At the turn of the 20th century, overeager hunters and the commercial demand for meat and feathers had decimated waterfowl populations. At the same time, periodic droughts caused wetlands and other valuable waterfowl habitat to disappear. In the late 1920s, conservationists, hunters, and government officials worked together to create the Migratory Bird Conservation Act, which Congress passed in 1929. This landmark legislation authorized the Federal government to acquire and permanently protect wetlands for waterfowl. It also created the Migratory Bird Conservation Commission-composed of Federal and State officials-to consider and approve proposals for land acquisition.