MEMPHIS, Tennessee May 10, 2018 May is American Wetlands month and as duck nesting season gets underway across North America, Ducks Unlimited and the rest of the world will celebrate World Migratory Bird Day (WMBD) on May 12.

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World Migratory Bird Day is a conservation initiative that focuses awareness on conserving migratory birds and their habitats throughout the world, Ducks Unlimited Chief Conservation Officer Nick Wiley said. The program is dedicated to international conservation efforts and environmental education all over the world, including North America, where Ducks Unlimited works every day to conserve, restore and manage wetlands and associated habitats for North Americas waterfowl.

Since 1993, International Migratory Bird Day has been celebrated during the second weekend in May in the Western Hemisphere, coordinated by Environment for the Americas and sponsored by dozens of organizations dedicated to birds and bird conservation.

This year, Environment for the Americas joins the Convention on Migratory Species and the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds to create a single, global bird conservation education campaign. World Migratory Bird Day is now celebrated in May and October and brings attention to one of the most important and spectacular events in the Americas bird migration.

For 2018, World Migratory Bird Day celebrates the year of the bird and the ways we can help protect birds every day through actions, stories and art.

There are several ways to help migratory birds and support conservation. Join Ducks Unlimited or another conservation organization. Volunteer for organizations that conserve habitat and help birds. Restore natural habitat in your community and cultivate native plants that provide food, nest sites and cover for birds.

One of the best ways to support migratory birds and wetland conservation in the U.S. is to buy a Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation Stamp, commonly known as the federal duck stamp.

There are several great reasons to buy duck stamps, said Wiley. A federal duck stamp is required to legally hunt migratory waterfowl in the United States. A duck stamp covers the entrance fees and provides important funding for our national wildlife refuges. And because duck stamp funding does so much to support migratory bird conservation, birding enthusiasts buy them to directly support this worthy cause. Whatever your reason for purchasing duck stamps, buy a couple of them each year to help waterfowl and support our sporting traditions, which is definitely in the spirit of World Migratory Bird Day.

Visit http://www.worldmigratorybirdday.org/ for more information about World Migratory Bird Day.

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 14 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:
Gregg Powers
901-758-3774
gpowers@ducks.org