Members of Ducks Unlimited's Conservation Programs Committee (CPC) and DU staff led a charge up Capitol Hill this week to meet with members of Congress and their staff about topics of concern to DU's conservation mission. The future of the North American Wetlands Conservation Act (NAWCA) was at the top of the list at almost all of these meetings.

"The CPC and staff divided into nine different teams and attended more than 50 meetings with congressmen and senators and their staffs to discuss public policy affecting America's wetlands and waterfowl," said Scott Sutherland, director of DU's Governmental Affairs Office. "With NAWCA's reauthorization hanging in the balance this year, it was of the utmost importance to all of us."

NAWCA is currently funded through Sept. 30, the end of FY12. DU has put much of its public policy power behind securing reauthorization for the program through 2017. The U.S. House of Representatives bill (H.R. 1960) to reauthorize NAWCA was introduced by Rep. Robert Wittman (Va.) and Rep. John Dingell (Mich.) in May 2011. DU is seeking co-sponsors for this bill in the House, as well as for a companion bill in the Senate that will be introduced in the next few weeks.