The Walker Foundation of Jackson, Mississippi, recently awarded a generous grant of $65,000 to Ducks Unlimited's Southern Regional Office to further develop its conservation planning information.

Several years ago, Ducks Unlimited initiated efforts to strengthen the biological foundation of conservation planning in the Mississippi Alluvial Valley (MAV), the most important wintering habitat for mallards in North America. Nearly 80 percent of this region's bottomland hardwood forests and associated wetlands were lost in the last century. To ensure sound conservation planning for the region, Ducks Unlimited used remote-sensing and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) techniques to construct a model to prioritize reforestation work. Earlier gifts from the Walker Foundation helped Ducks Unlimited build this first model.

Photo: Bob Harris

The Walker Foundation's current gift will allow conservation planning biologists to complete a flood probability data set component for all sites in the MAV. Understanding natural hydrology is critical to conservation planning because of the roles flooding plays in providing waterfowl habitat, ensuring the longevity of wetland restoration projects, and improving water quality. This component, along with others previously developed, will be combined into a forested wetland restoration priority model to direct future reforestation projects throughout the MAV.

The Walker Foundation's ongoing support has helped position Ducks Unlimited as a leader in GIS technology. In 2003, ESRI, the world's largest supplier of GIS software and services, selected Ducks Unlimited from more than 100,000 user sites worldwide to receive their Special Achievement in GIS award. The award showcases both the science behind Ducks Unlimited's conservation planning and the benefits of our strong partnership with the Walker Foundation.