WASHINGTON, D.C. - July 6, 2016 - Ducks Unlimited welcomes Whitney Tawney as the new senior water policy adviser in the Government Affairs Office. In her new role, Tawney will work on water policies from the Washington, DC office that will help advance the conservation policy priorities for Ducks Unlimited affecting wetlands and waterfowl conservation.

"Whitney Tawney brings a wealth of knowledge with her and we are pleased to have her rejoin the DU family as our new senior water policy advisor," said Margaret Everson, chief policy officer for Ducks Unlimited. "Whitney's extensive knowledge of federal and state water issues, coupled with her understanding of DU's mission, allows her to immediately contribute to our policy objectives."

Tawney returns to Ducks Unlimited from the Western Conservation Foundation where she served as a program manager working on land, water and air issues in the American West. Prior to 2014, Tawney worked for Ducks Unlimited as a government affairs representative.
In her tenure at DU, Whitney worked to pass the 2014 Farm Bill, which included proactive and common sense conservation programs that helped deter wetland and other habitat loss while also incentivizing habitat conservation to keep working farmers and ranchers on their land. She was DU's lead advocate on the introduction of legislation to increase the cost of the Federal Duck Stamp to $25, a bill that became law in 2014.

"Returning to DU is a true homecoming," said Tawney. "As a hunter and angler, advocating for waterfowl and their associated habitat is personal. I'm excited to continue to build relationships on Capitol Hill and work with the Administration to help secure a more certain water future and mitigate drought."

Whitney is a fifth-generation Montanan and a graduate of Lewis Clark College, where she holds degrees in political science and art. Tawney is also an avid blogger and the owner and operator of Camo is the New Black, a growing online community for sportswomen chronicling stories of hunting and fishing.

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 13.6 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 Clare Nelson
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