After years of declines in the number of ducks visiting Colorado, wildlife advocates are hoping to woo the birds back with artificial wetland havens designed to give the birds places to nest and rest.
"We'd like to get it back to what it was," said Greg Kernohan, manager of the projects for Ducks Unlimited, a national hunting and conservation group.
The newly created duck habitat is designed to mimic natural conditions. Colorado has gained 16,000 acres of reworked wetlands at about 100 areas along the South Platte, with plans for another 11,000 acres by 2014, funded in part by $1.5 million from the Colorado Water Conservation Board.
Hundreds of duck hunters also held banquets and auctions statewide and ponied up $150,000 for the effort.
