A SuccessfulSpringfield Event!

www.ducks.org 2 Spring 2003www.ducks.org 12 Winter 2006

FOR DUCKS UNLIMITED VOLUNTEERS, STAFF & SUPPORTERS Winter 2006

www.ducks.org Winter 2006

Non-Profit Org.U.S. Postage

PAIDDucks Unlimited Inc.

Marty Burnett78 Lakengren DriveEaton, Ohio 45320

POSTMASTER: If undeliverable, do not return.

Inside• New Southern Ohio Director, Page 2

• State Committee Meetings, page 4

• State Chairman’s Banquet, page 6-7• State Convention, page 8• Duck Dates, Page 10• It’s All About Rodney, page 12

Ohio Duck Tales

Greg and Beth Lind talk withnew South Regional DirectorAaron Dynes after theSpringfield DU Banquet onNovember 11.

An indication of asuccessful event…a

full room! Hey, who’sthat in the center?

Jim Skogstrom tries tofigure out exactly what

is under Greg'skilt....but, do we really

want to go there?

Former State Chairman JimSkogstrom (left) was the Master ofCeremonies at the SpringfieldEvent. Jim who was sporting acamo bow tie and cumber bun isjoined by Springfield DU ChairmanGreg Lind in his camo kilt....couldthis be a new trend in DU events?

In late 2003, DU partnered withthe Ohio Division of Wildlife andthe USDA- Natural ResourcesConservation Service to restore a 38-acre emergent wetland at the PickerelCreek Wildlife Area in SanduskyCounty. In November 2005, wegathered with our conservation part-ners and the community to celebratethe dedication of this project.

Located in the heart of the LakeErie Marshes, the restored wetlandand grasslands will add to the alreadyhigh quality habitat at the 2,800-acrewildlife area. Framed by woodlands

Attendees at the Boggy Bottomsdedication included Steve Gray –Chief, Ohio Division of Wildlife,Mark Debrock – Biologist, OhioNRCS, Sid Lark- State Chairman,Ohio DU, Gary Comer, Jr. -Pheasants Forever, and JimHulbert - National President, DU.

Boggy BottomsDedication

It’s All About Rodney….

Lisa, Eli and Rodney

With the news of Rodney Schlafer going back to Wisconsin, and everyone knowinghe and his family would be sorely missed, a going-away party was organized. It was

held at the home of Chris & Mary Walden, and it was fun and relaxing!

Some happy girls!

Bill Ebert, “Grill Master” Chris, looking after his guests

Rodney’s Family Going-Away Party“All good things must come to an end.” Thiscould never have been truer than when the vol-unteers of Ohio Ducks Unlimited found outSouthern Ohio Regional Director, RodneySchlafer, was transferring to the Green BayWisconsin area. Rodney has been involvedwith Ohio DU for over five years. He came toOhio from the Green Bay area to work for DUand in a way this is his trip “back home”.Rodney, Lisa and Eli will be closer to both oftheir families and we all understand how impor-tant this can be in our lives.

Rodney joined the DU Staff as the SouthRegional Director for Ohio and he “hit the roadrunning” when he started this position. Thiswas his beginning with DU and throughout histenure, Ohio DU went through several statechairmen and many district chairmen, zonechairmen, and state committee members, not tomention the many area chairmen and volunteersthroughout southern Ohio. Rodney is a friendto all of these folks. He has a special personal-ity that seems to mesh with all the volunteers –from the easiest to get along with to the cranki-est in the state. He was always able and verywilling to take your call and give you the bestguidance he could. Rodney is always willing tohelp with any event, even those outside of his“region”, because he strongly believes in DUand he wants to be sure that we all do our bestto support that belief.

Rodney was a true asset to Ohio DU andOhio’s loss is Wisconsin’s gain. The volunteersmust feel blessed to have been fortunate enoughto have Rodney for the time we did. He ledmany southern area chapters to the top of thelist in events. Under his direction theCincinnati West chapter achieved the positionof 91st in the nation in 2004. Rodney wasproud of all of his chapters and his volunteersand he was always happy to brag about them.Many phone calls were made late at night afterevents around the state, so Rodney could leteveryone know how good the event went thatevening. And there was an occasional late nightphone call back to Rodney to aggravate himonce or twice, because he was always fun to tryto pull the practical joke on.

As Rodney departs us, he should have satis-faction that he is leaving the Southern Regionof Ohio DU as a successful region, but withmuch to still accomplish. Rodney, Lisa and Eliare leaving Ohio, but not the hearts of many ofthe people whose lives they have touched.

As this article was being written, word wasreceived that Rodney has again made a “careerchange”. Now, not only is Rodney’s departurea loss for Ohio DU, but also for all of DucksUnlimited. Rodney has accepted a job with theAll Canada Sports Show and his last day withDucks Unlimited was December 15, 2005.When the All Canada Sports Show arrives inCleveland (Mentor –laMalfla Center) January31 thru February 2, 2006 and in Wilmington(Roberts Centre) February 3 thru 5, 2006, besure to make the trip to the show and look forour Rodney – he will be there and looking forall his “DU buddies”. Good Luck Rodney –you are missed in Ohio!!!

Pictured is thebulldozer

nicknamed “Blue Goose”which is used

in many DU projects in Ohio.

■ The Blue Goose

See Boggy, page 11

MEMPHIS, Tenn., Oct. 4, 2005 –Ducks Unlimited(DU) lobbied hard for the inclusion of critical wet-lands in the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s(USDA) recent decision to re-enroll or extendConservation Reserve Program (CRP) contracts set toexpire during 2007-2010. Securing this priorityrecognition to re-enroll or extend contracts in thePrairie Pothole Region for this important conserva-tion program was important to DU, because it willgreatly benefit waterfowl and hunters.

“We worked hard to have these wetlands includedin the CRP contract extensions, because the contin-ued conservation of the Prairie Pothole Region wet-lands and grasslands is crucial to the long-term suc-cess of duck populations,” said Ducks UnlimitedExecutive Vice President Don Young. “We applaudthe USDA for taking the steps needed to help protectthis area that is so valuable for waterfowl.”

Ducks Unlimited was the only waterfowl and wet-lands conservation organization that pushed for theCRP re-enrollments and extensions.

The announcement to offer farmers and ranchersre-enrollments and extensions on their CRP contractswas finalized last week by Agriculture SecretaryMike Johanns.

“Balance is the key to any good conservationplan,” Johanns said. “Re-enrolling and extendingthese contracts is part of the President’s (Bush) planto fully use the nearly 40 million acres of CRP toimprove water quality as well as wildlife habitat.”

According to U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service esti-mates, the CRP is increasing duck populations bymore than two million per year, and new bird habitats

in the Northern Great Plains are emerging.The CRP is a voluntary conservation program

within the Farm Bill that makes annual payments tofarmers who convert marginal cropland acres to veg-etative cover and/or establish vegetative buffers in theareas. The USDA Farm Service Agency administersCRP, and the USDA Natural Resources ConservationService provides technical assistance for the programin the Prairie Pothole Region.

According to DU’s Young, the Prairie PotholeRegion is Ducks Unlimited’s main focus area inNorth America. “Duck hunters know these breedinggrounds are the ‘duck factory’ for North America,”Young said. “These CRP re-enrollments and exten-sions will protect many of the gains we’ve made inthis program during the last 20 years.”

Nearly 51 percent of the CRP acres in North andSouth Dakota’s Prairie Pothole Region are set toexpire in 2007. But the Bush Administration’s recentdecision now allows farmers and ranchers to take fulladvantage of the program’s opportunity to improvethe environment and protect wildlife by extending orre-enrolling their contracts for up to 15 years.

Waterfowl and Hunters to Benefit fromDucks Unlimited’s CRP Extension Work

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Ohio DUDuck Tails

Aaron Dynes has accepted the position, vacated by Rodney Schlafer, asOhio’s new Southern Ohio Regional Director. His previous work back-ground has been in the optical industry, in which he has held positions inmerchandising, buying, technical consulting, sales, and optical dispensing.Although his work history is not related to the ducks, he has been into theoutdoors all of his life, or at least since he was old enough to get groundedfor sneaking away to the local creek to go fishing.

Like many duck hunters, he contracted the “infection” for water-fowlingsoon after his first exposure. He started water-fowling in the 1998/1999season, and not long after that he became interested in calls and call mak-ing. He developed a successful duck and goose call company namedDynzE Calls, and in 2003 he joined the Clinton County DU committee.

In October 2005, when given the opportunity to work for the ducks fulltime, he shut-down DynzE Calls and joined the DU staff full-time as aRegional Director. Aaron says, “One of the greatest parts of this job is thevolunteers you meet and get to work with. It is truly amazing whatgroups of individuals can accomplish when they share a similar passion. Ilook forward to working with every one in the upcoming year!”

Aaron Dynes1414 Mills RdWilmington Ohio 45177Office Phone- 937-382-8518adynes@ducks.org

New Southern Ohio Regional Director

Aaron Dynes (left) with past DUPresident, John Tomke

In 2002, Ed Moxley contacted Ducks Unlimited to requestsome assistance restoring wetlands on his property onSandusky Bay. At the same time, DU received a 319grant from the Ohio EPA to restore wetlands on privatelands to improve water quality. It was a match made inwaterfowl heaven. Ed and his neighbor Dave Brunkhorsthad previously restored and managed over 200 acres ofwetlands on their adjacent properties but retained approxi-mately 44 acres in uplands. DU and its partners designedtwo wetland units that capture surface water runoff toimprove water quality, while providing habitat for water-fowl and other wildlife. To increase hydrological diversi-ty within the wetlands, the plan called for macroptopogra-phy to create depressions and mounds throughout the wet-lands. After several years of planning and permitting, theprojects were completed in October 2005. These newwetlands provide a mixture of wet meadow and emergentwetland habitat, complementing the wetlands alreadypresent on the property. Located adjacent to SanduskyBay near the entrance to Lake Erie, this project is certainto provide important habitat for both breeding and migrat-ing waterfowl.

Habitat for Healthy WaterProjects Completed

In a sea of agriculture, these newly restored wet-lands will provide important migration and breed-ing habitat for waterfowl while improving waterquality.

and other wetlands, this projectwill improve habitat for breedingand migrating Canada geese, mal-lards, wood ducks, and blue-winged teal. Many other speciesof waterfowl, shorebirds, song-birds, wading birds, furbearers andthe growing eagle population willalso benefit from this project.

This project was funded by agrant through a USDA-NRCSWildlife Habitat IncentivesProgram (WHIP), the OhioDivision of Wildlife, DucksUnlimited and Pheasants Forever,with support from other partnersincluding the Sandusky Soil andWater Conservation District.Speaking at the dedication onbehalf of Ducks Unlimited, OhioState Chairman Sid Lark notedthat this project marked the firsttime DU and the Division hadpartnered with the Ohio NRCS toreceive funding through theWetland Habitat IncentivesProgram. “Ohio has lost over90% of its wetlands, and projectslike this are a significant steptoward reclaiming those historicwetlands and re-establishing thehabitats necessary to sustainwildlife populations. We hopethis project will serve as an exam-ple of the products we can achievewhen we work together.”

The dedication was attended byseveral national Ducks Unlimitedrepresentatives, including Dr. JimHulbert, President, John Tomke,Chairman of the Board, and Dr.Alan Wentz, National Director ofConservation.

Boggy from page 1

this plan and enjoy going to theother events as a group. Everyonewins with this plan - Especiallythe Ducks !!

