Delta Waterfowl Foundation is a

non-profit 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 ...

operating in both

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

and in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

whose mission is to secure the future of waterfowl and waterfowl hunting. Delta provides knowledge, leaders, and science-based solutions that efficiently conserve waterfowl. Charity Navigator has ranked it among the top 10 conservation groups promoting the protection of wildlife and game lands for hunters and fishermen.

History

In the 1930s

James Ford Bell James Ford Bell as a member of the Food Administration in 1918. James Ford Bell (August 16, 1879 – May 7, 1961) was an American business leader and philanthropist who served as president of General Mills from 1928 to 1934 and chairman from 1934 ...

, sportsman and founder of

General Mills General Mills, Inc., is an American multinational manufacturer and marketer of branded processed consumer foods sold through retail stores. Founded on the banks of the Mississippi River at Saint Anthony Falls in Minneapolis, the company orig ...

, purchased 5,000 acres (20 km²) of the

Delta Marsh Delta Marsh consists of an extensive open marsh located near the south shore of Lake Manitoba, approximately 24 km north of the town of Portage la Prairie, Manitoba. The marsh extends for nearly 30 km along the shore of the lake, and has ...

in Manitoba, Canada. For several years, Bell hunted waterfowl on the marsh in the fall and raised and released birds in the spring and summer from a privately owned

hatchery A hatchery is a facility where eggs are hatched under artificial conditions, especially those of fish, poultry or even turtles. It may be used for ex-situ conservation purposes, i.e. to breed rare or endangered species under controlled cond ...

. In 1938, Bell approached Aldo Leopold, who is considered to be the father of wildlife management in the United States, about establishing a research station dedicated to waterfowl research at the Delta Marsh, as very little was known at that time about waterfowl biology. After some discussion, Aldo Leopold agreed to Bell's idea and brought in his graduate student, Hans Albert Hochbaum, from the

University of Wisconsin–Madison 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 Stat ...

. Together they pioneered the study of breeding duck ecology and laid the foundation for much of the habitat research still being used today.

Today

Delta Waterfowl Foundation has four mission pillars: # Duck Production # Habitat Conservation # Research # HunteR3 Delta Waterfowl supports graduate research on waterfowl, along with other programs that impact waterfowl populations and waterfowl hunting in North America. Their mission supports campus outreach experiences to inform students of the key roles hunters play in environmental sciences, wildlife management and conservation. * University Hunt programs * First Hunt program

References

External links

Delta Waterfowl Foundation
{{authority control Environmental organizations based in Manitoba Non-profit organizations based in Manitoba Hunting in the United States Water organizations in the United States Hunting in Canada Nature conservation organizations based in Canada Ornithological organizations Wetlands organizations Wetland conservation in the United States Organizations established in 1911 1911 establishments in Canada Waterfowl Organizations based in Winnipeg Nature conservation organizations based in the United States Non-profit organizations based in North Dakota

History

Today

See also

References

External links