf Coastal Plain, and Central Valley of California, the crop is absolutely critical to the regional economy and waterfowl.

In the future, DU will continue to work closely with America’s rice growers in these areas to provide essential seasonal wetland habitat for wintering waterfowl and other wildlife, as well as economic benefits for farmers and recreational opportunities for waterfowlers. DU also consults with rice growers and the rice industry about agricultural policy issues.

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The last Labrador duck is believed to have been seen at Elmira, New York on this date in 1878.

The Labrador duck, Camptorhynchus labradorius was a striking black and white eider-like sea duck that was never known to be common, and believed to be the first bird species found only in continental North America to disappear during the wave of extinctions that began soon after European settlement.

The bird wintered close to shore along the Atlantic Coast of North America, including the coast of Long Island, New York, where the last collected specimen was shot in 1875.

Unfortunately, the species disappeared before much could be learned about its biology. Its peculiar bill highly was modified from that of most ducks. The Labrador ducks bill had a wide, flattened tip with numerous lamellae inside which suggests that the bird sifted shellfish and crustaceans from silt and shallow water.

The extinction of the Labrador duck remains a mystery. Although sometimes hunted for food, this duck was considered to taste bad and rot quickly and fetch a low price; consequently, it was not sought by hunters. Alternatively, it is thought that the eggs may have been over-harvested, and it may have been subject to depredations by the feather trade in its breeding area as well. Another possible factor in the bird's extinction was the increasing human influence on the coastal ecosystems of eastern North America. The decline in mussels and other shellfish as the east coast became inhabited and polluted may have contributed to the Labrador ducks demise. Although all sea ducks readily feed on shallow-water mollusks, no Western Atlantic bird species seems to have been dependent on such food as much as the Labrador duck.

Its lack of fear of humans, specialized ecological niche, and apparently low population density all may have contributed to its vulnerability.

Worldwide, 54 specimens of the Labrador Duck are preserved in museum collections. The largest collection containing ten specimens is in the American Museum of Natural History in New York.

Today, many other sea duck species are declining. Sea Ducks are the least studied group of North America waterfowl. Problems with sea duck populations are widespread within the northern hemisphere and have become internationally recognized. Initial steps toward addressing these problems have been taken with the formation of a Sea Duck Joint Venture (SDJV). The SDJV is a conservation partnership under the North American Waterfowl Management Plan and as you might expect Ducks Unlimited is a prominent partner in this important group. An example of that leadership is DU’s Common Eider Initiative. Common eider numbers are in decline throughout their range in Canada. DUC's Eider Initiative has been created to find out answers as to why this is occurring.

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Sea Duck Joint Venture: a conservation partnership under the North American Waterfowl Management Plan