Your chapter gets a new LifeSponsor

Other chapters get new sponsorsYou can attend new events and

meet new DU friendsYou will receive a Life Sponsor

pin or pendant and CertificateThere is an additional benefit to

new Life Sponsors in Ohio. I have

been working with artist ChrisWalden and Chris has agreed todonate a special signed, numbered,Limited Edition print “Smoke OnThe Water”.

This print will be resigned to thenew Life Sponsor with a specialLife Sponsor stamp.

This Life Sponsor Edition willbe available only in Ohio.

Last year was successful forDucks Unlimited.

We conserved more than

222,000 acres. We raised over $196 million for

habitat conservation while stillspending 87 cents of every dollaron our conservation mission.Please do what you can to help usin this mission.

To find out your current sponsortotals and to get a personalizedplan to help you become a LifeSponsor, please contact me. I lookforward to talking to you abouthow we can create your own con-

servation legacy. I hope your hunting was suc-

cessful this year, and let’s makesure future generations also have achance to make memories like wehave.

Cecil R. AllbrightOhio Major Donor Chairman5721 Tica Ave.Dayton, OH 45424(937) 235-0898 Home(937) 603-5790 Cellallbrights@prodigy.net

Year from page 3

need for each area committee tobring up the program at each event,and that the area and district chair-man need to be better educated onthe program.

Along with Cecil, a committee offormer Ohio State Chairmen hasbeen assembled to assist in therecruitment of major donors.Hopefully with their contacts, moreprospects can be located.

Cecil is also working with artistChris Walden on a major donorevent in the future.

Chris Walden is the artist whohas produced a print “Smoke on theWater” as a major donor sponsorprint.

Sid addressed the committee on

changing to a more colorful logoon the Ohio DU license plates. Theplates generate about $30,000 ofrevenue for wetlands conservationin Ohio, and with the competitionfrom the new plates being offeredfrom the State of Ohio featuringwildlife as well, this might makethe plate more appealing.

A selection of four differentdesigns were presented and thecommittee voted for a design whichwas a solid “state of Ohio” with a“white DU duckhead logo” insideof the borders of the state. ChrisEder reminded the committee aboutthe benefit of the names andaddresses of those who purchasethe plate being available to us for

recruitment purposes.Sid addressed the committee on

the “Ohio Artist of the Year” pro-gram, and whether or not we want-ed to continue to offer an “Artist ofthe Year” print in the State package.The consensus of the committeewas to continue this program andthat a selection committee consist-ing of the State Chairman and twoRD’s, select the winning print.Artists interested in being selectedshould submit prints to be judged toone of those three people.

Dick Benson had been selectedas this year’s “Artist of the Year”.

The next meeting will take placeat the State Convention, the week-end of February 24th.

Meetings from page 4

tation will spread across the projectarea, and open water areas will bereplaced by highly productive, shal-low ponds that provide excellenthabitat for waterfowl.

The Pointe-aux-Chenes dedica-tion signals the beginning of a mas-sive marsh restoration effort acrossSouth Louisiana in the wake ofHurricanes Katrina and Rita. DUwww.ducks.org/News/DUPledgeLACoastalMarsh.asp recently com-mitted $15 million toward theLouisiana Coastal Initiative to helprestore Louisiana’s coastal marshes.DU’s Executive Vice President,Don Young says the new initiativewill continue DU’s long-standingwork in Louisiana and restore andenhance an additional 52,000 acresby 2008.

“We’ll leverage that money withwww.ducks.org/donateonline othersources and increase those funds asmuch as possible by working withour partners and the state ofLouisiana to restore America’sWetland,” said Young.

To date, Ducks Unlimited hasconserved, restored or enhancedalmost 55,000 acres of Louisianacoastal marsh and is presentlyworking on six North AmericanWetland Conservation Act grantswith its partners that will protect,restore or enhance more than155,000 acres when completed.

“Just months after the hurricaneshit, it’s good to be a part of this cel-ebration, and to see tangible resultsof our conservation efforts in theform of restored wetlands for

wildlife, fisheries and people,” saidYoung.

The partners associated with thePointe-aux-Chenes WMA restora-tion project include: DucksUnlimited, Louisiana Departmentof Wildlife and Fisheries, NorthAmerican Wetlands ConservationCouncil, Louisiana Department ofNatural Resources, TerrebonneParish Consolidated Government,USDA – Natural ResourcesConservation Service, BurlingtonResources, Apache LouisianaMinerals Inc., Outback Steakhouse– Houma, Safari Club (Louisianaand Bayou Chapter), DaleEarnhardt Foundation, Ron andJackie Bartels, S. Gordon Reese,and Fred Settoon.

Hurricanes from page 5

www.ducks.org 2 Spring 2003www.ducks.org 2 Spring 2003 www.ducks.org 3 Winter 2006www.ducks.org 10 Winter 2006

I would like to wisheveryone a happy and pros-perous New Year. I hopethe holidays were enjoyablefor you and your families.Now it is time to get backto work for the ducks!

Several years ago DUnational decided to allowthe accumulation of allsponsor credits anyone hadmade in the past, andapplying that credit to a lifesponsorship, if a memberwould pledge to be a lifesponsor. I would like toexplain how this could helpeach member become a lifesponsor, and even moreimportant, how it can helpus preserve more habitat.

I try to explain to anyoneinterested in becoming alife sponsor, using the con-tributions they have alreadyaccumulated. For the pur-pose of this article I will

just give several examples.The first level of becom-

ing a Life Sponsor is$10,000, and this repre-sents what it takes to pre-serve 40 acres of waterfowlhabitat.

That is what every LifeSponsor does! We save 40acres of wetlands for futuregenerations. That’s quite alegacy to leave for yourchildren and grandchildren!Now the details…

If you have been a spon-sor the past 10 years at asingle event you have accu-mulated a credit of $2,500.To complete your LifeSponsor pledge your bal-ance would be $7,500.That amount can be spreadover 4 or 7 years. The 4-year plan would requireabout $1900 per year andall of the money wouldremain in Ohio. If you

choose the 7 year plan itwould be about $1075 peryear. That amount could bepaid in 1 payment at yourhome event, but there aremore fun ways to fulfillyour pledge. You couldsponsor at 4 events (yourhome event and 3 newevents).

Your home chapter wouldget credit for a life sponsor– a Top Gun goal, and threeother events would get anew sponsor. You wouldget a chance to go to 3 newevents, get additional spon-sor prints, possibly beinvolved in special sponsorraffles and be invited tonew sponsor only events.This is a great way to meetDU members in other chap-ters in your area. Severalof us in Southwest Ohio use

Volunteer Day Press Release

Bill Schlageter, from Rocky River Ohio, was a long time DUvolunteer in Michigan and Ohio. He served as an Area Chair andZone Chair in Ohio, and most recently helped our state committeewith Major Donor efforts. Bill influenced many people to becomelife sponsors, where his efforts helped Ohio be one of the statestop in the country in new life sponsor pledges.

He grew up in the Toledo area and developed a passion for water-fowling at an early age. As a youth, before he could drive, hewould ride his bike to what is now Metzger's Marsh to hunt water-fowl. He more recently made annual trips to Canada to hunt water-fowl.

Bill lost an almost year long fight with cancer this fall. DU haslost a great volunteer and the world lost an incredible man. Billwill be greatly missed.

The week of January 30-February 4, 2006 has been designated asNational Ducks Unlimited Volunteer Celebration Week. Beginning onJanuary 30th, and continuing through February 4th, DU will undertakeseveral activities to say “Thank You” to our volunteers.

Mark your calendars for February 4, 2006 for a Volunteer Day Event!In Northern Ohio the event is to be held at Sawmill Creek Resort, 2401Cleveland Road(Route 6), in Huron, Ohio, and in Southern Ohio atChampion Expo Center, 4122 Laybourne Road, in Springfield, Ohio.

Both events will run from 12:00 noon-5:00 p.m., at a cost of $15.00,with lunch included.

For more information contact Ducks Unlimited RegionalDirector(North)Scott Paschke at spaschke@ducks.org, Ducks UnlimitedRegional Director(South)Aaron Dynes at adynes@ducks.org, or DucksUnlimited State Recruitment Chairman Chris Weed at chris.weed@syn-genta.com

Help the ducks have a happy New Year, tooDU Loses Long-TimeSupporter, Schlageter

NORTHERN OHIO SPRING DATESDate City Type Chair PhoneJanuary1/28/06 Putnam County Lepsic Banquet Brad Niemeyer 419-532-3734

February2/4/05 Volunteer Appreciation Event Huron Volunteer Celebration Scott Paschke 440-437-84512/4/05 Ottawa County Port Clinton Texas Hold'em John Vallance 419-635-28852/18/06 Cleveland Hailers Cleveland Banquet April Blaylock 216-749-77582/18/06 Wayne County Wooster Banquet Bruce Byler 330-669-36442/24-26/2005 State Convention Eastlake Convention John Murphy 440-247-8614

March3/4/05 Fulton County Wauseon Banquet Mike Elton 419-822-50623/10/05 Fremont Fremont Smoker Todd Williams 419-355-87713/18/05 Sandusky Bay Sandusky Banquet Jack Bakewell 419-499-41293/25/05 Maumee Valley Pemberville Banquet Troy Deal 419-467-89683/25/05 Lake County Eastlake Banquet Dave Neal 330-464-3273TBA Geauga County Chesterland Night at the Races Derrick Pilarczyk 440-632-9351TBA Geauga County Chesterland High School Event Derrick Pilarczyk 440-632-9351TBA Stark County Canton Sponsor Event Dave Valentine 330-497-5304x322

April4/1/05 Akron Akron Shoot Gary Pennington 330-825-19424/1/05 Medina County Wadsworth Banquet Mike Petkovich 330-722-13924/22/05 Ottawa County Port Clinton Banquet John Vallance 419-635-28854/29/05 Fallen Timbers Maumee Banquet David Cunningham 419-897-7882

May5/5/05 Ashtabula County Ashtabula Banquet Jim Beitel 440-964-5461TBA Black River Wellington Smoker Rob Wood 440-647-9051TBA Ft Meigs Perrysburg Sponsor Event Mike Myers 419-385-7433*** Dates Subject to Change Please Log on to www.ducks.org for updates***

January1/28/06 Carroll County Dinner Carolton Banquet Phil Rutledge 330-627-7106

February2/4/05 Volunteer Appreciation Event Springfield Volunteer Celebration Aaron Dynes 937-382-85182/4/05 Union County Dinner Banquet Mike Renn 614-873-45092/18/06 Marion County Waldo Banquet Brad Craley 740-965-61692/25/06 Madison County Marysville Banquet Steve Pronai 740-852-20312/25/06 Perry County Somerset Banquet Larry Shively 740-246-50092/24-26/2005 State Convention Eastlake Convention John Murphy 440-247-8614

March3/18/05 Stillwater Ridge Englewood Banquet Mike Thein 937-264-40003/25/05 Fairfield County Lancaster Monte Carlo Brian Boyd 614-207-14933/18/05 Shelby County Sidney Banquet Tim Rourke 937-372-5639 ext-5213

April4/1/05 Greene County Xenia Banquet Bill Karolyi 937-862-47404/22/05 Clinton County Wilmington Banquet Jen Andorfor 937-376-22164/22/05 Hillsboro Hillsboro Golf outing/smoker Megan Parsons 937-393-85164/22/05 Grand Lake Celina Sponsor Dinner Mike Bowers 419-394-83224/28/05 Springfield Springfield Sponsor Dinner Byron Rice 937-372-5639TBD Cincinnati West TBD Shoot Todd Pieczonka 513-478-7496

May5/12/05 Cincinnati West Cincinnati Banquet Todd Pieczonka 513-478-74965/20/05 Knox County Mt Vernon Banquet Dr. Jim Leventry 740-392-6156TBD Licking County Newark The "100" Club Tim Giles 740-404-2727TBD Harrison County St. Clairsville Banquet TBD TBDTBD Darke County Greenville Banquet TBD TBD

*** Dates Subject to Change Please Log on to www.ducks.org for updates***

Ohio Ducks Unlimited 2006 Duck Dates

See Year, page 11

Waterfowl on the famedPrairie Pothole Region ofCanada will benefit from apartnership between DucksUnlimited Canada and theCanadian government to helpprotect waterfowl productionon the Canadian prairies.

