|
|
|
|
Director's Message
 Ken Babcock
Director, Southern Regional Office
Spring 2006
The 2005-06 waterfowl season is long past. By all accounts, it was a better season than those of recent years. Improved conditions were made possible by increased duck production last summer, a November cold snap across the Upper Midwest, and limited habitat in many parts of the wintering grounds that concentrated birds. While the latter factor was good for the hunters, reduced habitat stresses waterfowl in the winter and has undesirable impacts. But, all-in-all, the 2005-06 waterfowl hunting season was a reversal of trends from the previous few years both in duck production and hunting success. It was welcomed!!!
Waterfowl are now returning to the nesting grounds across the northern U.S. and Canadian prairies to the massive boreal forests and northern tundra regions. They are finding generally good nesting conditions, but the dynamics of the habitat, especially in the prairies, can change fairly quickly, so adequate moisture will be needed throughout the summer to provide another good recruitment year.
2006 brings a new issue to the waterfowl world...Avian Influenza. I urge you to visit http://www.ducks.org/birdflu/ for more information.
Another issue that is emerging relates to preliminary discussions of the 2007 Farm Bill. The majority of waterfowl habitat in the U.S. is on privately-owned lands and many of these are active farms and ranches. Agriculture policy does much to shape the landscape utilized by waterfowl and DU will be actively involved with farm groups and conservation organizations attempting to seek a balance of economic vitality and natural resource conservation. More information is available on the DU website at http://www.ducks.org/2007FarmBill/.
Waterfowl hunters make up the majority of DU members. In recent years, we have been represented by a couple of task forces addressing waterfowl harvest management. Great strides have been made in this arena with implementation of Adaptive Harvest Management. We have learned a great deal about harvest dynamics that will ensure that waterfowl hunting opportunities are optimized, while protecting the long-term vitality of duck populations. Part of managing waterfowl harvest requires a good understanding of the primary customer, the waterfowl hunter. During the 2005-06 waterfowl season, the National Flyway Council and the Wildlife Management Institute conducted a survey of more than 10,000 duck hunters to seek their views on a whole host of waterfowl hunting issues. Maybe some of you participated in that survey. The results can be found at www.ducksurvey.com. I encourage you to visit that site and read the results to see how the waterfowl hunting public feels about regulation issues. The survey was conducted to provide valid information in three different regions (north, mid-latitude and south) of all 4 flyways. The information will be very helpful in prescribing duck hunting regulations in the future.
Here in the South, wood duck, hooded merganser and mottled duck hens are raising their newly hatched broods. In the prairies, mallards and pintails are nesting and other duck species are establishing territories, thus the annual life-cycle of waterfowl is renewed. It is time for all of us waterfowl hunters to renew our commitment to conserving habitat throughout North America. Habitat conservation is the only investment that makes sense for the perpetual welfare of waterfowl. Your support of this effort is vital and appreciated! Have a great summer. It won’t be long until we again turn our eyes northward for the first signs of the Grand Passage. |
|