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Le Center, Minn. - July 26, 2019 - Ruth Hoefs of Le Center, Minn. was elected to Ducks Unlimited's national board of directors during the organization's 82nd annual national convention held recently in Hawaii.

"Ducks Unlimited's board of directors provides the leadership we need to fulfill our mission to conserve, restore and manage wetlands and associated habitats for North America's waterfowl," said DU Chairman of the Board Paul Bonderson Jr. "DU board members do not get paid for their work. These dedicated men and women volunteer their time and resources because they are passionate conservationists. I welcome each new board member and look forward to working with them in the years to come."

Hoefs has volunteered for Ducks Unlimited in Minnesota for more than 20 years and has held numerous leadership roles, including Minnesota State Chair, State Council Chair and Metro Region District Chair.

Her passion for Ducks Unlimited started and continues on her homestead in Le Center, her childhood farm that's been in her family since 1953. She farms 350 acres, including a feed lot for Holsteins, sheep and lamb. As a farmer, Hoefs is a vocal proponent of sustainable agricultural practices. Her farm is about 20 miles from the Minnesota River, a significant waterfowl migration corridor. On her land she has helped waterfowl habitat in a few ways, such as putting up a ditch buffer along a country drain to reduce runoff.

"I'm here to help restore, or hang on to, the habitat that is there for the ducks. It can be there for the future of our youth," she said.

In addition to new board member elections, this year's convention featured a celebration of the successful completion of DU's ambitious "Rescue Our Wetlands: Banding Together for Waterfowl" campaign, which raised an astonishing $2.34 billion and conserved 2,236,435 acres of habitat for waterfowl, other wildlife, people and the communities in which they live.

The celebration featured an address from DU Major Donor and Wetlands America Trust trustee James Cox Kennedy, chairman of Cox Enterprises.

Team DU also honored the career of retiring Ducks Unlimited CEO Dale Hall and formally welcomed new CEO Adam Putnam.

This year's convention also featured opportunities for conservation-related education, special tours and entertainment and a Friday keynote addresses by U.S. Secretary of the Interior David Bernhardt.

Axalta Coating Systems CEO Robert Bryant accepted DU's Corporate Conservation Achievement Award on behalf of Axalta during the Friday business session. 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 second annual Wings Over Wetlands Awards Gala, held to honor DU's top volunteers, was again hosted by conservationist, environmental journalist and television personality Jeff Corwin.

Special thanks to 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 26-30 in Orlando, Florida.

For a complete list of DU's volunteer board of directors, please visit www.ducks.org.

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:
Chris Sebastian
(734) 623-2017
csebastian@ducks.org
@GLARducks