Ducks Unlimited Celebrates World Wetlands Day with Youth

RIDGELAND, Miss., February 2, 2008 – Ducks Unlimited hosts youth waterfowl hunts in several southern states this weekend. These hunts fall on World Wetlands Day, a day to celebrate and share the importance of wetlands world-wide. Attendees have the opportunity to make a personal connection with wetlands through waterfowl hunting. 

“People often overlook the fact that hunters are some of the most avid conservationists,” said Ducks Unlimited Director Dr. Curtis Hopkins. “By exposing youth to the wonders of waterfowl hunting and wetlands, we are helping them build a personal connection to these resources. It’s up to us to instill an appreciation of wetlands and waterfowl in our children and grandchildren so they will grow up to share our conservation ethics and continue our conservation work.”

WWD marks the signing of the Convention on Wetlands on 2 February 1971, in Ramsar, Iran. Each year since 1997, government agencies, non-governmental organizations, and groups of citizens at all levels of the community have taken advantage of the opportunity to raise public awareness of wetland values and benefits in general and the Ramsar Convention in particular.

Wetlands serve many vital roles to humans and wildlife alike. In fact, this year’s theme for WWD is “Healthy Wetlands, Healthy People” In addition to their habitat and food value for wildlife, wetlands serve as filters for pollution, sources of ground-water recharge and function as flood control areas. Despite their importance and enormous efforts from conservation groups, wetlands continue to disappear across the world at an alarming rate.

Ducks Unlimited realizes that today’s youth are tomorrow’s conservation leaders.

“Ducks Unlimited reaches out to kids across the continent to give them a better appreciation of wetlands and conservation. Whether it’s taking kids outdoors for youth hunts or bringing conservation to the classroom through Project Webfoot, we want them to go home with a personal understanding of how important wetlands are to our future,” Hopkins said.

To that end, Ducks Unlimited collaborates with Project WET to deliver Project Webfoot, a nationwide effort to raise awareness and appreciation of wetlands among students, teachers, parents and communities.

“Project Webfoot provides teachers with training and materials that can be integrated into the existing school curriculum to bring the world of wetlands to life for 4th-6th grade students,” said Ducks Unlimited Youth & Education Network Coordinator Rab Cummings. “The lessons in Project Webfoot encourage active participation and problem solving using an interdisciplinary approach that can be implemented to teach reading, science, art and other subjects.”

Ducks Unlimited also has Greenwings, a special membership for youth under 17 years of age. These members receive the Puddler magazine, a publication designed to encourage hands-on learning about wetlands and waterfowl. By joining Ducks Unlimited, Greenwings contribute to the conservation, restoration and management of wetlands and associated habitats.

With more than a million supporters, Ducks Unlimited is the world’s largest and most effective wetland and waterfowl conservation organization with over 12 million acres conserved. The United States alone has lost more than half of its original wetlands - nature’s most productive ecosystem - and continues to lose more than 80,000 wetland acres each year.

Contact:
Andi Cooper
Communications Biologist
601-206-5463
acooper@ducks.org

For more information on Project Webfoot go to:
http://www.ducks.org/projectWebfoot/

For more about World Wetlands Day go to:
http://www.ramsar.org/wwd/wwd_index.htm