MALTA, Mont. September 16, 2013 - Join Ducks Unlimited for a fun evening and help support habitat work in the Montana nesting grounds. The Milk River DU Chapter Banquet offers a night of good food, games and fellowship on Saturday, Oct. 12 in Malta. The event will be held at the Malta City Hall with cocktails beginning at 5:30 p.m. and a prime rib and shrimp dinner at 6:30 p.m.

DU works with willing farmers and ranchers on private lands to conserve some of the best nesting habitat in the Prairie Pothole Region (PPR), where great migrations begin. Upwards of 70 percent of the continent’s waterfowl are produced in the PPR. Montana, which includes a significant portion of the PPR, ranks third in duck production in the United States.

“DU has always been mission-driven. That mission is to fill the skies with waterfowl today, tomorrow and forever,” said Barry Allen, regional director for Montana Ducks Unlimited. “That means we’re out there working to support our waterfowling traditions by protecting waterfowl habitat for hunters and others who enjoy the outdoors.”

DU was founded by hunter-conservationists 76 years ago and conservation remains the organization’s mission. The ownership and use of firearms by hunters is intertwined with wildlife management and conservation in North America, and DU strongly supports safe, responsible firearms ownership and ethical hunting as part of the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation.

“DU is first and foremost an organization dedicated to conserving wetlands for waterfowl, and naturally the majority of our members are waterfowl hunters,” added Allen. “We strongly support the right to bear arms and believe that with that right comes a responsibility to use firearms lawfully and safely. Without hunters and recreational shooters and their financial contributions through hunting licenses and excise taxes on sporting arms, national conservation funding would be decimated. DU and America’s hunters have worked together for 76 years toward a common conservation goal.”

Funds raised at DU events are used to help achieve DU’s mission of restoring, protecting and managing wetland and grassland habitat, in collaboration with partners and landowners.  

For tickets please call (406) 654-1998 or go online at www.ducks.org/montana.

Ducks Unlimited Inc. is the world’s largest non-profit organization dedicated to conserving North America's continually disappearing waterfowl habitats. Established in 1937, Ducks Unlimited has conserved more than 13 million acres thanks to contributions from more than a million supporters 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. For more information on our work, visit www.ducks.org. Connect with us on our Facebook page at facebook.com/ducksunlimited, follow our tweets at twitter.com/ducksunlimited and watch DU videos at youtube.com/ducksunlimitedinc.