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From her earliest days in the California marshes, Jan Young understood that the outdoors offered both wonder and responsibility. Before her waders ever fit, she followed her father, Roger, through pre-dawn cattails, as she learned to set decoys, haul gear, and care for the land they loved. Her father’s lessons were simple: stay curious, stay teachable, and leave nature the way you found it, she said. They became the quiet foundation of Jan’s lifelong conservation ethic.

Over nearly twenty years as a Ducks Unlimited volunteer—serving as district chair, state chair, Board member, and now Regional Vice President—Young has carried that ethic into every aspect of her work. For her, conservation isn’t an abstract idea. It’s practiced in small, consistent acts, like her faith. It’s showing up early, building relationships, welcoming newcomers, and stewarding places that shaped her family across generations.

What has always drawn Young to the outdoors isn’t just the hunt. It’s the quiet moments in wild spaces, the sound of wings cutting through cold air, the eager whine of a dog ready to work, the stillness that settles over a blind before sunrise. Those experiences gave her a sense of belonging that evolved into purpose. “This is a lot of fun, but there’s a point to it, too,” she said. When she began raising her children, Hannah and Zack, the outdoors was part of their upbringing. She taught them to cast a line, wait patiently, and treat land and water as gifts rather than guarantees. In passing those lessons to her kids, she found herself mentoring even more broadly, helping women and new hunters discover their own connection to the outdoors and the responsibility that comes with it.

At DU events, Young has a way of making the field feel like home. She organizes hunts, coordinates logistics, hauls gear, places decoys, and somehow still finds time to offer a warm slice of homemade coffee cake to a blind full of cold hands. “I’m out there with the men, and they know I’ve proven myself,” she said. “I belong in that blind, and I love to hunt.” Young knows what it means to step into a space where you’re not yet sure you belong, and what it feels like when you realize, through persistence and partnership, that you do. She wants more women to experience that moment.

Through mentorship, optimism, and faith, Young is shaping a new generation of conservationminded leaders. It’s early mornings in the marsh, thoughtful guidance in the blind, and an unwavering belief that wild places matter—and that caring for them is both a privilege and aresponsibility.

In that way, Young not only contributes to DU’s conservation mission, she embodies it.