The focus of the work is toidentify and develop scientifi-cally based, on-farm beneficialmanagement practices toinclude in Canada’sAgricultural Policy Framework.

Once implemented, the envi-ronmental assets like clean airand water resulting from thesepractices – known as ecologi-cal goods and services – wouldgenerate income for farmerswhile protecting key waterfowlhabitat in the Prairie PotholeRegion.

The program to receivefunding under this partnershipwill determine the potential ofCanada's Prairie PotholeRegion to store carbon andreduce greenhouse gases inthe atmosphere.

The plan has just receivedfinal approval fromEnvironment Canada, NaturalResources Canada andAgriculture and Agri-FoodCanada. Each has committed

$300,000 per year for threeyears – for a total of $2.7 mil-lion – to fund the effort.

“This work is cutting-edgescience that is based on quite adifferent approach than ischaracteristic of most water-fowl conservation programs,”said DU Canada’s Director ofConservation Programs Dr.Henry Murkin. “

However, it has profoundimplications for the future ofwaterfowl production on mil-lions of acres of prairie uplandhabitat and hundreds of thou-sands of prairie pothole wet-lands.”

Murkin says this is a wonder-ful example of the hard workthat DU and the Canadian gov-ernment are doing together tomore fully recognize theimportance of beneficial man-agement practices on Canada’sfarmlands.

“We have worked very hardto develop a good relationshipwith agricultural concerns inthe Canadian government toconserve waterfowl habitat inharmony with the agriculturalcommunity,” Murkin said.

The Federal Minister ofAgriculture and Agri-Food inCanada, the Honorable Andy

Mitchell agreed. “We’repleased to support this proj-ect, because a healthy andvibrant agricultural industrybenefits all Canadians,” he said.

The Canadian PrairiePothole Region, spanningManitoba, Saskatchewan andAlberta, contains 80 percent ofthe agricultural land in Canada.

It is also broadly recognizedas the most important water-fowl production habitat inNorth America.

Ducks Unlimited has workedon these landscapes for almost70 years with more than17,000 farmers in a wide vari-ety of land management andconservation programs thatbenefit waterfowl.

“This new work promises togreatly expand opportunitiesfor waterfowl conservationwhile bringing in a multitude ofnew partners and fundingsources that have completely

compatible priorities for thefuture of the prairies” said Dr.Murkin.

DU and the governmenthave worked together for sev-eral years to define promisingagricultural practices that pro-vide environmental assets thatfarmers can get paid for andprotect waterfowl habitat.

The importance of recogniz-ing the values of ecologicalgoods and services was firsthighlighted in a report com-missioned by DU from Dr.Nancy Olewiler, director ofpublic policy at Simon FrazierUniversity in Vancouver, BritishColumbia

The report, www.ducks.ca/aboutduc/news/archives/2004/041115.html.

The Value of Natural Capitalin Settled Areas of Canada,”was released in 2004.

While several local DUmembers were hunting in mid-Saskatchewan, they visited anarea DU project.

This is a typical prairie pot-hole, and you can see howvaluable the potholes are towaterfowl. That white you seeon the pond is not snow orice, but snow geese!

www.ducks.org 2 Spring 2003www.ducks.org 2 Spring 2003www.ducks.org 4 Winter 2006 www.ducks.org 9 Winter 2006

State Committee MeetingsTwo meetings have been held since the last

newsletter. Both were held at Black WingShooting Center, near Delaware, Ohio, onebeing held August 6 and the latest was heldDecember 10. As the state’s new chairman, SidLark organized the meetings and here are someof the topics of discussion:

Recently accepting the position of StateRecruitment Chairman, Chris Weed empha-sized the idea that “recruitment has to be job#1”! For any chapter anywhere, recruitingnew volunteers is the main factor to continuebeing successful.

He pointed out that all chapters need toincorporate recruiting practices into their ban-quet activities. Some of the recruiting toolsare, “volunteer recruit only” raffle, using thefeedback surveys, and the committee should be“working the room” during their event.

Chris stressed that fact that communicationis vital in connecting with a potential volun-teer, such as obtaining the correct contactinformation on the potential volunteer. If aperson seems interested in becoming a volun-teer and you need help in determining whichchapter would suit the new volunteer best,Chris volunteered to help in the decision. Hiscontact information ischris.weed@syngenta.com.

Chris Eder, the Director of Fund Raising andVolunteer Relations, pointed-out the state com-mittee’s main points of focus:

1. Recruitment - Equip and empower peopleto get their goals accomplished

2. New Chapters - New chapters shouldalways be sought to replace chapters no longerholding events and to increase the num-ber of chapters in Ohio to increase the growth

3. Continue Growth in Reoccurring Events -To help avoid committee “burn-out” and tospread out the workload, new volunteers needto be constantly sought. Successful commit-

tees have four primary responsibilities:A) Sell tickets to their eventsB) Solicit donationsC) Work the eventD) Recruit new volunteers

Chris also pointed-out that some volunteersare better at some things than others and theydon’t need to do all of A through D. He saidthe committees should use the strengths of thepeople on the committee.

For instance, if all a volunteer does is selltickets, great! Someone else might be better atrecruiting volunteers.

Steve Dey, now a Regional Vice-Presidentfor DU, addressed the committee on the fundraising status of DU, and announced thatNationally, DU is meeting most of its goals!

DU is $66,000 ahead of where they were lastyear at this time.

This number is significant when seen in lightof the fact that many of the chapters inLouisiana have not held events this fall due tothe effects of the hurricane. Steve also outlinedthe 6 organizational objectives of Jim Hulbert.Recruitment of 5,000 new volunteers nation-wide and the establishment of 250 new chap-ters were among the list.

Steve also reminded us that DU is nowincluding a free membership to anyone spend-ing $150 or more on a SBA item.

Cecil Allbright, the Major Gifts Chairman,addressed the committee on the status of themajor donor program. Cecil expressed the

Marty BurnettState Editor

Not only does Black Wing Shooting Center have great conference rooms, the shooting facilities areexcellent too, as Brian Nagy and Skip Daily demonstrate.

Henry County Chapter's brand-new committee put on its 1stMembership Dinner Banquet at theV.F.W. Hall, in Napoleon onOctober 29, 2005. The new com-mittee is comprised 8 members thatput on successful event within lessthan a three months lead-time.Committee Co-Chairmen BrianRees and Jamie Cramer headed-upcommittee members TJHersberger, PJ Jackson, Dave

Fouty, Tim Botjier, CarlSunderman and Steve Seedorf,and created a successful fund rais-ing event.

It all started with a recruitmenteffort led by Regional DirectorScott Paschke, State Chairman SidLark, and District Chairman SteveOneail. Using the NationalMailing Program, created by DUNational, that invites every personthat is HIP registered, has DULicense Plates, or has been a DUmember, to come to a DU chapter

organizational meeting in HenryCounty. During the meeting, ashort PowerPoint presentation wasgiven titled "DU Outreach." Thepresentation really hit-home withthe guys and the start of a newcommittee was born! The com-mittee is composed of area water-fowl hunters who want to giveback to a sport they love. Fromthere, the committee went ontopick an event date and location,and continued on with the fundraising campaign.

The committee went out to thearea community, gathered eventunderwriters, donations of items tobe used as raffle items, and BronzeSponsors. They found a caterer,auctioneers, and raffle girls to helpwith the event. The Committeethen continued with the recruit-ment of attendees. Family,friends, wildlife lovers and areapoliticians were amongst the crowdon the night of the Banquet.During the banquet, an inspira-tional speech was given by State

Chairman Sid Lark, basicallythanking the committee and all theattendees for sharing the passion ofDU. On top of having a successfulevent, recruitment of two newvolunteers surfaced, and so thestory of DU's success continues.

Like with many DU volunteers,Henry County's chapter was a lotof fun to work with. The guys allshared the same passion and wereeager and willing to take part inthe fund-raising effort, which is thefoundation of DU's success story!

Northwest Ohio has new DU CommitteeSteve OneailDistrict #1 Chairman

Ohio Canvasback Society

The Canvasback Society is an opportunity for DU Members to be

apart of a Life Sponsor Membership with the funds going to a

wetland project here in the Great State of Ohio.

Ohio Ducks Unlimited

Highlights

Time is running out become 1 of 100 Charter

Members of Ohio’s Canvasback Society.

Cost $100.00 each member.

Receive a Canvasback Society pin and Certificate.

More Information Call

Jim Smith 419-898-1392

Ducks on Canadian Prairie to Benefitfrom New Agriculture Programs

Ducks Unlimited Canada and the Canadian government pursue agriculture programs to conserve prairie grasslands and wetlands

See Meetings, page 11

www.ducks.org 5 Winter 2006www.ducks.org 8 Winter 2006

HOUMA, La., December14, 2005 – Ducks Unlimitedjoined a coalition of state,local, and federal partners,and private supporters todayat the Pointe - aux - ChenesWildlife Management Area inTerrebonne Parish to dedicatethe first restored wetlandsince Hurricanes Katrina andRita devastated the region.

“We’re here today to cele-brate a wetland brought backto life by concerned citizensand powerful partnerships,”said DU President, JimHulbert. “This is what it’s allabout – putting habitat backwhere it belongs, not justbecause waterfowl andwildlife need it, but becausepeople need wetlands too, forwater, flood control, hurri-cane protection, recreationand so many other reasons.Wetlands have endless valueto all of us, and it’s good to bepart of restoring these valu-able habitats.”

The Ensminger-SongeWetlands Unit, a 4,736-acremarsh on the Pointe - aux -Chenes Wildlife ManagementArea (WMA), was dedicatedin honor of Allan Ensmingerand Lloyd Songe, Sr., two for-mer Louisiana Department ofWildlife and Fisheries(LDWF) employees whoplayed key roles in the acqui-sition and development of thispopular coastal WMA.

“Coastal restoration proj-ects of this nature are steps inthe right direction as ourcooperative efforts start torebuild the landscape ofcoastal Louisiana,” saidDwight Landreneau, LDWFSecretary. “Protecting ournatural resources in this man-ner is vital to our economyand our way of life.”

The habitat conservation

project on Pointe-aux-ChenesWMA restored water flow to4,736 acres of degradedmarsh through installation offour hydrologic structures andconstruction of one exteriorlevee. Erosion, salt-waterintrusion and increased tur-bidity have degraded the oncevast fresh, intermediate, andbrackish marshes of southeastLouisiana. These problemswere exacerbated by hurri-canes Katrina and Rita.

