On May 30, Ducks Unlimited (DU) announced the success of a seven-year effort that garnered the largest conservation campaign in support of North America’s wetlands and waterfowl. In total, the organization’s “Conservation For A Continent. Our Wetlands. Our Legacy.” campaign raised a whopping $4.06 billion from over 2 million contributors.
“This campaign is the culmination of thousands of acts of generosity, passion, and commitment to something larger than ourselves by our volunteers and contributors,” said DU Campaign Chair Mike Benge “Every volunteer hour invested, every dollar raised, and every acre conserved is a direct reflection of what our supporters believe: that wetlands are worth fighting for, and that together, we can protect them for generations to come.”
The effort officially kicked off in 2019 when DU announced a goal of $3 billion. The organization significantly surpassed that number. The campaign had five key priorities: breeding landscapes, migration and wintering grounds, research and education, wetlands conservation, and conservation legacy.
That DU raised such a staggering sum is a testament to the care and resources that ducks and goose hunters put into conserving wetland ecosystems and migratory waterfowl. And it makes a difference. With the funds, DU was able to increase the overall acreage of wetlands and associated habitat it has conserved from 15 million to over 20 million, with more on the horizon.
This kind of work, paired with other waterfowl hunter-powered conservation efforts like the Federal Duck Stamp, has a track record of impacting migratory waterfowl populations. According to the well-publicized 2022 U.S. State of the Birds Report, waterbird populations have increased 18 percent since 1970, with dabbling and diving duck populations rising 34 percent—the most of any type of bird. Those rises came as a direct result of coordinated, comprehensive wetland conservation programs, while populations of every other type of bird declined over the same time period.
“The North American Waterfowl Management Plan, Federal Duck Stamp Program, grants from the North American Wetlands Conservation Act, and regional Joint Ventures partnerships are all part of a framework that has a proven track record with restoring and protecting wetland-dependent species,” said Martha Williams, the former director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Just last week, the Department of the Interior announced that it had approved $67 million for wetland conservation and national wildlife refuges. DU’s recent announcement highlights the important role that private contributions play in the broader conservation puzzle.
“This is one of the single greatest fundraising achievements in the history of landscape conservation,” said DU President Bob Spoerl. “To set a goal that was already the most ambitious our organization had ever attempted, and then blow past our goal, speaks volumes to the passion and commitment of our supporters who recognize the urgency to protect these vital landscapes.”