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No economic benefits derived from prairie wetlands are more widely disseminated than those resulting from waterfowl production. The North American waterfowl resource, particularly the forms produced in prairie wetlands, contribute significant economic benefits to most states and numerous local communities. At the national level, waterfowl, including those produced in prairie wetlands, support recreation for about 2 million waterfowl hunters (Novara et al. 1987). An estimated $638 million was spent on migratory bird hunting in the United States in 1980 and an estimated $6.6 billion is spent annually for recreation related to nongame wildlife (U.S. Department of the Interior 1982). A significant part of both expenditures results from migratory birds reared in prairie wetlands.

In North and South Dakota, waterfowl hunting is a major recreational activity; the former state ranks first in the nation in number of waterfowl hunters per capita. Also, several thousand nonresidents travel to each of these states to hunt waterfowl each year and contribute several million dollars to local economies. In South Dakota, recreation associated with hunting the ring-necked pheasant brings $35 million annually to the State (U.S. Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service 1987), and is a significant source of income to many rural communities. Pheasants rely on wetlands for a major part of their winter habitat requirements in the Prairie Pothole Region. Trapping and hunting of resident furbearers provides a supplemental income source to several thousand residents of the Dakotas. Highly valued furbearers including the mink, muskrat, and raccoon occur primarily in association with prairie wetlands (See Section 3.7).