Day One: Prairie Potholes 101

The Sea of Grass and Water on the Great Plains

 The prairie pothole region (PPR) is a landscape of rolling grasslands pockmarked with seasonal wetlands that once covered much of the Dakotas and parts of Montana, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Iowa. Today, though much diminished, the PPR still produces 50 to 70 percent of North American ducks each year and supports waterfowl, wildlife and water quality across the Great Plains. Over opening-night dinner, the group heard from representative of USFWS and ND Fish & Game about the creation, ecology, degradation and preservation of the region, and got an overview of how what happens in the PPR has impacts that reach beyond its borders.