A comprehensive conservation project enhanced 1,257 acres of habitat at the Perry Conservation Area east of Kansas City, thanks to support from Wildlife Forever. A series of low-profile retention dikes were built to hold floodwaters in place along the Blackwater River, creating six wetland pools, for a total of 737 acres of wetlands. The project also reforested 120 acres of bottomland and improved 400 acres of existing forest by plantings of mast-producing tree species. A variety of fish and wildlife species will benefit from the project, including trout, pike, and sturgeon, as well as bald eagles, Canada geese, and songbirds.