Minnesota Sharp-Tailed Grouse Society, Duluth, MN (2026)

08/21/2026

08/05/2026

Please take a moment of your time and follow the directions to ask the USFWS to retain the 2024 drain tile setbacks. This is extremely important for sharptails and a multitude of prairie/grasslands/openlands species!

NAGP Supporters, by this Friday, August 7, Please Ask the USFWS to Retain 2024 Drain Tile Setbacks

WE NEED YOU TO ENGAGE on this important issue for prairie grouse, waterfowl, upland birds, pollinators, other wildlife, and other wetland benefits.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is reviewing its 2024 Drain Tile Setbacks Rule. This policy protects the Prairie Pothole wetlands found in the Northern Great Plains and safeguards their surrounding grasslands.

NAGP supports retaining the current science-based, site-specific protections. Weakening them could diminish permanent conservation easements funded by hunters and the American public.

We ask you to:
- Go to the Federal Register and click the green "Submit Public Comment" box at https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/07/24/2026-14995/national-wildlife-refuge-system-request-for-information-on-implementation-of-drain-tile-setbacks
- Ask the USFWS to Retain the 2024 Drain Tile Setbacks final rule and its no-drainage standard.
- Make comments as an individual, not as a NAGP member or any another organization member. Comment as a hunter, birder, conservationist, landowner, etc.
- Add a personal story for greater impact of why prairie pothole wetlands and their surrounding grasslands are important to you.

For additional detail, see this video by Chasing Green, and articles by Sportsmen's Foundation and Ducks Unlimited -
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=02nImFHhyyU
- https://sportsmensalliance.org/news/fws-drain-tile-setbacks-what-you-need-to-know-and-how-to-comment
- https://www.ducks.org/save-the-duck-factory

Thank you!