BISMARCK, N.D., Sept. 27, 2011—Whiting Petroleum Corporation recently contributed $100,000 to Ducks Unlimited for specific conservation action on the western edge of North Dakota's Prairie Pothole Region. This area hosts extensive oil and gas exploration, and Whiting is leaning forward to ensure conservation and oil extraction combine to maintain the region's critical habitat necessary for nesting waterfowl and other wildlife species. 

Whiting CEO Jim Volker, an avid duck and upland bird hunter, says Whiting wants to help conserve grasslands and wetlands for outdoor enthusiasts, both now and for future generations. "Whiting wants to give back to North Dakota in a way that will improve and protect the state's already wonderful habitat," Volker said. 

DU works in the Prairie Pothole Region in the Dakotas and Montana. Current oil operations are beginning to move over into the PPR. 

"We're glad the petroleum industry is interested in being involved in conservation," said Jim Ringelman, director of conservation programs in the PPR. "DU needs many partners to accomplish the habitat work needed to keep this area producing America's waterfowl and other wetland-dependent wildlife." 

In some years, nearly 70 percent of the continent's ducks hatch from nests in the grasslands of the Prairie Pothole Region. 

Ducks Unlimited is the world's largest nonprofit organization dedicated to conserving North America's continually disappearing waterfowl habitats. Established in 1937, Ducks Unlimited has conserved more than 12 million acres, thanks to contributions from more than a million supporters across the continent. Guided by science and dedicated to program efficiency, DU works toward the vision of wetlands sufficient to fill the skies with waterfowl today, tomorrow and forever.

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