Insights - The cycle continues
By Don Young, Executive Vice President
Every spring, as one journey ends, another begins
Spring is a magic time on the prairies. As I write these words, millions of waterfowl and other migratory birds are returning to the place where, for them, it all began. Soon, little balls of downy fluff will be trailing their mothers from nesting sites to nearby wetlands, beginning a miraculous, cyclical journey that touches every DU member in a unique way.
Spring represents both an end and a beginning-the starting line and the finish line, so to speak, in the marathon-distance life cycle of waterfowl. Not so coincidentally, spring also marks both an end and a beginning in an annual fiscal and spiritual cycle for DU members, volunteers, and staff. This is the time of year when we find out how we did in the previous year: how much revenue we raised, how many members we recruited, how many acres we conserved. It's also a time when we look forward-at the work left to be done.
As the numbers from last year begin rolling across my desk, I am becoming increasingly proud and encouraged. I am proud because all indications are that the people of Ducks Unlimited have once again pulled together to do more than ever before on behalf of North America's wetlands and waterfowl. By just about any measure, it looks like last year will stack up as one of the best years in DU's history.
I am encouraged because this was another in a series of years of increasing support for DU, as well as increasing concern for the health and value of our wetlands. The message is getting out. People all over North America are realizing that as we lose our precious natural resources, we also lose opportunities to hunt, fish, and raise our children in a world where wildlife and people are not at odds over use of the land.
As DU begins its own annual cycle again, we realize there is a greater need and a greater urgency for our work than ever before. Wetlands, grasslands, forests, and other habitats continue to disappear. Pollution and urban sprawl are threatening many of the wild areas that remain.
All of the people working in the name of Ducks Unlimited can breathe a momentary sigh of relief that another successful year is behind them. But that relief must quickly turn to action. As conservationists in an increasingly complicated and crowded world, we must act quickly to conserve our most important wildlife areas before they're gone forever. There's no time to lose.
