WASHINGTON, D.C. - March 01, 2017 - Today the United States Senate confirmed Congressman Ryan Zinke of Montana to serve as the Secretary of the Interior. With a bipartisan vote of 68 to 31, Zinke will serve as the 52nd Secretary for the department in charge of managing and conserving public land and natural resources in the United States.

"Ducks Unlimited is pleased to see Congressman Zinke confirmed as the Secretary of Interior,&dquo; said Dale Hall CEO of Ducks Unlimited. "As a hunter, angler and conservationist himself, Zinke is a smart choice as the leader for our natural resources. We look forward to working with the Secretary to help conserve some of our nation&squo;s most critical wetlands habitat for waterfowl and other wildlife. Ducks Unlimited applauds the Senate leadership on this confirmation.&dquo;

Zinke came to Congress in January 2014 after a 23-year career with the U.S. Navy. In 2008, he was elected as a state senator, where he led the chamber&squo;s Education and Cultural Resources Committee. During his tenure in Congress he has served as a member of the House Natural Resources Committee and has been a strong advocate of keeping public lands open to public use, as well as funding for the Land and Water Conservation Fund, an important conservation program.

Ducks Unlimited Inc. 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 13.8 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. For more information on our work, visit www.ducks.org.

Media Contact:
Tucker Nelson
(202) 347-1530
tnelson@ducks.org