Don Young, executive vice president of Ducks Unlimited presents Steve Williams, Director of the US Fish & Wildlife Service with a DU award of appreciation for Williams's work with the Service at an awards ceremony March 18 at the annual conference of the Wildlife Management Institute (WMI) in Washington, D.C. Williams recently resigned his position with the Fish & Wildlife Service to take over as president of WMI effective March 20.

Arlington, Virginia, March 18 – Ducks Unlimited announced the winners of DU’s 2005 Wetland Conservation Achievement Awards today at the 70th Annual North American Wildlife & Natural Resources Conference in Arlington, Virginia.

DU’s Wetland Conservation Achievement Awards recognize individuals who have made exceptional contributions to wetlands and waterfowl conservation in North America. The awards are presented in seven categories. This year’s winners are:

Category - Winner

Dr. Alan Wentz, DU’s Group Manager for Conservation Programs, presented the awards. "Each of these individuals has made a significant, positive difference in the effort to conserve North America’s waterfowl and their habitats," said Wentz. "It is both a privilege and a pleasure to recognize such outstanding partners in conservation."

With more than a million supporters, Ducks Unlimited is the world’s largest wetlands and waterfowl conservation organization. The United States alone has lost more than half of its original wetlands – nature’s most productive ecosystems – and continues to lose more than 100,000 wetland acres each year.