When asked why they care about conservation, Edgar Hollwedel recalls the many shared memories with his wife Mary Louise raising their six children. "Over the years we always enjoyed the spectacle of watching the ducks land on the lake outside our house. We feel quite blessed to enjoy the natural world together. Knowing we are helping protect nature so our children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren can enjoy these simple and wondrous gifts is why we support the mission of Ducks Unlimited."

Today, Heritage Sponsors Edgar and Mary Louise are doing their part to keep the ducks flying for many generations to come in the Atlantic Coast Region. Together they enjoy attending and volunteering at local, state and national DU events. Edgar and Mary Louise also took the simple but significant steps to include Ducks Unlimited in their Will because they wanted to make a gift that reflected their deeply-felt values and desire to conserve wetland habitat. Like Edgar and Mary Louise, when you make a gift through your estate to Ducks Unlimited and inform us about your gift, you become a member of the Feather Society - a special group of visionary supporters who have chosen to stand up for the future of waterfowl and the natural world.

"Including Ducks Unlimited in our estate plan was something we felt was important because belonging to Ducks Unlimited has enabled us to travel to unique destinations, meet and become friends with many people with similar interests and goals and become an integral part of an international organization that promotes conservation of our natural resources."

Edgar and Mary Louise became members of Ducks Unlimited years ago because they had seen first hand the amount of work it takes to initiate and build projects benefitting wildlife.

"Years ago, my wife and I bought 185-acres of land and developed it into a 300-site campground. Together, hand in hand, we worked hard to make a place for families to come and enjoy the outdoors. It was quite the adventure. It's always been important to us to be together and do everything we can together. We strongly value family and it's a big reason why we're involved with Ducks Unlimited. The people of Ducks Unlimited are the best around and it only made sense to make Ducks Unlimited a part of our family by supporting the DU mission and joining the Feather Society." said Hollwedel.

If you would like information on the ways you can also leave a legacy of conservation, contact Chris Cole, Managing Director of Gift Planning, at ccole@ducks.org or 901-758-3763 or visit our gift planning website www.ducksgift.org.