MEMPHIS, Tenn., Aug. 2 -- Ducks Unlimited feels so strongly about wetlands education that it has made it a key component of the organization’s five-year, $1.7 billion Wetlands for Tomorrow campaign.
“Today’s young people will determine the future of wetlands and waterfowl conservation,” said DU Executive Vice President Don Young. “They will decide, ultimately, what kind of world they want to live in, and whether or not that world will include healthy wetlands, thriving wildlife populations, places to hunt and fish and clean water. Our goal is to give them the tools to make educated, thoughtful decisions based on sound science.”
Young says that while education has always been important to DU, this marks the first time education is featured as a key initiative in a Ducks Unlimited major fund-raising campaign. The campaign’s other eight initiatives focus on raising money to help DU restore and manage millions of acres of critical wetlands all across North America.
“All the wetlands we conserve today could someday be lost if we don’t invest in educating youth about the importance of these special places,” Young said. “You can pass along this important heritage and expect future generations not to squander it, but only if they understand and appreciate its true value. Habitat conservation and education go hand in hand.”
A significant portion of the funds raised for the campaign’s education initiative will support DU’s Project Webfoot outreach program. Webfoot offers 4th through 6th grade teachers a free wetlands education kit that they can use as a supplement to their basic school curriculum.
Gifts to DU’s education initiative can be made online by clicking here.
Contact: Rab Cummings
901-758-3919
rcummings@ducks.org
With more than a million supporters, Ducks Unlimited is the world’s largest and most effective wetland and waterfowl conservation organization. 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.