MADISON, Wis. - Aug. 11, 2022 - Greg Kidd has early memories of exploring marshes with his father, looking for Canada geese and other wetland critters.

Kidd is the assistant state conservationist for easements for the Natural Resources Conservation Service in Wisconsin. He works to keep those habitats protected and healthy, so kids many years from now can have the same experiences.

For his longtime dedication to Wisconsin's natural areas, Ducks Unlimited named Kidd its 2022 Conservation Partner of the Year.

"Greg has made longstanding contributions to wetland restoration, management and protection in Wisconsin and nationwide and has dedicated his career to saving wetlands," said Brian Glenzinski, Ducks Unlimited regional biologist in Wisconsin.

Kidd's specialty is establishing easements - a legal agreement that a landowner makes to restrict the type and amount of development that may take place on their property. Kidd's work has helped establish 734 easements across the state, which protect over 72,500 acres of habitat in cooperation with more than 1,000 landowners. This land will remain natural, providing benefits to people and wildlife.

"With this job, I've been lucky to work with so many partners like Ducks Unlimited. We're always scheming how to get more conservation on the ground," Kidd said. "Our easement acres aren't going away, which is why I love working with them. When we do wetland projects on the ground, they'll be there for generations."

Kidd, who lives in Madison, started as a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Partners for Fish and Wildlife biologist before moving to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's NRCS. He was one of the first Wetland Reserve Program project biologists in the state.

"His communication skills with landowners, partners and stakeholders were responsible for growing Wisconsin's conservation program into one of the best in the nation," Glenzinski said.

Kidd serves on the Upper Mississippi Great Lakes Joint Venture Board, and countless other committees to address a variety of wetland resource needs across the state and beyond. He has supported many research endeavors to advance wetland science in Wisconsin, including recent work on the 2020 Wisconsin Waterfowl Habitat Strategy to help guide conservation for years.

Ducks Unlimited awards the honor each year to recognize significant conservation contributors and highlight the reality that large-scale wetland protection and restoration requires numerous partners to achieve. DU has conserved 137,000 acres in Wisconsin alone since the 1980s. For details, visit www.ducks.org/Wisconsin.

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 15 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:
Chris Sebastian
(734) 649-4680
csebastian@ducks.org