Delta Waterfowl Applauds Introduction of HEN Act in Congress
Proposed law would authorize funding for duck production and habitat conservation efforts to increase waterfowl populations
BISMARCK, NORTH DAKOTA — A bill that would authorize funding for Hen House nest structures and conserve and enhance critical nesting habitat in California has been introduced in both chambers of Congress.
U.S. Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith, R-Miss., introduced the Habitat Enhancement Now, a.k.a. the HEN Act in the Senate on July 16, and U.S. Reps. Michelle Fischbach, R-Minn., Mike Thompson D-Calif., and Doug LaMalfa R-Calif., introducing the same bill July 22 in the House.
The HEN Act authorizes $3.5 million annually for five years to fund Hen House nesting structures, which help nesting ducks by giving them a safer place to nest out of reach of mammalian predators such as skunks, raccoons and other animals that prey on duck eggs and nesting hens. In addition, the HEN Act authorizes $3.5 million for duck nesting habitat in California. The resulting duck production would add more than 100,000 ducks to the fall flight every year from the Hen House provision alone.
“Effective reproduction rates are essential to the long-term sustainability of any species, especially ducks, Hyde-Smith said. “Populations will continue to decline if hens continue to lose their nests to predation and/or lack of adequate habitat. We have to reverse this trend. The HEN Act is a common-sense step toward increasing the odds of ducks having successful hatches.”
Reps. Fischbach, Thompson, and LaMalfa introduced a similar bill in December 2023.
“Hunting is a way of life in rural Minnesota, and sportsmen and women have a long history of being strong advocates for wildlife populations. Building Hen Houses is a non-intrusive, voluntary, and scientifically supported approach to revitalizing falling duck populations,” Fischbach said. “I am proud to introduce the HEN Act, which will refocus funds to invest in additional Hen Houses in the prairie pothole region. This will support the efforts of local sportsmen without creating additional, unnecessary regulatory burdens on our western Minnesota farmers.”
“Waterfowl play an essential role in our wetland ecosystems, yet declining habitats, drought, and increased predation threaten their numbers,” Thompson said. “I’m glad to work with Rep. Fischbach on this bipartisan bill to boost waterfowl breeding in California and in the prairie pothole region of the Upper Midwest.”
An overabundance of predators and shrinking amount of nesting cover on the prairie landscape where the majority of North America’s ducks breed has exacted a heavy toll on duck production.
Delta Waterfowl began installing and maintaining Hen Houses in 1991. The Duck Hunters Organization has continued to refine the design and add structures throughout key areas where ducks breed. Used primarily by mallards, Hen Houses increase the chances of a successful nest up to 12 times more than a hen nesting on the ground in nearby grass.
The Hen Act, which is Senate bill S2135 and House bill HR4591, would help boost duck production on the prairies and in California, adding migrating ducks to every flyway in North America. California’s breeding duck populations face ever-increasing pressure from development and wetland and upland habitat loss. As a result, targeted efforts to increase duck production are a high priority to enhance duck production for waterfowlers in California and throughout the Pacific Flyway.
Increasing mallard production on the prairies would help southern duck hunters see more big ducks over their decoys.
“We greatly appreciate the leadership of all of the bill sponsors to introduce the HEN Act as an additional tool to increase duck production for the benefit of duck hunters all across the United States,” said Jason Tharpe, Delta Waterfowl’s chief executive officer. “The HEN Act will harness new tools to cost-effectively boost the fall flight—tools such as Delta Waterfowl’s Hen Houses, which have proven to significantly increase mallard nest success and production. We look forward to working with the Sen. Hyde-Smith, Reps. Fischbach, Thompson, LaMalfa and their colleagues to see the HEN Act become law.”
Delta Waterfowl is The Duck Hunters Organization, a leading conservation group working to produce ducks and secure the future of waterfowl hunting in North America. Visit deltawaterfowl.org.
For more information, contact John Devney at (701) 471-4235 or jdevney@deltawaterfowl.org.