Sec. Schafer to meet with DU Executive Vice President Don Young
WASHINGTON – February 6, 2008 – Several members of Ducks Unlimited’s staff from Washington, D.C. and the Great Plains region helped welcome Secretary of Agriculture, Ed Schafer to his new post today. DU was invited to join the Secretary’s family and President Bush at a swearing in ceremony held at the Department of Agriculture.
“Conservation efforts help preserve our natural resources,” said President Bush, in describing the importance of the USDA for farmers, ranchers, and the public.
Newly sworn in Secretary Schafer agreed, saying that he looks forward to working with Congress to craft a Farm Bill that is best for America.
DU staff spoke with the Secretary after the ceremony to discuss the importance of conservation in Schafer’s home state of North Dakota, the heart of the Prairie Pothole Region.
Also on hand for the ceremony were Chairman Tom Harkin (Iowa) and Ranking Member Saxby Chambliss (Geo.) of the Senate Agriculture Committee and Chairman Colin Peterson (Minn.) of the House Agriculture Committee, who will soon begin the conference negotiations for the Farm Bill and work with the Secretary Schafer to achieve a bill that is acceptable to both Congress and the Bush administration.
Secretary Schafer is already acquainted with Ducks Unlimited, and in addition to meeting with the staff on hand today, he will meet with Ducks Unlimited Executive Vice President, Don Young next week to discuss agriculture conservation issues impacting sportsmen.
“I am looking forward to meeting with the new Secretary next week,” said Young. “North Dakota is a very important state for North America’s waterfowl, and we want to work with him to find solutions that benefit people and waterfowl in the prairies and across the country.”
Young will be in Washington, D.C. to meet with leaders of the U. S. Senate discussing issues facing hunters and habitat. Sportsmen contribute more than $76 billion dollars to the nation’s economy annually.
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.
• Contact: Neil Shader
202.347.1530
nshader@ducks.org
• For more information on Ducks Unlimited’s Agriculture Conservation Priorities, please see http://www.ducks.org/farmbill/