“Before hurricanes Katrinaand Rita hit, we were actually80 to 85 percent completedwith our restoration work onPointe-aux-Chenes in the fallof 2005,” said Ken Babcock,Director of DU’s SouthernRegional Office.

“When the hurricanes hit,the project was damaged sig-nificantly enough that we hadto go back in and re-restoremuch of what we’d alreadydone.”

Ducks Unlimited received$923,000 in fundingthrough the North AmericanWetlands Conservation Act(NAWCA) to offset costsassociated with levee refur-bishment and installation ofwater control structures. Inaddition, the LouisianaDepartment of NaturalResources provided $600,000to complement the NAWCAfunds for the work.

The Louisiana Departmentof Wildlife and Fisheries willmanage the area to maintainquality coastal wetland habi-tat for wintering waterfowl,while providing additionalhunting opportunities.

The restored marsh willincrease the abundance andquality of submerged aquaticvegetation.

Over time, emergent vege-

Ducks Unlimited & PartnersDedicate Their First

Restored Wetland SinceHurricanes Katrina & Rita

MEMPHIS, Tenn., Nov. 18, 2005 – Ducks Unlimited (DU) reacted positively to legislationintroduced Monday that would protect critical waterfowl habitat nationwide. The Wetlands LoanAct would borrow against projected revenue from the sale of federal duck stamps and promotepartnerships to cost effectively protect and conserve wetlands for future generations.

“Waterfowlers and other conservationists have a 71-year history of supporting conservationthrough the purchase of federal duck stamps,” said DU Executive Vice President Don Young.

But Young says more is needed.“We continue to lose high quality wetlands and associated nesting habitat to development at an

alarming rate despite the successes of the duck stamp program to date,” Young explained. “We’vegot to act now to protect land vital to duck production and migration.”

The Wetlands Loan Act, sponsored by Rep. Mark Kennedy (MN), is modeled after legislationfirst authorized in 1961. The new legislation mirrors the original by seeking to borrow fundsagainst future federal duck stamp revenues from sales to hunters and other conservationists. TheU.S. Fish and Wildlife Service would use funds generated by the Act to purchase lands forNational Wildlife Refuges and to assist landowners in protecting existing wetlands and sur-rounding duck production habitat in essential breeding grounds and other areas across the UnitedStates.

“Similar to what was done in the 1960s and ‘70s, we believe borrowing against projected rev-enue from the sale of federal duck stamps is a practical solution that will ensure the most valu-able habitat for waterfowl and other migratory birds is not lost forever,” said DU President Dr.Jim Hulbert. “Many landowners want to protect their lands for waterfowl and other wildlife, butthere’s not enough money in existing programs to get it done. This legislation would make thismoney available now and protect these essential habitats.”

To help repay the loan, the Wetlands Loan Act calls for an incremental increase in the price ofthe federal duck stamp over the next decade. Since the last price increase of the duck stamp 14years ago, land values have skyrocketed (up 266 percent in some duck habitat areas) along withinflation. The past 15 years have seen no price increase in the federal duck stamp – the longesttime period without a price increase in the stamp’s 71-year history.

An analysis shows that if critical waterfowl breeding habitat is not secured now, the financialcost to hunter-conservationists to assure the future of our sport will be several times what it istoday.

“While no one is anxious to increase the cost of hunting even in this relatively small way whencompared with other costs associated with the sport, it’s important that waterfowlers maintain ourtradition of leadership on behalf of habitat conservation,” said Scott Sutherland, director of DU’sGovernmental Affairs office in Washington, D.C.

“Waterfowlers have always led efforts for habitat conservation,” Sutherland continued. “Andthis money would be entirely used to permanently protect waterfowl habitat.”

Wetlands Loan Act Introduced in Congress DU Applauds Efforts to Address Immediate Habitat Needs

MEMPHIS, Tenn., Sept. 9, 2005 – DucksUnlimited, the world’s leader in wetlandsrestoration, is pledging $15 million to helprestore coastal wetlands in Louisiana dam-aged by Hurricane Katrina.

“Ducks Unlimited will work with partnerconservation organizations, federal conserva-tion agencies and the state of Louisiana toprotect and restore 52,000 acres along theLouisiana coast by 2008,” said DucksUnlimited Executive Vice President DonYoung.

“What’s happened in the aftermath ofHurricane Katrina is a national tragedy,” saidDucks Unlimited President Dr. Jim Hulbert.“The human loss and suffering is staggering.To get people’s lives back to normal as quick-ly as possible requires not only that servicesand homes be restored and rebuilt but alsothat the critical coastal wetlands that helpprotect those homes and people be restoredtoo. Wetlands restoration is what DucksUnlimited does best.”

Young says the conservation organization’s$15 million pledge is the center point ofDucks Unlimited’s new Louisiana CoastalRestoration Initiative.

“We’ll leverage that money with othersources to increase funds as much as possibleto work with our partners and the state ofLouisiana to restore America’s Wetland,”Young said.

To date, Ducks Unlimited has conserved,

restored or enhanced almost 55,000 acres ofLouisiana coastal marsh and is presentlyworking on six North American WetlandConservation Act grants with its partners thatwill protect, restore or enhance more than155,000 acres when completed. Young saysthe new initiative will continue DU’s long-standing work in Louisiana and restore andenhance an additional 52,000 acres by 2008.

“Wetlands do so much for people. Theyare great places to hunt and fish. They helppurify and clean our water. They trap andhold storm water, reducing floodwater dam-age. And in the case of hurricanes, coastalwetlands play an important role in reducingstorm surges,” Young explained.

Scientists indicate that as a general rule,one mile of coastal marsh can reduce a stormsurge by one foot. The 29-foot storm surgerecorded during Hurricane Katrina was thehighest ever recorded during a Gulf Coasthurricane.

Before Katrina, scientists said it wouldtake $14 billion to save Louisiana’s coastalmarsh. Doing nothing would cost the public$37 billion in “public use value” by 2050.

Ducks Unlimited volunteers and staffnationwide have worked to help victims ofthe storm, and that work continues today.

“I’m proud of our employees and volun-teers nationwide who have actively givenmoney, food and supplies through relieforganizations and churches,” Young said.

Ducks Unlimited Pledges $15 Million toHelp Restore Louisiana’s Coastal Marsh

Little Rock, Ark., October 18, 2005 –Representatives from Ducks Unlimited(DU) joined Arkansas farmers and water-fowlers at the State Fair Grounds lastFriday for a meeting with United StatesDepartment of Agriculture (USDA)Deputy Secretary Chuck Conner. Duringthe meeting, several attendees encouragedthe USDA to maintain strong conservationprograms in the next Farm Bill.

“The resounding message from farmersand waterfowlers was that the 2002 FarmBill is working well for Arkansas farmersand sportsmen,” said Craig Hilburn, direc-tor of conservation programs for DU inArkansas.

The present Farm Bill expires in 2007.It has provided critical assistance for farm-ers and ranchers, and vital conservationprograms for waterfowl and other wildlife.

Two of the most successful conserva-tion programs in history, the Conservation

Reserve Program (CRP) and the WetlandsReserve Program (WRP) are part of theFarm Bill. These voluntary programs payfarmers and ranchers to restore, protectand enhance wetlands in exchange forretiring marginally productive land fromagriculture.

Getting paid to stop farming marginallyproductive land allows farmers to concen-trate money and resources on farming theirmost productive land. Waterfowl and otherwildlife benefit as the marginal landsrevert back to a more natural habitat.

“The conservation programs in theFarm Bill are extremely important to thefuture of waterfowl populations, especiallyprograms like CRP and WRP,” saidHilburn. “CRP is critical to conservinggrasslands where waterfowl breed.”

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service esti-mates that the Conservation ReserveProgram, itself, increases duck populations

by more than two million birds per year.Hilburn says that’s good news for water-fowl hunters.

Presently, there are nearly three millionacres set to expire from CRP programsacross North and South Dakota – the heartof U.S. waterfowl production. Withoutcontinued funding to re-enroll these landsin CRP, waterfowl populations will likelysuffer.

“Likewise, the Wetlands ReserveProgram restores much needed migrationand winter waterfowl habitat,” Hilburnsaid. “Many of those wetlands are righthere in Arkansas, the duck hunting capitalof the world.”

“The reason that waterfowl come to thelower Mississippi Valley, and Arkansasspecifically, is because of farmers andranchers across the south who farm theirlands and practice conservation day in andday out,” Hilburn said.

Hilburn says it’s important for the con-servation programs in the Farm Bill toremain well funded.

“Waterfowl are not the only ones thatbenefit from these popular programs,” saidHilburn. “Many landowners are able toretire croplands that are unproductive foragriculture, while retaining ownership ofthe land. Waterfowl benefit from theimproved habitat, and those that love theland are able to keep and manage it forwildlife.”

To voice your support for theupcoming Farm Bill, log on towww.ducks.org/2007FarmBill/ or visitthe USDA website at www.usda.gov andsubmit your feedback in writing.Individuals may also mail comments toU.S. Secretary Michael Johanns at the U.S.Department of Agriculture 1400Independence Ave., S.W. Washington, DC20250.

Farmers and Waterfowlers Join Forces to Support Farm BillDucks Unlimited Says Strong Conservation Programs are Critical for Farmers and Wildlife

MEMPHIS, Tenn., Oct. 21, 2005 – The people’s choice for the 2006-2007 DucksUnlimited International Artist of the Year is Ralph McDonald for his rendition of “Got’emDad.” This is the first time DU has opened its voting process to the public and people castmore than 4,600 votes through its Web site.

Ralph McDonald's Winning Print: “Got’em Dad” “DU has featured a wildlife artist since 1972, but this year's balloting is its first attempt

at inviting everyone to help with the selection,” said Larry Richardson, national directorof field fundraising initiations for Ducks Unlimited. “McDonald is a perennial favorite ofDU art buyers and we are excited about working with him to promote this print.”

For more than a decade, Ralph McDonald’s Greenwing prints have been a favorite atDU events, raising more than $12 million for conservation. McDonald lives in Gallatin,Tenn. producing art prints for DU since 1974. He was also Ducks Unlimited InternationalArtist of the Year in 1981.

Ralph McDonald Wins DucksUnlimited International Artistof the Year Award

Mark Your CalendarsAnd Join US at the:

Come celebrate your hard work!

February 24-26, 2006Radisson Inn - Eastlake, Ohio

Just 14 miles east of Cleveland on Route 2

Don’t miss out on:The annual State Awards Banquet, Conservation talks byDU and Ohio Division of Wildlife Biologists, Live horse har-ness racing at Northfield Park, Vendors, Ohio Duck stampcontest, Shooting, Skiing at Alpine Valley, Shopping, “Wild

Games” Luncheon (featuring the most unique raffles inthe state), Hospitality suite, and much more!!!

Watch your mail for your invitation!!!

For more information contact John Murphy 440-247-8614

2006 OHIO DUCKS UNLIMITED

STATE CONVENTION

2006 State2006 StateConventionConvention

See Hurricanes, page 11

www.ducks.org 7 Winter 2006www.ducks.org 6 Winter 2006

2005 Chairman’s BanquetThe Chairman’s Banquet was held July 16 at the Clarion Hotel inToledo. As you can see from the pictures, the turn-out was good

and everyone seemed relaxed and had a good time!

Jen Andorfer accepting the Innovation Award

Steve Dey making his farewell speechThis gentleman tries his luck at the decoy toss!

A good turn-out!

