MAJOR GIFTS AND GIFT PLANNING
Oregon Wetlands Dedicated in Memory of Clark Springer
On November 15, 2003, the Lake Labish Wetlands Project near Medford, Oregon, was dedicated to the memory of Clark Springer, longtime Ducks Unlimited volunteer and Major Sponsor. Attending the dedication were Clark’s friends and family, including his wife, Barbara, their children Kathy, Karen, and Dale, and their five grandchildren.
Clark was a member of DU for more than 30 years. During this time, he served as senior vice president on both the DU Inc. and DU Canada boards, and was an active volunteer in his home state of Alaska. Thanks in part to Clark’s persistence, the 1995 Ducks Unlimited National Convention was held in Anchorage, Alaska, the first national convention to be held in that state. Clark served as the volunteer convention chairman.
The Lake Labish Wetlands project began in 2001 with the purchase of conservation easements on two properties in the historic Labish lakebed. The Labish easements, sold to DU by property owners Sam and Jean Lea and Ida Lesher, are the first easements held by Ducks Unlimited in Oregon and the first located within the historic lakebed. Funds raised at the Clark Springer tribute dinner held in April 2002, along with grants from the North American Wetlands Conservation Act and the Natural Resources Conservation Service, enabled DU to complete restoration of the two properties. These restored wetlands provide an important nesting habitat for Canada geese, mallards, wigeon, and pintails.
For more than three decades, Clark and Barbara Springer dedicated both their time and resources to Ducks Unlimited projects in Oregon and Alaska. Barbara continues their DU legacy—in 2003, she pledged Gold Legacy Sponsor in support of the Alaska Wetlands Initiative.
Ducks Unlimited Receives $105,000 from the Waterfowl Research Foundation
The Waterfowl Research Foundation of New York, New York, recently awarded Ducks Unlimited a generous grant of $105,000: $80,000 for the Wintering Habitat Use of American Black Ducks research program, and $25,000 for the Atocas Bay restoration project.
The black duck remains a focus of concern for conservationists and hunters. Once the most abundant dabbling duck in eastern North America, the black duck started to decline in the 1950s, and its populations reached all-time lows in the early 1980s. Its decline through the 1950s has left the species in a position that is precarious at best—populations today along the north Atlantic coast are steady, but there are only about 60 percent as many black ducks as there were 40 years ago.
Through this new research initiative, Ducks Unlimited’s biologists will collect the data necessary to develop science-based conservation tools to determine what type and how many acres of coastal wintering habitat are required along the Atlantic Flyway to enable the recovery of the black duck. By their support, the trustees of the Waterfowl Research Foundation recognize that DU’s strong presence and capabilities on Long Island put it in a position to meet the challenge of protecting not just habitat but the right kind of habitat that will secure a future for black ducks.
The Atocas Bay project in eastern Canada, which consists of nearly 2,000 acres of wetlands, woodlands, and marginal farmland, honors former DU President Stirling Adams. Its restoration is considered a major coup for conservation due to the size of the wetland complex. It contains more than 240 wetland basins, which represent much of the key wetland habitat remaining in the entire landscape. Atocas Bay provides important breeding habitat for an array of waterfowl, including black ducks, mallards, and blue- and green-winged teal, as well as shorebirds and songbirds. The Atocas Bay restoration will pay handsome dividends to both wildlife and future generations of people throughout North America’s Atlantic Flyway.
Pleasant Lake Reserve Protected in Perpetuity by the Charles F. Heick Family
Three years ago, Charles ‘Chuck’ F. and Barbara Heick of Spirit Lake, Iowa, and Las Vegas, Nevada, made a $100,000 Benefactor pledge through the Heick Family Trust to purchase and protect the Pleasant Lake Reserve near Spirit Lake, Iowa. On September 6, 2003, the 149-acre Charles F. Heick Family Pleasant Lake Reserve, a project developed by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, Ducks Unlimited, and other partners, was dedicated.
Chuck Heick was born in northeastern Iowa and was raised on a farm directly across the road from the Pleasant Lake site in Dickinson County. After the unveiling of the plaque, Chuck spoke of his childhood memories of hunting, trapping, and ice-skating on the property that he and his family are now helping to preserve in perpetuity. The land is currently planted in crops; however, over the next few growing seasons, freshwater wetlands and tallgrass prairie will be restored, providing critical wildlife habitat and quality opportunities for outdoor recreation. This restoration will also improve the water quality of the adjacent Pleasant Lake. Since the dedication, Chuck and Barbara have pledged an additional $50,000 to cover the cost of this restoration.
Ducks Unlimited is grateful to the Heick family for their continued generosity, which ensures that the entire community will enjoy the transformation of this special site for years to come.
Ducks Unlimited Honors Conservation Leader Hugh C. Lane Sr.
On December 7, 2003, at Willtown Bluff Plantation in Charleston, South Carolina, Ducks Unlimited paid tribute to the lifelong contributions of Hugh C. Lane Sr. Mr. Lane’s generosity has touched vital habitat from the historically significant Lowcountry of South Carolina to the critical waterfowl breeding grounds of the Great Plains. His commitment to protecting the environment has been passed to his sons, Hugh Jr. and Charles, both of whom have helped lead successful land-protection programs throughout the Lowcountry. Funds from this tribute are being directed to DU’s Great Plains Regional Office to support research related to waterfowl migration patterns from the prairie breeding grounds to the southern Atlantic Flyway.
Bugoy Uplands Project Sponsored by Jim and Dolores Sapletal Dedicated in October
Michigan Major Donors Jim and Dolores Sapletal were recognized by DU friends and volunteers from both the United States and Canada at the Bugoy Uplands project dedication on October 6, 2003. The project, located near Yorkton, Saskatchewan, was generously funded by the Sapletals, who dedicated it in memory of their close friends and Canadian hunting partners Sydney Wolfe, Dennis Guse, and Allen Spelay.
Jim and Dolores live in Iron River, Michigan, but they have been traveling to the Yorkton area for almost 30 years. Their first trips were focused on waterfowl hunting; however, as they spent more time in the area, they developed lifelong friendships with former DU Canada staff members, among them Sydney Wolfe and Allen Spelay, and local resident Dennis Guse.
The Bugoy Uplands project is a 160-acre property that includes a 32-acre wetland development and 71 acres of planted nesting cover. The remaining 57 acres are native parkland habitat. Funding this important project allowed Jim and Dolores to recognize their friends as well as preserve a critical piece of waterfowl habitat. Ducks Unlimited is grateful for the generosity of the Sapletals, who are Sponsor in Perpetuity-level Major Donors and Grand Slam Life Sponsors.
Ducks Unlimited Welcomes Four New Life Sponsors in Columbia, South Carolina
More than 810 Ducks Unlimited supporters attended the Columbia, South Carolina, membership banquet on November 5, 2003. DU Regional Director Brett Baker (far right) and DU Director of Development Catherine Craven (third from the left) recognized four new Life Sponsors that evening. They are: (left to right) Dr. Kevin Asbill (holding twin son, Ryan) and Jen Asbill (holding twin son, Connor); Kenneth and Cathy Hoover; Keith Hudson and Ken Hudson of the Jim Hudson Automotive Group (Jim Hudson, president of the company, was unable to attend); and Mark Coker, area chairman for Columbia Ducks Unlimited.