MEMPHIS, Tenn. - June 20, 2018 - Pepper Snyder, of San Jose, Calif., was elected to Ducks Unlimited's national board of directors during the organization's 81st annual national convention held recently in Indianapolis.

"The leadership provided by Ducks Unlimited's board of directors ensures we are fulfilling our mission to conserve, restore and manage wetlands and associated habitats for North America's waterfowl," said DU President Rogers Hoyt. "Our board members are not paid for their work; rather they volunteer their time and resources because they feel so strongly about conservation. I welcome each new board member and look forward to working with them in the years to come."

Snyder is the Chairman and CEO of Sprig Electric and has served as President of the Grassland Water District for over 30 years. Born in Muskogee, Okla., Snyder has been a resident of the Bay Area most of his life and began hunting the Grasslands at the age of 15. He became a landowner in the Grassland Water District in 1980 when he and his business partner purchased the Clear Lake Land and Cattle Duck Club.

 

Snyder owns Sprig Haven Farms Duck Club and is a member of the distinguished St. Claire Club. He has served as a Director of the California Waterfowl Association and received CWA's A. Starker Leopold Award in 1997 for his work and dedication in defending the Grassland Ecological Area from urban encroachment for nearly two decades. He was also inducted into the CWA's Waterfowler's Hall of Fame in 2017. Snyder and his wife Sherri are Ducks Unlimited Heritage Sponsors and members of the President's Council.

 

The council of state trustees and national delegates also elected Doug Schoenrock of Huntsville, Ala., to serve as first vice president of the organization. Ronal Roberson of Charleston, Miss., was elected to serve as advisory senior vice president of youth and education and Robert Spoerl of Waupaca, Wis., was elected regional vice president of Region 3.

 

In addition to the annual elections, this year's convention featured opportunities for conservation-related education, special tours and entertainment, and presentations by U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke and FedEx Founder and CEO Frederick W. Smith.

 

Bass Pro Shops founder Johnny Morris accepted DU's Corporate Conservation Achievement Award on behalf of Bass Pro Shops during the event. The award was created to recognize corporations from the United States, Canada or Mexico that have made exceptional contributions to conservation in North America.

 

The inaugural Wings Over Wetlands Awards Gala, held to honor DU's top volunteers, was hosted by conservationist, environmental journalist and television personality Jeff Corwin.

 

Live and silent auctions featuring everything from decoys to diamonds generated more than $163,000 for wetlands habitat conservation.

 

Special thanks to our proud partner First National Bank of Omaha, provider of the official Ducks Unlimited Visa card, for sponsoring this year's convention.

 

Next year's Ducks Unlimited National Convention will be held May 29-June 2 at the Hilton Waikoloa Village on Waikoloa, "The Big Island," in Hawaii.

 

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 14 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:
Matt Coffey
(901) 758-3764
mcoffey@ducks.org