Sid Lark accepting gift as new chairman

Incoming Chairman Sid Lark presents outgo-ing Chairman Steve Dey with a gift

Rodney Schlafer with Mrs. Lark (Mrs.Chairman)

www.ducks.org 5 Winter 2006www.ducks.org 8 Winter 2006

HOUMA, La., December14, 2005 – Ducks Unlimitedjoined a coalition of state,local, and federal partners,and private supporters todayat the Pointe - aux - ChenesWildlife Management Area inTerrebonne Parish to dedicatethe first restored wetlandsince Hurricanes Katrina andRita devastated the region.

“We’re here today to cele-brate a wetland brought backto life by concerned citizensand powerful partnerships,”said DU President, JimHulbert. “This is what it’s allabout – putting habitat backwhere it belongs, not justbecause waterfowl andwildlife need it, but becausepeople need wetlands too, forwater, flood control, hurri-cane protection, recreationand so many other reasons.Wetlands have endless valueto all of us, and it’s good to bepart of restoring these valu-able habitats.”

The Ensminger-SongeWetlands Unit, a 4,736-acremarsh on the Pointe - aux -Chenes Wildlife ManagementArea (WMA), was dedicatedin honor of Allan Ensmingerand Lloyd Songe, Sr., two for-mer Louisiana Department ofWildlife and Fisheries(LDWF) employees whoplayed key roles in the acqui-sition and development of thispopular coastal WMA.

“Coastal restoration proj-ects of this nature are steps inthe right direction as ourcooperative efforts start torebuild the landscape ofcoastal Louisiana,” saidDwight Landreneau, LDWFSecretary. “Protecting ournatural resources in this man-ner is vital to our economyand our way of life.”

The habitat conservation

project on Pointe-aux-ChenesWMA restored water flow to4,736 acres of degradedmarsh through installation offour hydrologic structures andconstruction of one exteriorlevee. Erosion, salt-waterintrusion and increased tur-bidity have degraded the oncevast fresh, intermediate, andbrackish marshes of southeastLouisiana. These problemswere exacerbated by hurri-canes Katrina and Rita.

“Before hurricanes Katrinaand Rita hit, we were actually80 to 85 percent completedwith our restoration work onPointe-aux-Chenes in the fallof 2005,” said Ken Babcock,Director of DU’s SouthernRegional Office.

“When the hurricanes hit,the project was damaged sig-nificantly enough that we hadto go back in and re-restoremuch of what we’d alreadydone.”

Ducks Unlimited received$923,000 in fundingthrough the North AmericanWetlands Conservation Act(NAWCA) to offset costsassociated with levee refur-bishment and installation ofwater control structures. Inaddition, the LouisianaDepartment of NaturalResources provided $600,000to complement the NAWCAfunds for the work.

The Louisiana Departmentof Wildlife and Fisheries willmanage the area to maintainquality coastal wetland habi-tat for wintering waterfowl,while providing additionalhunting opportunities.

The restored marsh willincrease the abundance andquality of submerged aquaticvegetation.

Over time, emergent vege-

Ducks Unlimited & PartnersDedicate Their First

Restored Wetland SinceHurricanes Katrina & Rita

MEMPHIS, Tenn., Nov. 18, 2005 – Ducks Unlimited (DU) reacted positively to legislationintroduced Monday that would protect critical waterfowl habitat nationwide. The Wetlands LoanAct would borrow against projected revenue from the sale of federal duck stamps and promotepartnerships to cost effectively protect and conserve wetlands for future generations.

“Waterfowlers and other conservationists have a 71-year history of supporting conservationthrough the purchase of federal duck stamps,” said DU Executive Vice President Don Young.

But Young says more is needed.“We continue to lose high quality wetlands and associated nesting habitat to development at an

alarming rate despite the successes of the duck stamp program to date,” Young explained. “We’vegot to act now to protect land vital to duck production and migration.”

The Wetlands Loan Act, sponsored by Rep. Mark Kennedy (MN), is modeled after legislationfirst authorized in 1961. The new legislation mirrors the original by seeking to borrow fundsagainst future federal duck stamp revenues from sales to hunters and other conservationists. TheU.S. Fish and Wildlife Service would use funds generated by the Act to purchase lands forNational Wildlife Refuges and to assist landowners in protecting existing wetlands and sur-rounding duck production habitat in essential breeding grounds and other areas across the UnitedStates.

“Similar to what was done in the 1960s and ‘70s, we believe borrowing against projected rev-enue from the sale of federal duck stamps is a practical solution that will ensure the most valu-able habitat for waterfowl and other migratory birds is not lost forever,” said DU President Dr.Jim Hulbert. “Many landowners want to protect their lands for waterfowl and other wildlife, butthere’s not enough money in existing programs to get it done. This legislation would make thismoney available now and protect these essential habitats.”

To help repay the loan, the Wetlands Loan Act calls for an incremental increase in the price ofthe federal duck stamp over the next decade. Since the last price increase of the duck stamp 14years ago, land values have skyrocketed (up 266 percent in some duck habitat areas) along withinflation. The past 15 years have seen no price increase in the federal duck stamp – the longesttime period without a price increase in the stamp’s 71-year history.

An analysis shows that if critical waterfowl breeding habitat is not secured now, the financialcost to hunter-conservationists to assure the future of our sport will be several times what it istoday.

“While no one is anxious to increase the cost of hunting even in this relatively small way whencompared with other costs associated with the sport, it’s important that waterfowlers maintain ourtradition of leadership on behalf of habitat conservation,” said Scott Sutherland, director of DU’sGovernmental Affairs office in Washington, D.C.

“Waterfowlers have always led efforts for habitat conservation,” Sutherland continued. “Andthis money would be entirely used to permanently protect waterfowl habitat.”

Wetlands Loan Act Introduced in Congress DU Applauds Efforts to Address Immediate Habitat Needs

MEMPHIS, Tenn., Sept. 9, 2005 – DucksUnlimited, the world’s leader in wetlandsrestoration, is pledging $15 million to helprestore coastal wetlands in Louisiana dam-aged by Hurricane Katrina.

“Ducks Unlimited will work with partnerconservation organizations, federal conserva-tion agencies and the state of Louisiana toprotect and restore 52,000 acres along theLouisiana coast by 2008,” said DucksUnlimited Executive Vice President DonYoung.

“What’s happened in the aftermath ofHurricane Katrina is a national tragedy,” saidDucks Unlimited President Dr. Jim Hulbert.“The human loss and suffering is staggering.To get people’s lives back to normal as quick-ly as possible requires not only that servicesand homes be restored and rebuilt but alsothat the critical coastal wetlands that helpprotect those homes and people be restoredtoo. Wetlands restoration is what DucksUnlimited does best.”

Young says the conservation organization’s$15 million pledge is the center point ofDucks Unlimited’s new Louisiana CoastalRestoration Initiative.

“We’ll leverage that money with othersources to increase funds as much as possibleto work with our partners and the state ofLouisiana to restore America’s Wetland,”Young said.

To date, Ducks Unlimited has conserved,

restored or enhanced almost 55,000 acres ofLouisiana coastal marsh and is presentlyworking on six North American WetlandConservation Act grants with its partners thatwill protect, restore or enhance more than155,000 acres when completed. Young saysthe new initiative will continue DU’s long-standing work in Louisiana and restore andenhance an additional 52,000 acres by 2008.

“Wetlands do so much for people. Theyare great places to hunt and fish. They helppurify and clean our water. They trap andhold storm water, reducing floodwater dam-age. And in the case of hurricanes, coastalwetlands play an important role in reducingstorm surges,” Young explained.

Scientists indicate that as a general rule,one mile of coastal marsh can reduce a stormsurge by one foot. The 29-foot storm surgerecorded during Hurricane Katrina was thehighest ever recorded during a Gulf Coasthurricane.

Before Katrina, scientists said it wouldtake $14 billion to save Louisiana’s coastalmarsh. Doing nothing would cost the public$37 billion in “public use value” by 2050.

Ducks Unlimited volunteers and staffnationwide have worked to help victims ofthe storm, and that work continues today.

“I’m proud of our employees and volun-teers nationwide who have actively givenmoney, food and supplies through relieforganizations and churches,” Young said.

Ducks Unlimited Pledges $15 Million toHelp Restore Louisiana’s Coastal Marsh

Little Rock, Ark., October 18, 2005 –Representatives from Ducks Unlimited(DU) joined Arkansas farmers and water-fowlers at the State Fair Grounds lastFriday for a meeting with United StatesDepartment of Agriculture (USDA)Deputy Secretary Chuck Conner. Duringthe meeting, several attendees encouragedthe USDA to maintain strong conservationprograms in the next Farm Bill.

“The resounding message from farmersand waterfowlers was that the 2002 FarmBill is working well for Arkansas farmersand sportsmen,” said Craig Hilburn, direc-tor of conservation programs for DU inArkansas.

The present Farm Bill expires in 2007.It has provided critical assistance for farm-ers and ranchers, and vital conservationprograms for waterfowl and other wildlife.

Two of the most successful conserva-tion programs in history, the Conservation

Reserve Program (CRP) and the WetlandsReserve Program (WRP) are part of theFarm Bill. These voluntary programs payfarmers and ranchers to restore, protectand enhance wetlands in exchange forretiring marginally productive land fromagriculture.

Getting paid to stop farming marginallyproductive land allows farmers to concen-trate money and resources on farming theirmost productive land. Waterfowl and otherwildlife benefit as the marginal landsrevert back to a more natural habitat.

“The conservation programs in theFarm Bill are extremely important to thefuture of waterfowl populations, especiallyprograms like CRP and WRP,” saidHilburn. “CRP is critical to conservinggrasslands where waterfowl breed.”

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service esti-mates that the Conservation ReserveProgram, itself, increases duck populations

by more than two million birds per year.Hilburn says that’s good news for water-fowl hunters.

Presently, there are nearly three millionacres set to expire from CRP programsacross North and South Dakota – the heartof U.S. waterfowl production. Withoutcontinued funding to re-enroll these landsin CRP, waterfowl populations will likelysuffer.

“Likewise, the Wetlands ReserveProgram restores much needed migrationand winter waterfowl habitat,” Hilburnsaid. “Many of those wetlands are righthere in Arkansas, the duck hunting capitalof the world.”

“The reason that waterfowl come to thelower Mississippi Valley, and Arkansasspecifically, is because of farmers andranchers across the south who farm theirlands and practice conservation day in andday out,” Hilburn said.

Hilburn says it’s important for the con-servation programs in the Farm Bill toremain well funded.

“Waterfowl are not the only ones thatbenefit from these popular programs,” saidHilburn. “Many landowners are able toretire croplands that are unproductive foragriculture, while retaining ownership ofthe land. Waterfowl benefit from theimproved habitat, and those that love theland are able to keep and manage it forwildlife.”

To voice your support for theupcoming Farm Bill, log on towww.ducks.org/2007FarmBill/ or visitthe USDA website at www.usda.gov andsubmit your feedback in writing.Individuals may also mail comments toU.S. Secretary Michael Johanns at the U.S.Department of Agriculture 1400Independence Ave., S.W. Washington, DC20250.

Farmers and Waterfowlers Join Forces to Support Farm BillDucks Unlimited Says Strong Conservation Programs are Critical for Farmers and Wildlife

MEMPHIS, Tenn., Oct. 21, 2005 – The people’s choice for the 2006-2007 DucksUnlimited International Artist of the Year is Ralph McDonald for his rendition of “Got’emDad.” This is the first time DU has opened its voting process to the public and people castmore than 4,600 votes through its Web site.

