DALLAS, Texas, – Oct. 28, 2021 – Ducks Unlimited
Corporate and conservation partners are coming together and enhancing wetlands on Texas’ Richland Creek Wildlife Management Area (WMA) to improve wildlife habitat and water resources in the Trinity River Basin.
Ducks Unlimited, working in partnership with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD), will construct approximately 206 acres of new wetlands within the WMA. Water from the Trinity River will flood the wetland complex during the winter to provide habitat for a variety of bird species, and in the spring, water from the wetlands will flow back into the river. The design of the wetlands should reduce sediment, nitrogen, and phosphorous levels in the water, which will help improve water quality overall in the Trinity River by reconditioning more than 200 million gallons of water annually.
“The Texas Parks & Wildlife Department is excited to be working alongside Ducks Unlimited and the Texas Water Action Collaborative on this important project,” said John Silovsky, Wildlife Division Director at Texas Parks and Wildlife. “Ducks Unlimited is a long-standing partner that has provided direct assistance to TPWD to construct approximately 1,350 acres of wetland habitat on Richland Creek WMA since 1987.”
The Texas Water Action Collaborative (TxWAC) partners PepsiCo, Facebook, and the Bonneville Environmental Foundation along with a private family foundation, are also supporting the project. Led by Texan by Nature, TxWAC is a coalition of industry, nonprofit and governmental organizations established in 2021 to invest in efforts along the Upper Trinity River that yield positive water quality and quantity returns. The collaborative chose to start with the Upper Trinity Basin because so many people in Dallas-Fort Worth and Houston, the two largest human and corporate populations in the state of Texas, depend on the Trinity River system.
“As one of the world’s largest food and beverage companies, we recognize that PepsiCo not only has an opportunity, but a responsibility to use our scale and reach to ensure a more sustainable future,” said Tim Carey, Vice President of Sustainability at PepsiCo Beverages North America. “We recently announced PepsiCo Positive, a strategic end-to-end transformation of our business and supply chain, with sustainability at the center of how we will create growth and value by operating within planetary boundaries and inspiring positive change for the planet and people. We’re proud to put that into action through a partnership with Ducks Unlimited to implement this important water replenishment project in the Trinity River Basin.”
Richland Creek WMA is managed by the TPWD and is adjacent to Richland Chambers Reservoir, which was built by the Tarrant Regional Water District (TRWD) in the 1980s to help meet the growing water supply needs of the Dallas-Fort Worth region. The creation of the WMA helped mitigate wildlife habitat loss resulting from the construction of the reservoir.
“We are so pleased to be a part of the Texas Water Action Collaborative,” said DU Director of Development Bob Locke. “It’s been a great opportunity to bring together corporate and foundation partners to an already strong working relationship with TPWD and Texan by Nature. Adequate conservation of natural resources, especially water, will take the combined efforts of all of us, and projects like this are proving grounds for our ability to come together and make it happen.”
Since its construction, the TPWD has worked closely with TRWD to develop an extensive wetland treatment system on the WMA that currently covers over 5,000 acres and helps treat raw Trinity River Water before it enters the reservoir and is eventually delivered to municipal and industrial water users. This highly successful collaboration is the model for the new project that will provide similar benefits to fish and wildlife and water quality in the Trinity River.
“Collaborative cross-industry partnerships for conservation yield impactful results and accelerate conservation action,” says Joni Carswell, CEO and President of Texan by Nature, “Texas’ population of 29 million people is expected to double by 2050, putting pressure on the state’s land, water, wildlife and infrastructure. As the 10th largest economy in the world with a GDP of $1.9 trillion, new water opportunities and conservation investments are needed to maintain economic leadership.”
For more information visit www.ducks.org, and be sure to follow DU’s news Twitter feed – @DUNews1937 – to get the most up-to-date news from Ducks Unlimited.
About Ducks Unlimited
Ducks Unlimited Inc. is the world‘s largest nonprofit organization dedicated to conserving North America’s continually disappearing waterfowl habitats. Established in 1937, Ducks Unlimited has conserved more than 15 million acres thanks to contributions from more than a million supporters across the continent. Guided by science and dedicated to program efficiency, DU works toward the vision of wetlands sufficient to fill the skies with waterfowl today, tomorrow, and forever. For more information on our work, visit www.ducks.org.
About PepsiCo
PepsiCo products are enjoyed by consumers more than one billion times a day in more than 200 countries and territories around the world. PepsiCo generated more than $70 billion in net revenue in 2020, driven by a complementary food and beverage portfolio that includes Frito-Lay, Gatorade, Pepsi-Cola, Quaker, Tropicana and SodaStream. PepsiCo’s product portfolio includes a wide range of enjoyable foods and beverages, including 23 brands that generate more than $1 billion each in estimated annual retail sales. Guiding PepsiCo is our vision to Be the Global Leader in Convenient Foods and Beverages by Winning with Purpose. “Winning with Purpose” reflects our ambition to win sustainably in the marketplace and embed purpose into all aspects of our business strategy and brands. For more information, visit www.pepsico.com.
About Bonneville Environmental Foundation
BEF is the most trusted, knowledgeable, and proactive partner on water projects in the U.S. Our Business for Water Stewardship™ team unlocks collective corporate action to accelerate real, measurable, and lasting solutions for water, nature, and business. Learn more and join us today at https://www.b-e-f.org/programs/business-for-water-stewardship/
About Texan by Nature
Texan by Nature (TxN) brings conservation and business together to advance conservation – positively impacting natural resources, prosperity, and health across Texas and beyond. TxN partners deeply with conservation groups and business, acting as an accelerator for conservation groups and a strategic partner for business. Their projects and programs have impacted 7M+ people, 19.5M acres, and all of Texas’ 254 counties over the last 2 years. Get involved and learn more at www.texanbynature.org.