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Description:
The Rainwater Basin Wetland Management District consists of small parcels of land scattered in 13 counties. Land is composed of wetland habitat, generally semipermanent and seasonal wetlands with adjacent uplands that have been restored to tall grass prairie. Occasional shelterbelts are present. These lands are wildlife oases in an intensively farmed landscape. The Rainwater Basin Area is a major spring staging area for Central Flyway migratory birds. Millions of geese and ducks are present in February , March and April followed by thousands of shorebirds, wading birds, and neotropical migrants in May. Ninety percent of the mid-continent white-fronted geese and 50 percent of the continental mallard population use the basins during the spring migration. Fall migration and winter use by waterfowl and other migratory use is substantial but not in the same magnitude as spring migration. Resident wildlife occur on all areas and public use of hunting and bird watching averages 50,000 visits/year. The Rainwater Basin, in association with the Platte River, is used each spring and fall by migrating whooping cranes.
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