Ralph McDonald's Winning Print: “Got’em Dad” “DU has featured a wildlife artist since 1972, but this year's balloting is its first attempt

at inviting everyone to help with the selection,” said Larry Richardson, national directorof field fundraising initiations for Ducks Unlimited. “McDonald is a perennial favorite ofDU art buyers and we are excited about working with him to promote this print.”

For more than a decade, Ralph McDonald’s Greenwing prints have been a favorite atDU events, raising more than $12 million for conservation. McDonald lives in Gallatin,Tenn. producing art prints for DU since 1974. He was also Ducks Unlimited InternationalArtist of the Year in 1981.

Ralph McDonald Wins DucksUnlimited International Artistof the Year Award

Mark Your CalendarsAnd Join US at the:

Come celebrate your hard work!

February 24-26, 2006Radisson Inn - Eastlake, Ohio

Just 14 miles east of Cleveland on Route 2

Don’t miss out on:The annual State Awards Banquet, Conservation talks byDU and Ohio Division of Wildlife Biologists, Live horse har-ness racing at Northfield Park, Vendors, Ohio Duck stampcontest, Shooting, Skiing at Alpine Valley, Shopping, “Wild

Games” Luncheon (featuring the most unique raffles inthe state), Hospitality suite, and much more!!!

Watch your mail for your invitation!!!

For more information contact John Murphy 440-247-8614

2006 OHIO DUCKS UNLIMITED

STATE CONVENTION

2006 State2006 StateConventionConvention

See Hurricanes, page 11

Waterfowl on the famedPrairie Pothole Region ofCanada will benefit from apartnership between DucksUnlimited Canada and theCanadian government to helpprotect waterfowl productionon the Canadian prairies.

The focus of the work is toidentify and develop scientifi-cally based, on-farm beneficialmanagement practices toinclude in Canada’sAgricultural Policy Framework.

Once implemented, the envi-ronmental assets like clean airand water resulting from thesepractices – known as ecologi-cal goods and services – wouldgenerate income for farmerswhile protecting key waterfowlhabitat in the Prairie PotholeRegion.

The program to receivefunding under this partnershipwill determine the potential ofCanada's Prairie PotholeRegion to store carbon andreduce greenhouse gases inthe atmosphere.

The plan has just receivedfinal approval fromEnvironment Canada, NaturalResources Canada andAgriculture and Agri-FoodCanada. Each has committed

$300,000 per year for threeyears – for a total of $2.7 mil-lion – to fund the effort.

“This work is cutting-edgescience that is based on quite adifferent approach than ischaracteristic of most water-fowl conservation programs,”said DU Canada’s Director ofConservation Programs Dr.Henry Murkin. “

However, it has profoundimplications for the future ofwaterfowl production on mil-lions of acres of prairie uplandhabitat and hundreds of thou-sands of prairie pothole wet-lands.”

Murkin says this is a wonder-ful example of the hard workthat DU and the Canadian gov-ernment are doing together tomore fully recognize theimportance of beneficial man-agement practices on Canada’sfarmlands.

“We have worked very hardto develop a good relationshipwith agricultural concerns inthe Canadian government toconserve waterfowl habitat inharmony with the agriculturalcommunity,” Murkin said.

The Federal Minister ofAgriculture and Agri-Food inCanada, the Honorable Andy

Mitchell agreed. “We’repleased to support this proj-ect, because a healthy andvibrant agricultural industrybenefits all Canadians,” he said.

The Canadian PrairiePothole Region, spanningManitoba, Saskatchewan andAlberta, contains 80 percent ofthe agricultural land in Canada.

It is also broadly recognizedas the most important water-fowl production habitat inNorth America.

Ducks Unlimited has workedon these landscapes for almost70 years with more than17,000 farmers in a wide vari-ety of land management andconservation programs thatbenefit waterfowl.

“This new work promises togreatly expand opportunitiesfor waterfowl conservationwhile bringing in a multitude ofnew partners and fundingsources that have completely

compatible priorities for thefuture of the prairies” said Dr.Murkin.

DU and the governmenthave worked together for sev-eral years to define promisingagricultural practices that pro-vide environmental assets thatfarmers can get paid for andprotect waterfowl habitat.

The importance of recogniz-ing the values of ecologicalgoods and services was firsthighlighted in a report com-missioned by DU from Dr.Nancy Olewiler, director ofpublic policy at Simon FrazierUniversity in Vancouver, BritishColumbia

The report, www.ducks.ca/aboutduc/news/archives/2004/041115.html.

The Value of Natural Capitalin Settled Areas of Canada,”was released in 2004.

While several local DUmembers were hunting in mid-Saskatchewan, they visited anarea DU project.

This is a typical prairie pot-hole, and you can see howvaluable the potholes are towaterfowl. That white you seeon the pond is not snow orice, but snow geese!

www.ducks.org 2 Spring 2003www.ducks.org 2 Spring 2003www.ducks.org 4 Winter 2006 www.ducks.org 9 Winter 2006

State Committee MeetingsTwo meetings have been held since the last

newsletter. Both were held at Black WingShooting Center, near Delaware, Ohio, onebeing held August 6 and the latest was heldDecember 10. As the state’s new chairman, SidLark organized the meetings and here are someof the topics of discussion:

Recently accepting the position of StateRecruitment Chairman, Chris Weed empha-sized the idea that “recruitment has to be job#1”! For any chapter anywhere, recruitingnew volunteers is the main factor to continuebeing successful.

He pointed out that all chapters need toincorporate recruiting practices into their ban-quet activities. Some of the recruiting toolsare, “volunteer recruit only” raffle, using thefeedback surveys, and the committee should be“working the room” during their event.

Chris stressed that fact that communicationis vital in connecting with a potential volun-teer, such as obtaining the correct contactinformation on the potential volunteer. If aperson seems interested in becoming a volun-teer and you need help in determining whichchapter would suit the new volunteer best,Chris volunteered to help in the decision. Hiscontact information ischris.weed@syngenta.com.

Chris Eder, the Director of Fund Raising andVolunteer Relations, pointed-out the state com-mittee’s main points of focus:

1. Recruitment - Equip and empower peopleto get their goals accomplished

2. New Chapters - New chapters shouldalways be sought to replace chapters no longerholding events and to increase the num-ber of chapters in Ohio to increase the growth

3. Continue Growth in Reoccurring Events -To help avoid committee “burn-out” and tospread out the workload, new volunteers needto be constantly sought. Successful commit-

tees have four primary responsibilities:A) Sell tickets to their eventsB) Solicit donationsC) Work the eventD) Recruit new volunteers

Chris also pointed-out that some volunteersare better at some things than others and theydon’t need to do all of A through D. He saidthe committees should use the strengths of thepeople on the committee.

For instance, if all a volunteer does is selltickets, great! Someone else might be better atrecruiting volunteers.

Steve Dey, now a Regional Vice-Presidentfor DU, addressed the committee on the fundraising status of DU, and announced thatNationally, DU is meeting most of its goals!

DU is $66,000 ahead of where they were lastyear at this time.

This number is significant when seen in lightof the fact that many of the chapters inLouisiana have not held events this fall due tothe effects of the hurricane. Steve also outlinedthe 6 organizational objectives of Jim Hulbert.Recruitment of 5,000 new volunteers nation-wide and the establishment of 250 new chap-ters were among the list.

Steve also reminded us that DU is nowincluding a free membership to anyone spend-ing $150 or more on a SBA item.

Cecil Allbright, the Major Gifts Chairman,addressed the committee on the status of themajor donor program. Cecil expressed the

Marty BurnettState Editor

Not only does Black Wing Shooting Center have great conference rooms, the shooting facilities areexcellent too, as Brian Nagy and Skip Daily demonstrate.

Henry County Chapter's brand-new committee put on its 1stMembership Dinner Banquet at theV.F.W. Hall, in Napoleon onOctober 29, 2005. The new com-mittee is comprised 8 members thatput on successful event within lessthan a three months lead-time.Committee Co-Chairmen BrianRees and Jamie Cramer headed-upcommittee members TJHersberger, PJ Jackson, Dave

Fouty, Tim Botjier, CarlSunderman and Steve Seedorf,and created a successful fund rais-ing event.

It all started with a recruitmenteffort led by Regional DirectorScott Paschke, State Chairman SidLark, and District Chairman SteveOneail. Using the NationalMailing Program, created by DUNational, that invites every personthat is HIP registered, has DULicense Plates, or has been a DUmember, to come to a DU chapter

organizational meeting in HenryCounty. During the meeting, ashort PowerPoint presentation wasgiven titled "DU Outreach." Thepresentation really hit-home withthe guys and the start of a newcommittee was born! The com-mittee is composed of area water-fowl hunters who want to giveback to a sport they love. Fromthere, the committee went ontopick an event date and location,and continued on with the fundraising campaign.

The committee went out to thearea community, gathered eventunderwriters, donations of items tobe used as raffle items, and BronzeSponsors. They found a caterer,auctioneers, and raffle girls to helpwith the event. The Committeethen continued with the recruit-ment of attendees. Family,friends, wildlife lovers and areapoliticians were amongst the crowdon the night of the Banquet.During the banquet, an inspira-tional speech was given by State

Chairman Sid Lark, basicallythanking the committee and all theattendees for sharing the passion ofDU. On top of having a successfulevent, recruitment of two newvolunteers surfaced, and so thestory of DU's success continues.

Like with many DU volunteers,Henry County's chapter was a lotof fun to work with. The guys allshared the same passion and wereeager and willing to take part inthe fund-raising effort, which is thefoundation of DU's success story!

Northwest Ohio has new DU CommitteeSteve OneailDistrict #1 Chairman

Ohio Canvasback Society

The Canvasback Society is an opportunity for DU Members to be

apart of a Life Sponsor Membership with the funds going to a

wetland project here in the Great State of Ohio.

Ohio Ducks Unlimited

Highlights

Time is running out become 1 of 100 Charter

Members of Ohio’s Canvasback Society.

Cost $100.00 each member.

Receive a Canvasback Society pin and Certificate.

More Information Call

Jim Smith 419-898-1392

Ducks on Canadian Prairie to Benefitfrom New Agriculture Programs

Ducks Unlimited Canada and the Canadian government pursue agriculture programs to conserve prairie grasslands and wetlands

See Meetings, page 11

www.ducks.org 2 Spring 2003www.ducks.org 2 Spring 2003 www.ducks.org 3 Winter 2006www.ducks.org 10 Winter 2006

I would like to wisheveryone a happy and pros-perous New Year. I hopethe holidays were enjoyablefor you and your families.Now it is time to get backto work for the ducks!

Several years ago DUnational decided to allowthe accumulation of allsponsor credits anyone hadmade in the past, andapplying that credit to a lifesponsorship, if a memberwould pledge to be a lifesponsor. I would like toexplain how this could helpeach member become a lifesponsor, and even moreimportant, how it can helpus preserve more habitat.

I try to explain to anyoneinterested in becoming alife sponsor, using the con-tributions they have alreadyaccumulated. For the pur-pose of this article I will

just give several examples.The first level of becom-

ing a Life Sponsor is$10,000, and this repre-sents what it takes to pre-serve 40 acres of waterfowlhabitat.

