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The History of the Retriever
Discover the origins of popular retriever breeds and their evolution from European breeding efforts to North American specialization. Explore the rich history of duck dogs in this fascinating journey.
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Ducks Unlimited conserves, restores, and manages wetlands and associated habitats for North America's waterfowl. These habitats also benefit other wildlife and people.
DU has conserved more than 16 million acres since 1937. Without substantial contributions from passionate DU leaders, this wouldn’t have been possible.
View All the Ways You Can Help
Support wetlands conservation with every purchase by using the all-new DU Visa® card.
Learn MoreDonors who make new - or upgrade Major Sponsor pledges - are taking a leadership stand to ensure our continent's wetland and waterfowl habitat for future generations. With wetlands losses increasing by 140% in recent years, you can help conserve and protect threatened waterfowl habitat throughout North America.
Through focused conservation efforts, DU is committed to filling the skies with waterfowl today, tomorrow and forever.
Ducks Unlimited is a nonprofit organization established in 1937 to conserve wetland and grassland habitats for waterfowl, communities and wildlife. We have 644,000 members nationally, including 39,000 volunteers who organized 4,440 fundraising events in the last year. Ducks Unlimited employs wetland and water biologists, engineers, fundraising staff, policy representatives and administrative experts across the country.
Wetlands are areas that are periodically flooded and under normal conditions contain plants that require saturated soils for growth. They most commonly are marshes, swamps, bogs or fens. Wetlands provide habitat for more than 900 species of plants and animals. They also provide a host of benefits to people, including flood prevention, water quality improvement, coastal storm buffering, groundwater replenishment and recreational opportunities.
Conservation is the planned management of a natural resource to prevent exploitation, destruction or neglect. Ducks Unlimited conservation methods include protecting healthy wetlands, enhancing unhealthy wetlands and restoring wetlands on land where water was drained for development. The need is urgent: more than 50% of wetlands across the United States have been lost to human development.
Ducks Unlimited takes a continental, landscape approach to wetland conservation. Since 1937, DU and sister organizations Ducks Unlimited Canada and Ducks Unlimited Mexico have conserved more than 15.5 million acres of habitat across North America. While DU works in all 50 states, we focus on landscapes most beneficial to waterfowl. Ducks Unlimited is a science-driven organization, using data on wetlands, water and waterfowl to guide our work.
Ducks Unlimited members are crucial to improve landscapes across the country. Conservation is extremely expensive, and membership dues help provide the dollars we need as matching funds to get federal grants. Our membership strength also positions Ducks Unlimited as a leader in the policy world, as we advocate state and federal government for legislation helpful for wetlands. And also: Being a member has some great perks!
Ducks Unlimited was established by hunters during the Dust Bowl era, who saw wetlands disappearing from the landscape in alarming numbers. We will always have a strong hunting heritage, but our mission remains steadfast: Ducks Unlimited conserves, restores and manages wetlands and associated habitats for North America's waterfowl. These habitats also benefit other wildlife and people.
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