Lostwood National Wildlife Refuge - North Dakota

The profusion of lakes, ponds, potholes and wetlands that punctuate the prairies of Lostwood National Wildlife Refuge and much of the Great Plains provide the nesting grounds for more than half of the nation's ducks. This refuge is especially important because it contains the largest contiguous block of prairie pothole habitat owned by the federal government.

The Threat

Perhaps the greatest threat to this most important waterfowl nursery is global warming caused by the combustion of fossil fuels. Average temperatures in North Dakota have increased by more than 1 degree Fahrenheit over the past century and may increase 3 to 4 degrees over the next century, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Climate scientists have predicted that warmer climates in the northern prairie wetlands region will increase the frequency and severity of droughts, which could reduce the number of pothole ponds from 1.3 million to 800,000 by the middle of this century, a 38 percent reduction. Rains are not expected to increase enough to offset the resulting evaporation, which means the prairie wetlands will eventually dry up.

Moreover, with waterfowl breeding habitat so concentrated in the potholes region, the effects of global warming could cut the number of breeding ducks in half and increase the likelihood of outbreaks of avian flu and other diseases.