That is what every LifeSponsor does! We save 40acres of wetlands for futuregenerations. That’s quite alegacy to leave for yourchildren and grandchildren!Now the details…

If you have been a spon-sor the past 10 years at asingle event you have accu-mulated a credit of $2,500.To complete your LifeSponsor pledge your bal-ance would be $7,500.That amount can be spreadover 4 or 7 years. The 4-year plan would requireabout $1900 per year andall of the money wouldremain in Ohio. If you

choose the 7 year plan itwould be about $1075 peryear. That amount could bepaid in 1 payment at yourhome event, but there aremore fun ways to fulfillyour pledge. You couldsponsor at 4 events (yourhome event and 3 newevents).

Your home chapter wouldget credit for a life sponsor– a Top Gun goal, and threeother events would get anew sponsor. You wouldget a chance to go to 3 newevents, get additional spon-sor prints, possibly beinvolved in special sponsorraffles and be invited tonew sponsor only events.This is a great way to meetDU members in other chap-ters in your area. Severalof us in Southwest Ohio use

Volunteer Day Press Release

Bill Schlageter, from Rocky River Ohio, was a long time DUvolunteer in Michigan and Ohio. He served as an Area Chair andZone Chair in Ohio, and most recently helped our state committeewith Major Donor efforts. Bill influenced many people to becomelife sponsors, where his efforts helped Ohio be one of the statestop in the country in new life sponsor pledges.

He grew up in the Toledo area and developed a passion for water-fowling at an early age. As a youth, before he could drive, hewould ride his bike to what is now Metzger's Marsh to hunt water-fowl. He more recently made annual trips to Canada to hunt water-fowl.

Bill lost an almost year long fight with cancer this fall. DU haslost a great volunteer and the world lost an incredible man. Billwill be greatly missed.

The week of January 30-February 4, 2006 has been designated asNational Ducks Unlimited Volunteer Celebration Week. Beginning onJanuary 30th, and continuing through February 4th, DU will undertakeseveral activities to say “Thank You” to our volunteers.

Mark your calendars for February 4, 2006 for a Volunteer Day Event!In Northern Ohio the event is to be held at Sawmill Creek Resort, 2401Cleveland Road(Route 6), in Huron, Ohio, and in Southern Ohio atChampion Expo Center, 4122 Laybourne Road, in Springfield, Ohio.

Both events will run from 12:00 noon-5:00 p.m., at a cost of $15.00,with lunch included.

For more information contact Ducks Unlimited RegionalDirector(North)Scott Paschke at spaschke@ducks.org, Ducks UnlimitedRegional Director(South)Aaron Dynes at adynes@ducks.org, or DucksUnlimited State Recruitment Chairman Chris Weed at chris.weed@syn-genta.com

Help the ducks have a happy New Year, tooDU Loses Long-TimeSupporter, Schlageter

NORTHERN OHIO SPRING DATESDate City Type Chair PhoneJanuary1/28/06 Putnam County Lepsic Banquet Brad Niemeyer 419-532-3734

February2/4/05 Volunteer Appreciation Event Huron Volunteer Celebration Scott Paschke 440-437-84512/4/05 Ottawa County Port Clinton Texas Hold'em John Vallance 419-635-28852/18/06 Cleveland Hailers Cleveland Banquet April Blaylock 216-749-77582/18/06 Wayne County Wooster Banquet Bruce Byler 330-669-36442/24-26/2005 State Convention Eastlake Convention John Murphy 440-247-8614

March3/4/05 Fulton County Wauseon Banquet Mike Elton 419-822-50623/10/05 Fremont Fremont Smoker Todd Williams 419-355-87713/18/05 Sandusky Bay Sandusky Banquet Jack Bakewell 419-499-41293/25/05 Maumee Valley Pemberville Banquet Troy Deal 419-467-89683/25/05 Lake County Eastlake Banquet Dave Neal 330-464-3273TBA Geauga County Chesterland Night at the Races Derrick Pilarczyk 440-632-9351TBA Geauga County Chesterland High School Event Derrick Pilarczyk 440-632-9351TBA Stark County Canton Sponsor Event Dave Valentine 330-497-5304x322

April4/1/05 Akron Akron Shoot Gary Pennington 330-825-19424/1/05 Medina County Wadsworth Banquet Mike Petkovich 330-722-13924/22/05 Ottawa County Port Clinton Banquet John Vallance 419-635-28854/29/05 Fallen Timbers Maumee Banquet David Cunningham 419-897-7882

May5/5/05 Ashtabula County Ashtabula Banquet Jim Beitel 440-964-5461TBA Black River Wellington Smoker Rob Wood 440-647-9051TBA Ft Meigs Perrysburg Sponsor Event Mike Myers 419-385-7433*** Dates Subject to Change Please Log on to www.ducks.org for updates***

January1/28/06 Carroll County Dinner Carolton Banquet Phil Rutledge 330-627-7106

February2/4/05 Volunteer Appreciation Event Springfield Volunteer Celebration Aaron Dynes 937-382-85182/4/05 Union County Dinner Banquet Mike Renn 614-873-45092/18/06 Marion County Waldo Banquet Brad Craley 740-965-61692/25/06 Madison County Marysville Banquet Steve Pronai 740-852-20312/25/06 Perry County Somerset Banquet Larry Shively 740-246-50092/24-26/2005 State Convention Eastlake Convention John Murphy 440-247-8614

March3/18/05 Stillwater Ridge Englewood Banquet Mike Thein 937-264-40003/25/05 Fairfield County Lancaster Monte Carlo Brian Boyd 614-207-14933/18/05 Shelby County Sidney Banquet Tim Rourke 937-372-5639 ext-5213

April4/1/05 Greene County Xenia Banquet Bill Karolyi 937-862-47404/22/05 Clinton County Wilmington Banquet Jen Andorfor 937-376-22164/22/05 Hillsboro Hillsboro Golf outing/smoker Megan Parsons 937-393-85164/22/05 Grand Lake Celina Sponsor Dinner Mike Bowers 419-394-83224/28/05 Springfield Springfield Sponsor Dinner Byron Rice 937-372-5639TBD Cincinnati West TBD Shoot Todd Pieczonka 513-478-7496

May5/12/05 Cincinnati West Cincinnati Banquet Todd Pieczonka 513-478-74965/20/05 Knox County Mt Vernon Banquet Dr. Jim Leventry 740-392-6156TBD Licking County Newark The "100" Club Tim Giles 740-404-2727TBD Harrison County St. Clairsville Banquet TBD TBDTBD Darke County Greenville Banquet TBD TBD

*** Dates Subject to Change Please Log on to www.ducks.org for updates***

Ohio Ducks Unlimited 2006 Duck Dates

See Year, page 11

MEMPHIS, Tenn., Oct. 4, 2005 –Ducks Unlimited(DU) lobbied hard for the inclusion of critical wet-lands in the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s(USDA) recent decision to re-enroll or extendConservation Reserve Program (CRP) contracts set toexpire during 2007-2010. Securing this priorityrecognition to re-enroll or extend contracts in thePrairie Pothole Region for this important conserva-tion program was important to DU, because it willgreatly benefit waterfowl and hunters.

“We worked hard to have these wetlands includedin the CRP contract extensions, because the contin-ued conservation of the Prairie Pothole Region wet-lands and grasslands is crucial to the long-term suc-cess of duck populations,” said Ducks UnlimitedExecutive Vice President Don Young. “We applaudthe USDA for taking the steps needed to help protectthis area that is so valuable for waterfowl.”

Ducks Unlimited was the only waterfowl and wet-lands conservation organization that pushed for theCRP re-enrollments and extensions.

The announcement to offer farmers and ranchersre-enrollments and extensions on their CRP contractswas finalized last week by Agriculture SecretaryMike Johanns.

“Balance is the key to any good conservationplan,” Johanns said. “Re-enrolling and extendingthese contracts is part of the President’s (Bush) planto fully use the nearly 40 million acres of CRP toimprove water quality as well as wildlife habitat.”

According to U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service esti-mates, the CRP is increasing duck populations bymore than two million per year, and new bird habitats

in the Northern Great Plains are emerging.The CRP is a voluntary conservation program

within the Farm Bill that makes annual payments tofarmers who convert marginal cropland acres to veg-etative cover and/or establish vegetative buffers in theareas. The USDA Farm Service Agency administersCRP, and the USDA Natural Resources ConservationService provides technical assistance for the programin the Prairie Pothole Region.

According to DU’s Young, the Prairie PotholeRegion is Ducks Unlimited’s main focus area inNorth America. “Duck hunters know these breedinggrounds are the ‘duck factory’ for North America,”Young said. “These CRP re-enrollments and exten-sions will protect many of the gains we’ve made inthis program during the last 20 years.”

Nearly 51 percent of the CRP acres in North andSouth Dakota’s Prairie Pothole Region are set toexpire in 2007. But the Bush Administration’s recentdecision now allows farmers and ranchers to take fulladvantage of the program’s opportunity to improvethe environment and protect wildlife by extending orre-enrolling their contracts for up to 15 years.

Waterfowl and Hunters to Benefit fromDucks Unlimited’s CRP Extension Work

www.ducks.org 2 Spring 2003www.ducks.org 2 Spring 2003www.ducks.org 2 Winter 2006 www.ducks.org 11 Winter 2006

Advertising ratesFull page - $1520Half page - $760

Quarter page - $3801/8 page - $190

2 Columns by 2" - $1001 Column by 2" - $50

Ohio DUDuck Tails

Aaron Dynes has accepted the position, vacated by Rodney Schlafer, asOhio’s new Southern Ohio Regional Director. His previous work back-ground has been in the optical industry, in which he has held positions inmerchandising, buying, technical consulting, sales, and optical dispensing.Although his work history is not related to the ducks, he has been into theoutdoors all of his life, or at least since he was old enough to get groundedfor sneaking away to the local creek to go fishing.

Like many duck hunters, he contracted the “infection” for water-fowlingsoon after his first exposure. He started water-fowling in the 1998/1999season, and not long after that he became interested in calls and call mak-ing. He developed a successful duck and goose call company namedDynzE Calls, and in 2003 he joined the Clinton County DU committee.

In October 2005, when given the opportunity to work for the ducks fulltime, he shut-down DynzE Calls and joined the DU staff full-time as aRegional Director. Aaron says, “One of the greatest parts of this job is thevolunteers you meet and get to work with. It is truly amazing whatgroups of individuals can accomplish when they share a similar passion. Ilook forward to working with every one in the upcoming year!”

Aaron Dynes1414 Mills RdWilmington Ohio 45177Office Phone- 937-382-8518adynes@ducks.org

New Southern Ohio Regional Director

Aaron Dynes (left) with past DUPresident, John Tomke

In 2002, Ed Moxley contacted Ducks Unlimited to requestsome assistance restoring wetlands on his property onSandusky Bay. At the same time, DU received a 319grant from the Ohio EPA to restore wetlands on privatelands to improve water quality. It was a match made inwaterfowl heaven. Ed and his neighbor Dave Brunkhorsthad previously restored and managed over 200 acres ofwetlands on their adjacent properties but retained approxi-mately 44 acres in uplands. DU and its partners designedtwo wetland units that capture surface water runoff toimprove water quality, while providing habitat for water-fowl and other wildlife. To increase hydrological diversi-ty within the wetlands, the plan called for macroptopogra-phy to create depressions and mounds throughout the wet-lands. After several years of planning and permitting, theprojects were completed in October 2005. These newwetlands provide a mixture of wet meadow and emergentwetland habitat, complementing the wetlands alreadypresent on the property. Located adjacent to SanduskyBay near the entrance to Lake Erie, this project is certainto provide important habitat for both breeding and migrat-ing waterfowl.

