DU hosting conservation evening in honor of state conservationists

RIDGELAND, Miss., July 1, 2009 – Ducks Unlimited will recognize eight Mississippians for their individual conservation commitments in Jackson, Miss., August 1. The Heroes of Conservation evening, including; dinner, honors presentation, conservation program presentations and an auction, will be held at the Hilton of Jackson.

Event honorees include:

Billy Joe Cross – past Executive Director of the Mississippi Game and Fish Commission and retired Director of Field Operations for Ducks Unlimited

Morgan Freeman – actor, conservationist and outdoor activist

Toxey Haas – CEO of Haas Outdoors

Richard (Rick) M. Kaminski, Ph.D. – Associate Dean and Professor of Wildlife, College of Forest Resources, Mississippi State University and Holder of the James C. Kennedy Endowed Chair in Waterfowl and Wetlands Conservation

Will Primos – Founder of Primos Hunting Calls

Bill Sugg – President of Haas Outdoors

Melvin Tingle – Host of Mississippi Outdoors television show

William E. Walker, Jr. (posthumously) – Founder of the Walker Conservation Foundation and Bill’s Dollar Stores.

These gentlemen have made impressive contributions to conservation in Mississippi and elsewhere through their personal careers, philanthropic support of conservation organizations, conservation activities on their own lands, efforts to educate the public about conservation, and through a lifetime of sharing their own passion for the outdoors with those around them.

The evening’s conservation presentations will provide continental and regional perspectives to DU’s conservation efforts. Dr. Scott Stephens, DU director of conservation programs in the Great Plains Regional Office, will present an overview of DU’s work on the breeding grounds, and Jerry Holden, director of conservation programs for the South Mississippi Flyway, will be presenting the overview of DU’s work on the wintering grounds.

The evening will begin at 6 p.m. and is expected to end at 10 p.m. Tickets should be purchased before July 24, and prices are: $100 for single ticket; $150 for couple; $400 for DU sponsorship and couple. Tables are also available. Please contact Maribeth Lane at 601-956-1936 or mlane@ducks.org or visit www.ducks.org/heroes for more information.

With more than a million supporters, Ducks Unlimited is the world’s largest and most effective wetland and waterfowl conservation organization with more than 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.

For Photos of Honorees Contact:
Andi Cooper
601-206-5463
acooper@ducks.org