Ducks Unlimited (DU) is an American

nonprofit organization A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

501(c) A 501(c) organization is a nonprofit organization in the Law of the United States#Federal law, federal law of the United States according to Internal Revenue Code (26 U.S.C. § 501(c)) and is one of over 29 types of nonprofit organizations exe ...

dedicated to the

conservation Conservation is the preservation or efficient use of resources, or the conservation of various quantities under physical laws. Conservation may also refer to: Environment and natural resources * Nature conservation, the protection and managem ...

wetland A wetland is a distinct ecosystem that is flooded or saturated by water, either permanently (for years or decades) or seasonally (for weeks or months). Flooding results in oxygen-free (anoxic) processes prevailing, especially in the soils. The ...

s and associated upland habitats for waterfowl, other wildlife, and people. It has had a membership of around 700,000 since January 2013.

History and profile

In 1927, an offshoot of the

Boone and Crockett Club The Boone and Crockett Club is an American nonprofit organization that advocates fair chase hunting in support of habitat conservation. The club is North America's oldest wildlife and habitat conservation organization, founded in the United Sta ...

was created specifically for sport bird management and operated until 1930 as the American Wild Fowlers. Membership included such people as Arthur Bartley and

Nash Buckingham Theophilus Nash Buckingham (May 31, 1880 – March 10, 1971), commonly referred to as Nash Buckingham, was an American author and conservationist from Tennessee. He is perhaps most famous for writing a collection of short stories entitled De Sh ...

, who would later be involved in the conservation movement. In 1930,

Joseph P. Knapp Joseph Palmer Knapp (May 14, 1864 – January 30, 1951) was an American publisher and philanthropist. He was Chairman of the Board and principal shareholder of the Crowell-Collier Publishing Company. Knapp has also been credited with the invention ...

, a publishing tycoon who successfully obtained such notable publications as ''The Associated Sunday Magazine'', Crowell Publishing Company, ''Collier’s Weekly'', ''Farm and Fireside,'' and the book publisher P.F. Collier & Sons, founded More Game Birds in America and American Wild Fowlers was quickly absorbed into the new organization. In 1937, Knapp, Robert Winthrop, E.H.Low and a small group of conservation philanthropists decided to focus on the decreasing waterfowl populations, and the habitat necessary to sustain them in Canada. Ducks Unlimited was incorporated on January 29, 1937. More Game Birds in America was then absorbed by the new waterfowl organization.

Ducks Unlimited Canada Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC) is a Canadian non-profit organization that works to conserve, restore and manage Canadian wetlands in order to preserve habitat for North American waterfowl, wildlife and people. They work with industry leaders, gover ...

was incorporated in

Winnipeg Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the province of Manitoba in Canada. It is centred on the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, near the longitudinal centre of North America. , Winnipeg had a city population of 749,6 ...

Manitoba Manitoba ( ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population o ...

, on March 10, 1937. As of 2020, Ducks Unlimited Canada has a conservation community of 111,025 people. Ducks Unlimited also works in Mexico through their sister organization, Ducks Unlimited de Mexico. Other chapters have since begun operation in

Latin America Latin America or * french: Amérique Latine, link=no * ht, Amerik Latin, link=no * pt, América Latina, link=no, name=a, sometimes referred to as LatAm is a large cultural region in the Americas where Romance languages — languages derived f ...

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

, and

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

. Ducks Unlimited has conserved at least 15 million acres of waterfowl habitat in

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...

. DU partners with a wide range of corporations, governments, other

non-governmental organization A non-governmental organization (NGO) or non-governmental organisation (see spelling differences) is an organization that generally is formed independent from government. They are typically nonprofit entities, and many of them are active in h ...

s, landowners, and private citizens to restore and manage areas that have been degraded and to prevent further degradation of existing wetlands. DU is also active in working with others to recommend government policies that will influence wetlands and the environment. DU generated more than $201 million in revenues during their 2019 fiscal year; a minimum of 80 percent of that revenue goes directly toward habitat conservation. Their sources of revenue include federal and state habitat reimbursements, conservation easements, sponsors, members, major gifts, donations, royalties, and advertisement. The majority of DU's financial contributors and 90 percent of its members are hunters. Its
DU Magazine
' contains many historical and practical articles on waterfowl hunting. It obtains revenue from advertisements of waterfowling equipment such as shotguns, ammunition, decoys, and bird calls. Additional revenue is raised by commissioning artists to create duck artwork, with a portion going to the artist and the majority share of revenue going to Ducks Unlimited.