Habitat for Healthy WaterProjects Completed

In a sea of agriculture, these newly restored wet-lands will provide important migration and breed-ing habitat for waterfowl while improving waterquality.

and other wetlands, this projectwill improve habitat for breedingand migrating Canada geese, mal-lards, wood ducks, and blue-winged teal. Many other speciesof waterfowl, shorebirds, song-birds, wading birds, furbearers andthe growing eagle population willalso benefit from this project.

This project was funded by agrant through a USDA-NRCSWildlife Habitat IncentivesProgram (WHIP), the OhioDivision of Wildlife, DucksUnlimited and Pheasants Forever,with support from other partnersincluding the Sandusky Soil andWater Conservation District.Speaking at the dedication onbehalf of Ducks Unlimited, OhioState Chairman Sid Lark notedthat this project marked the firsttime DU and the Division hadpartnered with the Ohio NRCS toreceive funding through theWetland Habitat IncentivesProgram. “Ohio has lost over90% of its wetlands, and projectslike this are a significant steptoward reclaiming those historicwetlands and re-establishing thehabitats necessary to sustainwildlife populations. We hopethis project will serve as an exam-ple of the products we can achievewhen we work together.”

The dedication was attended byseveral national Ducks Unlimitedrepresentatives, including Dr. JimHulbert, President, John Tomke,Chairman of the Board, and Dr.Alan Wentz, National Director ofConservation.

Boggy from page 1

this plan and enjoy going to theother events as a group. Everyonewins with this plan - Especiallythe Ducks !!

Your chapter gets a new LifeSponsor

Other chapters get new sponsorsYou can attend new events and

meet new DU friendsYou will receive a Life Sponsor

pin or pendant and CertificateThere is an additional benefit to

new Life Sponsors in Ohio. I have

been working with artist ChrisWalden and Chris has agreed todonate a special signed, numbered,Limited Edition print “Smoke OnThe Water”.

This print will be resigned to thenew Life Sponsor with a specialLife Sponsor stamp.

This Life Sponsor Edition willbe available only in Ohio.

Last year was successful forDucks Unlimited.

We conserved more than

222,000 acres. We raised over $196 million for

habitat conservation while stillspending 87 cents of every dollaron our conservation mission.Please do what you can to help usin this mission.

To find out your current sponsortotals and to get a personalizedplan to help you become a LifeSponsor, please contact me. I lookforward to talking to you abouthow we can create your own con-

servation legacy. I hope your hunting was suc-

cessful this year, and let’s makesure future generations also have achance to make memories like wehave.

Cecil R. AllbrightOhio Major Donor Chairman5721 Tica Ave.Dayton, OH 45424(937) 235-0898 Home(937) 603-5790 Cellallbrights@prodigy.net

Year from page 3

need for each area committee tobring up the program at each event,and that the area and district chair-man need to be better educated onthe program.

Along with Cecil, a committee offormer Ohio State Chairmen hasbeen assembled to assist in therecruitment of major donors.Hopefully with their contacts, moreprospects can be located.

Cecil is also working with artistChris Walden on a major donorevent in the future.

Chris Walden is the artist whohas produced a print “Smoke on theWater” as a major donor sponsorprint.

Sid addressed the committee on

changing to a more colorful logoon the Ohio DU license plates. Theplates generate about $30,000 ofrevenue for wetlands conservationin Ohio, and with the competitionfrom the new plates being offeredfrom the State of Ohio featuringwildlife as well, this might makethe plate more appealing.

A selection of four differentdesigns were presented and thecommittee voted for a design whichwas a solid “state of Ohio” with a“white DU duckhead logo” insideof the borders of the state. ChrisEder reminded the committee aboutthe benefit of the names andaddresses of those who purchasethe plate being available to us for

recruitment purposes.Sid addressed the committee on

the “Ohio Artist of the Year” pro-gram, and whether or not we want-ed to continue to offer an “Artist ofthe Year” print in the State package.The consensus of the committeewas to continue this program andthat a selection committee consist-ing of the State Chairman and twoRD’s, select the winning print.Artists interested in being selectedshould submit prints to be judged toone of those three people.

Dick Benson had been selectedas this year’s “Artist of the Year”.

The next meeting will take placeat the State Convention, the week-end of February 24th.

Meetings from page 4

tation will spread across the projectarea, and open water areas will bereplaced by highly productive, shal-low ponds that provide excellenthabitat for waterfowl.

The Pointe-aux-Chenes dedica-tion signals the beginning of a mas-sive marsh restoration effort acrossSouth Louisiana in the wake ofHurricanes Katrina and Rita. DUwww.ducks.org/News/DUPledgeLACoastalMarsh.asp recently com-mitted $15 million toward theLouisiana Coastal Initiative to helprestore Louisiana’s coastal marshes.DU’s Executive Vice President,Don Young says the new initiativewill continue DU’s long-standingwork in Louisiana and restore andenhance an additional 52,000 acresby 2008.

“We’ll leverage that money withwww.ducks.org/donateonline othersources and increase those funds asmuch as possible by working withour partners and the state ofLouisiana to restore America’sWetland,” said Young.

To date, Ducks Unlimited hasconserved, restored or enhancedalmost 55,000 acres of Louisianacoastal marsh and is presentlyworking on six North AmericanWetland Conservation Act grantswith its partners that will protect,restore or enhance more than155,000 acres when completed.

“Just months after the hurricaneshit, it’s good to be a part of this cel-ebration, and to see tangible resultsof our conservation efforts in theform of restored wetlands for

wildlife, fisheries and people,” saidYoung.

The partners associated with thePointe-aux-Chenes WMA restora-tion project include: DucksUnlimited, Louisiana Departmentof Wildlife and Fisheries, NorthAmerican Wetlands ConservationCouncil, Louisiana Department ofNatural Resources, TerrebonneParish Consolidated Government,USDA – Natural ResourcesConservation Service, BurlingtonResources, Apache LouisianaMinerals Inc., Outback Steakhouse– Houma, Safari Club (Louisianaand Bayou Chapter), DaleEarnhardt Foundation, Ron andJackie Bartels, S. Gordon Reese,and Fred Settoon.

Hurricanes from page 5

A SuccessfulSpringfield Event!

www.ducks.org 2 Spring 2003www.ducks.org 12 Winter 2006

FOR DUCKS UNLIMITED VOLUNTEERS, STAFF & SUPPORTERS Winter 2006

www.ducks.org Winter 2006

Non-Profit Org.U.S. Postage

PAIDDucks Unlimited Inc.

Marty Burnett78 Lakengren DriveEaton, Ohio 45320

POSTMASTER: If undeliverable, do not return.

Inside• New Southern Ohio Director, Page 2

• State Committee Meetings, page 4

• State Chairman’s Banquet, page 6-7• State Convention, page 8• Duck Dates, Page 10• It’s All About Rodney, page 12

Ohio Duck Tales

Greg and Beth Lind talk withnew South Regional DirectorAaron Dynes after theSpringfield DU Banquet onNovember 11.

An indication of asuccessful event…a

full room! Hey, who’sthat in the center?

Jim Skogstrom tries tofigure out exactly what

is under Greg'skilt....but, do we really

want to go there?

Former State Chairman JimSkogstrom (left) was the Master ofCeremonies at the SpringfieldEvent. Jim who was sporting acamo bow tie and cumber bun isjoined by Springfield DU ChairmanGreg Lind in his camo kilt....couldthis be a new trend in DU events?

In late 2003, DU partnered withthe Ohio Division of Wildlife andthe USDA- Natural ResourcesConservation Service to restore a 38-acre emergent wetland at the PickerelCreek Wildlife Area in SanduskyCounty. In November 2005, wegathered with our conservation part-ners and the community to celebratethe dedication of this project.

Located in the heart of the LakeErie Marshes, the restored wetlandand grasslands will add to the alreadyhigh quality habitat at the 2,800-acrewildlife area. Framed by woodlands

Attendees at the Boggy Bottomsdedication included Steve Gray –Chief, Ohio Division of Wildlife,Mark Debrock – Biologist, OhioNRCS, Sid Lark- State Chairman,Ohio DU, Gary Comer, Jr. -Pheasants Forever, and JimHulbert - National President, DU.

Boggy BottomsDedication

It’s All About Rodney….

Lisa, Eli and Rodney

With the news of Rodney Schlafer going back to Wisconsin, and everyone knowinghe and his family would be sorely missed, a going-away party was organized. It was

held at the home of Chris & Mary Walden, and it was fun and relaxing!

Some happy girls!

Bill Ebert, “Grill Master” Chris, looking after his guests

Rodney’s Family Going-Away Party“All good things must come to an end.” Thiscould never have been truer than when the vol-unteers of Ohio Ducks Unlimited found outSouthern Ohio Regional Director, RodneySchlafer, was transferring to the Green BayWisconsin area. Rodney has been involvedwith Ohio DU for over five years. He came toOhio from the Green Bay area to work for DUand in a way this is his trip “back home”.Rodney, Lisa and Eli will be closer to both oftheir families and we all understand how impor-tant this can be in our lives.

Rodney joined the DU Staff as the SouthRegional Director for Ohio and he “hit the roadrunning” when he started this position. Thiswas his beginning with DU and throughout histenure, Ohio DU went through several statechairmen and many district chairmen, zonechairmen, and state committee members, not tomention the many area chairmen and volunteersthroughout southern Ohio. Rodney is a friendto all of these folks. He has a special personal-ity that seems to mesh with all the volunteers –from the easiest to get along with to the cranki-est in the state. He was always able and verywilling to take your call and give you the bestguidance he could. Rodney is always willing tohelp with any event, even those outside of his“region”, because he strongly believes in DUand he wants to be sure that we all do our bestto support that belief.

Rodney was a true asset to Ohio DU andOhio’s loss is Wisconsin’s gain. The volunteersmust feel blessed to have been fortunate enoughto have Rodney for the time we did. He ledmany southern area chapters to the top of thelist in events. Under his direction theCincinnati West chapter achieved the positionof 91st in the nation in 2004. Rodney wasproud of all of his chapters and his volunteersand he was always happy to brag about them.Many phone calls were made late at night afterevents around the state, so Rodney could leteveryone know how good the event went thatevening. And there was an occasional late nightphone call back to Rodney to aggravate himonce or twice, because he was always fun to tryto pull the practical joke on.

As Rodney departs us, he should have satis-faction that he is leaving the Southern Regionof Ohio DU as a successful region, but withmuch to still accomplish. Rodney, Lisa and Eliare leaving Ohio, but not the hearts of many ofthe people whose lives they have touched.

As this article was being written, word wasreceived that Rodney has again made a “careerchange”. Now, not only is Rodney’s departurea loss for Ohio DU, but also for all of DucksUnlimited. Rodney has accepted a job with theAll Canada Sports Show and his last day withDucks Unlimited was December 15, 2005.When the All Canada Sports Show arrives inCleveland (Mentor –laMalfla Center) January31 thru February 2, 2006 and in Wilmington(Roberts Centre) February 3 thru 5, 2006, besure to make the trip to the show and look forour Rodney – he will be there and looking forall his “DU buddies”. Good Luck Rodney –you are missed in Ohio!!!

Pictured is thebulldozer

nicknamed “Blue Goose”which is used

in many DU projects in Ohio.

■ The Blue Goose

See Boggy, page 11