Ducks Unlimited is hosting a dedication event at Cheyenne Bottoms Wildlife Area to commemorate fundraising efforts and honor donors who contributed to the habitat restoration projects there. The ceremony will be at 1 p.m. Saturday, June 19, at the Cheyenne Bottoms Wildlife Area, 204 NE 60 Road, Great Bend.

The Bring Back the Bottoms effort is a collaboration among conservation organizations, generous donors, landowners and partners to restore wetlands and associated habitat on Cheyenne Bottoms Wildlife Area. Wetlands associated with the wildlife area support migrating birds and resident wildlife and recharge aquifers that provide drinking and irrigation water to surrounding communities. 

“Cheyenne Bottoms supports about 350 bird species,” said Matt Hough, DU’s manager of conservation for Kansas. “Half of North America’s shorebirds and rare whooping cranes visit every year, but over time the wetland’s ability to attract birds has declined.” 

Two years ago, Ducks Unlimited embarked on a $300,000 Bring Back the Bottoms fundraising campaign to support the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism’s restorations at Cheyenne Bottoms. Contributors to Bring Back the Bottoms raised more than $680,000 in private pledges toward a multi-year renovation project. These funds will be leveraged with public dollars to increase the impact of this successful fundraising effort.

“Many donors have a personal connection to Cheyenne Bottoms and we have seen overwhelming local support for this fundraising effort,” said Josh Williams, DU regional director for Kansas.

This event is for invited guests. If you would like to attend, RSVP to Candace Miller at cmiller@ducks.org or 701-355-3511.