Eric Thorsen Eric Thorsen (born October 6, 1967) is an American painter and sculptor known for his wildlife sculpture and fish carvings which have won him multiple awards at major art shows nationwide including "Best In World" at the 1992 World Taxidermy & F ...

is one wildlife artist who has contributed artwork for fundraising. In 2019, Ducks Unlimited Canada and the

University of Saskatchewan A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, t ...

partnered to establish the "Ducks Unlimited Canada Endowed Chair in Wetland and Waterfowl Conservation". The position will aid the university faculty and students with environmental education, research, and outreach. In March 2019, Ducks Unlimited named former

Florida Agriculture Commissioner The commissioner of agriculture is a constitutional officer in the executive branch of government of the U.S. state of Florida that heads the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS). Elected for a four-year mandate that is ...

Adam Putnam the new Chief Executive Officer.

Conservation

Traditionally, most Ducks Unlimited wetland conservation projects were conducted on waterfowl breeding areas in the Canadian prairies by its sister organization, Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC). DUC has since expanded its operations to include projects in every Canadian province and territory, not just in the prairies. Ducks Unlimited has also expanded its operations to include conservation projects in every state of the United States and Mexico. It retains a primary focus o
habitats most important to waterfowl
including the restoration of duck breeding habitats in Canada and the northern central states and ducks overwintering habitat, mainly in the coastal and southern states and in Mexico.

Coastal cleanup

Following the 2010

Deepwater Horizon oil spill The ''Deepwater Horizon'' oil spill (also referred to as the "BP oil spill") was an industrial disaster that began on 20 April 2010 off of the coast of the United States in the Gulf of Mexico on the BP-operated Macondo Prospect, considere ...

in the Gulf of Mexico, Ducks Unlimited became involved with multiple clean-up efforts in Gulf states. The organization worked with the

National Fish and Wildlife Foundation The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) is an American foundation that was chartered by Congress in 1984 to increase the resources available for the conservation of the nation's fish, wildlife, plants and habitats. Authority The Natio ...

and the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service to protect approximately 79,000 acres of waterfowl and other waterbird habitats. In 2015, Ducks Unlimited partnered with

The Trust for Public Land The Trust for Public Land is a U.S. nonprofit organization with a mission to "create parks and protect land for people, ensuring healthy, livable communities for generations to come". Since its founding in 1972, the Trust for Public Land has compl ...

to build an online database that tracked conservation and cleanup efforts following the Deepwater Horizon spill. On August 16, 2018, the

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (abbreviated as NOAA ) is an United States scientific and regulatory agency within the United States Department of Commerce that forecasts weather, monitors oceanic and atmospheric conditio ...

(NOAA) announced a $1.8 million cooperative agreement with Ducks Unlimited to clean up oil spills and hazardous waste in the State of Texas from releases originating from the Gulf of Mexico.

Regions of special interest

Prairie Pothole Region The Prairie Pothole Region (PPR; french: Région des cuvettes/fondrières des prairies) is an expansive area of the northern Great Plains that contains thousands of shallow wetlands known as potholes. These potholes are the result of glacier ac ...

* Western

Boreal Forest of Canada Boreal may refer to: Climatology and geography *Boreal (age), the first climatic phase of the Blytt-Sernander sequence of northern Europe, during the Holocene epoch *Boreal climate, a climate characterized by long winters and short, cool to mild ...

* Mississippi Alluvial Valley * Central Valley and

Coastal California Coastal California, also known as the California Coastline and the Golden Coast, refers to the coastal regions of the U.S. state of California. The term is not primarily geographical as it also describes an area distinguished by cultural, economic ...

* Gulf Coastal Prairie

Ducks Unlimited TV

Ducks Unlimited produces a television show, ''Ducks Unlimited TV'' a.k.a. ''DUTV''. This show is hosted by Field Hudnall, Wade Bourne, and Ainsley Beeman. The show highlights conservation and waterfowl hunting across the United States.

References

External links

Ducks Unlimited

Ducks Unlimited Canada

Ducks Unlimited Louisiana

Official Ducks Unlimited TV CarbonTV Channel
{{authority control Hunting in the United States Water organizations in the United States Hunting in Canada Nature conservation organizations based in Canada Ornithological organizations Wetlands organizations Organizations established in 1937 Wetland conservation in the United States Organizations based in Memphis, Tennessee Environmental organizations based in Tennessee Nature conservation organizations based in the United States