IMG_2307.JPG Kara Bullock, Vice President, James M. Cox Foundation; Julian Ottley, DU Board Member; Flyway Sr. Vice President, Dan Thiel, Corporate Secretary for Ducks Unlimited and Wetlands America Trust; Jeff Merritt, Hampton Roads market vice president with Cox Communication.

 

Vital wetland conservation work, led by Ducks Unlimited (DU) in the Chesapeake Bay watershed, received a major boost today, thanks to a $2.5 million grant from DU’s longstanding partner, the James M. Cox Foundation.

The grant will be used to advance critical habitat restoration projects to support waterfowl and wildlife and provide essential ecosystem services—such as clean water, coastal resilience and flood protection—for the more than 18 million people who live in the watershed in Virginia and across the Northeast.

"Thanks to the generous support of the James M. Cox Foundation and Jim Kennedy, we are achieving conservation outcomes that benefit both wildlife and communities," said Emily Purcell, DU Director of Conservation Programs. "These projects demonstrate that wetland restoration and land protection are investments in clean water, healthy ecosystems, and economic vitality for Virginians in the Mid-Atlantic region.”

The grant to Ducks Unlimited marks the continuation of the Foundation’s long-term commitment to restoring America’s wetlands. Jim Kennedy, chairman emeritus of Cox Enterprises and chairman, James M. Cox Foundation, is DU’s single-largest donor. In honor of Kennedy’s philanthropic legacy, Cox Enterprises recently announced a $100 million gift for DU’s land trust, Wetlands America Trust, to help conserve North America’s prairie region. That announcement was then followed with an additional $2.5 million grant to DU to support wetland conservation efforts in Louisiana earlier this year. In total, DU has received more than $200 million in combined support from the Foundation, Cox Enterprises and Kennedy.

“Cox is deeply committed to improving lives in the communities we serve, and that includes safeguarding our natural environments," said Jeff Merritt, Hampton Roads market vice president for Cox Communications – and a regional executive sponsor of the Cox Conserves Council, the company’s national sustainability program launched by Kennedy in 2007. "The Bay is a cornerstone of Virginia’s environmental health and economic vitality, and thanks to the James M. Cox Foundation, Ducks Unlimited can continue to champion and help protect this irreplaceable resource.”

The Chesapeake Bay, one of America’s most important estuaries, drives a robust outdoor recreation economy valued at over $63 billion, with the commercial seafood industry in Virginia and Maryland fueling $2.8 billion in annual sales and 20,000 jobs alone.