National Wetlands Month 2026 - NDGF - 05-11-2026

Added: 2026-05-17

[00:00:01]Created more than three decades ago and celebrated each May, American Wetlands Month is a welldeserved nod to the significance of these often overlooked ecosystems.

[00:00:12]>> It's kind of what makes the state incredibly unique. The prairie pothole region runs through the majority of North Dakota, which is really highlighted by the the density of wetlands that we have here.

[00:00:23]>> There are different types and sizes of wetlands in North Dakota that benefit wildlife and people. So we obviously have big permanent wetlands. These are the ones that people like to fish in. Um provide a lot of opportunity in that regard. But we also have a lot of temporary wetlands and this is the majority of our wetlands that we have in the state. They undergo what we call kind of a wet dry cycle which is incredibly important for maintaining fertility of these wetlands. In the springtime and early summer they provide a lot of value um for wa migrating waterfall nesting waterfall that we have in the state. North Dakota is considered the duck factory of North America as it sits in the center of the prairie pothole region.

[00:01:01]>> In a given year, half of um the waterfall in the United States or the breeding waterfall in the United States uh can be here in North Dakota nesting.

[00:01:09]And so that's incredibly important for this state, but also for duck production uh continentally. We've lost over half the wetlands in North Dakota due to a variety of reasons such as urbanization, energy development, agriculture, and other land use demands.

[00:01:25]>> It's important for people to realize, too, that just because a wetland is dry, it's still a wetland. They're fantastic for flood mitigation, increasing water quality, um, cycling through nutrients.

[00:01:36]They provide a whole host of of benefits to humans that I think go largely unseen in a lot of aspects. You never know what you'll encounter at a wetland. From shorebirds, waiting birds, a wide range of waterfall, and many other wildlife species. These wetlands are what really makes the state special.

[00:01:53]>> This is Mike Anderson in the North Dakota outdoors.