DANVILLE, Calif. – Feb.6, 2012 – Ducks Unlimited is inviting the public to celebrate its 75th anniversary at a grand gala at the renowned Blackhawk Auto Museum on Thursday, March 1. Upscale business attire is requested for the event which begins at 5:30 p.m.

"This event is part of a yearlong, nationwide celebration, and since California's wetlands are some of the most important in the world, we're inviting everyone to join us as we commemorate this fantastic milestone," said Mark Low, state chairman for California. "We've restored and enhanced thousands of acres here in California and, as a result, generations to come will enjoy waterfowl, wildlife and beautiful habitat that otherwise would be lost to development and encroachment."

The event includes a cocktail reception, dinner and auction featuring distinctive items, including a pigeon hunt in Argentina, an African hunt with NB Safaris, a Costa Rica sport fishing trip, a 75th Anniversary Ruger Vaquero 45 Long Colt, a mallard drake and hen Christopher Smith bronze sculpture (www.smithbronze.com,#17) and many more.

The highlight of the live auction promises to be an original Jim Killen watercolor, to be created by the famed artist after he travels to the highest bidder's favorite hunting club to photograph his or her dog(s). From the photograph, Killen will paint a one-of-a-kind collector's work of the winner's beloved sporting dog.

This dinner and auction is just one of many fundraising events, conservation project dedications and other celebrations being held across the country this year in honor of DU's 75th anniversary. Reservations for the Danville event are a must and can be made online by visiting www.ducks.org/california.

Ducks Unlimited is the world's largest nonprofit organization dedicated to conserving North America's continually disappearing waterfowl habitats. Established in 1937, Ducks Unlimited has conserved more than 12 million acres, thanks to contributions from more than a million supporters from across the continent. Guided by science and dedicated to program efficiency, DU works toward the vision of wetlands sufficient to fill the skies with waterfowl today, tomorrow and forever.

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