RANCHO CORDOVA, Calif. - Dec. 14, 2020 - Ducks Unlimited (DU) has named Jeff McCreary as the next director of operations for DU&squo;s nine-state Western Region.

Located in Rancho Cordova, Calif., DU&squo;s Western Region office was established to help restore and protect diminishing wetland habitat in Alaska, Arizona, California, Hawaii, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, Utah and Washington.

DU&squo;s Western Region also has smaller offices in Vancouver, Wash., and the San Francisco Bay Area, as well as biologists and engineers in strategic locations throughout the Pacific Northwest and California Central Valley.

"I am pleased to announce that Jeff will be leading Ducks Unlimited&squo;s conservation efforts in our Western Region,&dquo; said DU Chief Conservation Officer Karen Waldrop. "Jeff&squo;s experience and passion for the DU mission make him the right person for the job. DU and its partners have conserved more than 984,000 acres of waterfowl habitat in the U.S. portion of the Pacific Flyway alone, focusing on the top conservation priority areas in this flyway, including the Central Valley and Pacific coast of California, the Pacific Northwest and the western boreal forest. I know Jeff&squo;s leadership will help us continue that success.&dquo;

McCreary, who assumed his new position Dec. 1, received his bachelor&squo;s degree in wildlife biology from the University of California at Davis, and his master&squo;s degree in wetland ecology from Duke University.

Jeff began his DU career in 1999 as a biologist covering Idaho, eastern Nevada and Utah. In 2004 he became an outreach biologist in California, working closely with the DU regional directors and state volunteer leadership teams spreading the word about DU&squo;s conservation successes.

"Jeff&squo;s commitment to Ducks Unlimited is just one of the reasons I am confident he will lead our Western Region to even greater success," said DU CEO Adam Putnam. "He has been a vital part of Team DU for more than 20 years and the director of conservation programs for the Western Region since 2010. He is uniquely qualified to lead our efforts in the Pacific Flyway.&dquo;

In his spare time, McCreary, a National Conservation Leadership Institute fellow, and his wife, Holly, tend a small Chinese medicinal herb hobby farm. He also enjoys time in the duck blind with Ginger, his golden retriever.

"Since my first day working for DU it&squo;s been more of a lifestyle than a job,&dquo; McCreary said. "It&squo;s still that way, but now even more so. I&squo;m honored to still be part of this incredible team, in the Western Region and Team DU as a whole. I look forward to our future success.&dquo;

For more information visit www.ducks.org. Follow DU&squo;s Twitter feed - @DUNews1937 - to get the most up-to-date news from Ducks Unlimited.

About Ducks Unlimited
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 almost 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:

Gregg Powers

(901) 758-3774

gpowers@ducks.org