DATE:    7/17/96
CONTACT: Greg Yarrow, (864) 656-7370
WRITER:  Bill Baker,  (864) 656-3875

Farm Fields Provide Refuge 
For Ducks and Geese

     CLEMSON -- Farm fields that once stood idle in winter are
now providing badly needed refuge for ducks and geese, thanks to
a project begun by Clemson Extension wildlife specialists and
researchers.
     The numbers of ducks and geese arriving in South Carolina
from breeding grounds in the northern U.S. and Canada have been
declining in recent years. One of the reasons is that much of the
habitat for over-wintering birds has been replaced by agriculture
and urban development, said Greg Yarrow, Clemson Extension
wildlife specialist.
     One response has been an effort to reserve wetland areas
exclusively for the use of waterfowl, permanently taking such
land out of crop production -- a costly and sometimes impractical
approach. 
     An alternative is to use an integrated resource management
approach in which farmland is flooded in early November to
provide waterfowl habitat through the winter, then drained in
March for spring planting.
     This approach has been studied for the past five years at
the Clemson University Waterfowl Demonstration/Research Site, a
15-acre field located at Fant's Grove near Tri-County Technical
College off S.C. Hwy. 76.
     Each spring, corn and millet are grown in the field, along
with unplanted strips of native vegetation. Each fall, about 75
percent of the grain crops are harvested, with the other 25
percent left to provide food for waterfowl.
     When the project began five years ago, the site attracted
about 100 ducks and geese per day representing about 7 species,
according to observations made when the area was flooded. That
count is now up to about 400 ducks and geese per day that
represent at least 21 different species.
     Only some farmland is suitable for use as waterfowl habitat,
Yarrow said. 
     "Not every field has a water source. But if fields are in
close proximity to a stream or creek, then there's an opportunity
to divert some of the water into the field and control the level
of impoundment. The key is being able to take the water off in
time to allow the field to dry so farmers can get in there and
plant a crop," he said.
     In the Clemson demonstration site, the water used to flood
the field comes from a stream that goes into 18-Mile Creek. The
field is flooded to depths ranging from 2 to 18 inches.
     The opportunity to lease sites for hunting provides a strong
economic incentive for farmers to provide waterfowl habitat on
their land. Duck hunters often pay $500 or more per blind for
hunting privileges, Yarrow said.
     At the same time, questions remain as to the impact flooding
fields will have on their long-term farming potential.
     Fields are drained slowly, so losing topsoil isn't a
problem, Yarrow said. But nitrogen is lost, and sustainable
practices must be used to ensure that fertilizers, pesticides and
other agricultural chemicals aren't flushed back into creeks and
streams. These factors remain under study as part of the
waterfowl project.
     For farmers interested in developing a waterfowl site,
technical assistance for design and layout as well as assistance
with any needed permits can be obtained through the local Natural
Resource Conservation Service. 
     The project is a cooperative effort among Clemson Extension;
the S.C. Agricultural Experiment Station and Agricultural
Support; Clemson's department of aquaculture, fisheries and
wildlife, department of agronomy, and soils faculty; Clemson's
College of Agriculture, Forestry and Life Sciences; the S.C.
Department of Natural Resources; the Natural Resource
Conservation Service; Anderson County; and Ducks Unlimited --
MARSH (Matching Aid to Restore State's Habitat) Project.
     Also, the project is part of the North American Waterfowl
Plan -- a cooperative effort among local, state and national
agencies, both public and private, to provide additional
waterfowl habitat.
                               END