LITTLE ROCK, August 16, 2007 – Ducks Unlimited honored two Arkansans for their contributions to the Arkansas Greenwing Camp by naming Ducks Unlimited Legacy Greenwing projects Saskatchewan, Canada, in their honor.
George H. Dunklin, Jr., of Humphrey, AR, was honored for his role in starting and hosting the initial Arkansas Ducks Unlimited Greenwing Camp in 1993. Dunklin, who continues to host the camp at his Five Oaks Lodge near DeWitt, is a long time volunteer and supporter of DU. He was recently elected to DU's national board of directors as the Senior Vice President of Conservation Programs and also serves as a board member of DU's Wetlands America Trust. Dunklin is in his third year as a commissioner on the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission.
Don McSwain, of Casscoe, AR, was also honored for his contr
ibutions to the Arkansas Greenwing Camp. As an enforcement officer for the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission in Arkansas County, McSwain was involved with the initial stages of the camp and continued his involvement though 1999. He covered firearm safety with the youths, worked to instill waterfowl hunting ethics, and was at the camp when the youths arrived until they departed three days later. McSwain is currently the manager of the AGFC Potlach Conservation and Education Center at Cooks Lake.
The George H. Dunklin, Jr. Marsh, Arkansas’ third Legacy Greenwing project, is located approximately 30 miles southeast of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan and consists of 126 acres of open grasslands with 34 acres wetlands that provide important nesting habitat for waterfowl.
The Don McSwain Marsh, Arkansas’ fourth Legacy Greenwing project, lies near the town of Zelma, Saskatchewan and consists of 99 acres of dense nesting cover, 36 acres of wetlands, and 9 acres of native parkland.
Both projects are located in the “Duck Factory”, the Prairie Pothole Region of Saskatchewan and were funded by Greenwing Legacy memberships and matched 1:1 by the North American Wetlands Conservation Council.
The Legacy Greenwing membership program is a bridge between Ducks Unlimited’s habitat conservation and youth programs. Open to youths from newborn to age 17, a one-time contribution of $200 pays for the youth’s DU membership through age 21. The Legacy Greenwing membership funds are committed to a waterfowl habitat project on the Canadian breeding grounds, with their name cast on a bronze plaque placed located at the project site.
For more information on the Ducks Unlimited Legacy Greenwing membership, Legacy Greenwing Projects, or the Arkansas DU Greenwing Camp, call (501) 955-9268 or visit the Greenwing page on the Arkansas DU web site at ar.ducks.org.