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Show 138 North America. Approximately 198 different species of waterfowl can be found in these marshes throughout the year. Located on the boundary between the Pacific and Central Flyways, these marshes are probably one of the most important single breeding grounds for waterfowl in the United States. They are also someof the most important Canada Goose nesting areas on the entire North American continent. These facts, plus an increasing number of private hunting clubs on the shores of the Lake in the early 1920' s, prompted the Federal Government and the State of Utah to set aside waterfowl management areas to protect the marshes from being completely taken over by private interests. From 1923 to 1961, the Utah State Department of Fish and Game established seven state waterfowl management areas-- Locomotive Springs, Public Shooting Grounds, Salt Creek, Ogden Bay, Howard Slough, Farmington Bay and Timpie Springs-- and the Federal Government established the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge ( see Figure 22). Managed marshlands around the Lake total over 150,000 acres and there are thousands of acres of unmanaged marsh on state and private grounds. These areas around the Lake have provided recreation from hunting to bird- watching for communities along the heavily populated Wasatch Front. The ducks most commonly shot around the Lake are the pintail, mallard and green- winged teal, with the shoveller, gadurall and baldpete also relatively common. Canada and snow geese are shot in the marshes and the grainfields north of the Lake. Nelson ( 1966) indicates that the streams entering the Lake provide excellent waterfowl habitats. He states that the Bear, Weber, and Jordan Rivers have oxbows and marsh areas which provide hunting opportunities for scattergunners and offer nesting and feeding |