Waterfowl Advocacy and Policy

Waterfowl advocacy at the New England Waterfowl Association means turning passion into policy and projects. We champion science-based decisions that protect and restore New England’s salt marshes, beaver wetlands, floodplain forests, and eelgrass beds—habitats that carry the Atlantic Flyway through every season, from headwaters to harbors and every cove between.

Our approach is collaborative and practical. We partner with town planners, land trusts, private landowners, Tribal nations, and working-waterfront communities; with state fish and wildlife agencies; and with federal partners like the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, NRCS, and NOAA. Together we identify priority places, remove barriers to natural tides, upgrade culverts, reconnect floodplains, and secure marsh-to-upland buffers.

We amplify local voices where decisions are made—comment letters, testimony, coalition campaigns, and field tours for decision-makers—backed by monitoring data and on-the-ground volunteer work. We help communities unlock funding through NAWCA, state duck stamps, ACEP-WRE, and coastal resilience grants, while our R3 programs tie ethical hunting to year-round stewardship.

Our advocacy is nonpartisan, solutions-focused, and measured by outcomes: more resilient habitat healthier broods, stronger migrations, and maintained public access. Join us—lend your time, expertise, or story—and help convert common sense and shared values into durable wins for wetlands and waterfowl across New England.