Since 1992, the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA) has been contributing to waterfowl conservation on the Canadian prairies. Ducks Unlimited is committed to conserving North American waterfowl habitat, regardless of the flyway or country, and TWRA's partnership with DU emphasizes how important Canadian waterfowl production is to the Tennessee hunter. 

TWRA has contributed in excess of $2.7 million to this effort overall, including their most recent 2011 contribution of $40,000. The TWRA State Grant contributions provide the critical first dollar to leverage additional funding that drives Canadian waterfowl habitat conservation. In just the past five years, Ducks Unlimited conserved, enhanced and restored 49,788 acres and influenced an additional 208,480 acres with the support of TWRA. 

To see first-hand the success of these State Grant contributions, DU staff took TWRA commissioners Julie Schuster, Jim McMillin, Jim Bledsoe, Jeff Griggs, William Brown and TWRA Director Ed Carter on a tour of the Saskatchewan prairies to highlight how these grants are a sound investment for waterfowl and the sportsmen that pursue them in Tennessee. The group was pleased with the visible results of their State Grant investments and DU's actions in protecting and improving breeding habitats vital to the waterfowl that wing their way to Tennessee. 

"International partnerships are essential to successful waterfowl conservation," said DU Chief Conservation Officer Paul Schmidt. "By conserving habitat on the Canadian prairies, the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency is helping to increase waterfowl populations for years to come."