A Year for the Ducks

Working at DU out here in the west was “interesting” this last year, to say the least.  In California, we were particularly challenged by frozen bond funds, halting progress toward completing ten million dollars worth of contracted projects. The staff here put in long hours, seeking creative ways, such as a no interest loans from foundations, to get our work on the ground in motion again. They made it happen. It was pretty amazing.

All year we continued to partner with other conservation organizations and land trusts. We succeeded in ensuring the rerouting of a major electric powerline, originally proposed to pass through sensitive wetlands habitat in the Sacramento Valley. We were also involved in a major water policy package working to protect fish, wildlife and people from dangerous mercury levels, while also working to procure more water for our struggling refuges.

This year we embark on one of the largest coastal restoration projects ever attempted in the San Francisco Bay and continue our efforts to restore and maintain the Central Valley refuges, all hard hit by state funding cuts, as well as work with private landowners. Of course this is only a tiny portion of the entirety of projects in the Pacific Flyway, but it gives you an idea. I’ve got my work cut out for me raising funds for all this great stuff, but I think it’s wonderful that despite the economy there are still tons of incredibly important work being done in this office. I certainly landed in the right place!

©2010 Operation Delta Duck. All Rights Reserved.

There is of course, more to learn than just what is happening on the ground. Working in fundraising means knowing the culture that surrounds you and understanding how to tell your story. And I’m always shocked at the complete misunderstanding of the DU story. Out in the interwebs and at dinner parties with friends what I hear the most is, “What’s the point of conserving ducks if you’re just going to shoot them later?”

I could go on for hours about the minimal impact of hunting, the value of natural resources, the importance of comprehending the value of food, the debilitating effects of nature deficit disorder and on an on but that isn’t really the question that gets asked. It’s “why save them if you’re going to shoot them?”

It’s a valid question, or at least would be if “Ducks Unlimited” shot ducks, but we don’t.  Waterfowl hunters shoot ducks. Don’t get me wrong, we love waterfowl hunters at DU and it’s because these hunters also invest a tremendous amount of money in the conservation of waterfowl and wetlands. People who hunt waterfowl often support Ducks Unlimited. In fact, they are the backbone of our support. Still, Ducks Unlimited doesn’t shoot ducks.

So it would be more logical to direct the question to hunters and ask why they spend their money on conservation and supporting DU.  Every time I have, I’ve been stunned at the passion and articulation of their answer. It is a conversation I recommend every curious person ask. In fact if you don’t know any gun hunters, go ask NorCal Cazadora. She could write rings around my best explanation of why I personally hunt.

The bottom line though, is that Ducks Unlimited is a conservation organization. The people in the office with me are biologists, engineers, GIS specialists and support staff.  True, our restoration projects are open to hunters as often as possible, but they are also meant for bird watchers, bicyclists, kayakers etc. We prefer that wetlands be experienced and enjoyed. It’s the only way to convince people to put passion into doing the “right thing” and being conservation-minded. We believe that wetlands are of value to everyone and for multiple reasons. (Clean water, anyone?)

I hunt, but less than half the staff in this office do the same. For the most part, they aren’t here because they’re hunters. They are here because they have a passion for conservation. For some of us that desire to conserve was born from hunting and for others it came from camping, hiking or a childhood of collecting tadpoles and salmanders. We all believe in DU because DU does critcal work that has a tremendous impact on the quality of life for everyone and everything that requires water.

So dear friend from college, next time you have me over for dinner and we’re two glasses of wine into the night, please don’t ask me why I work somewhere that saves ducks so that we can kill them. Ask me about the $8.2 million worth of work we’re doing in the SF Bay Area and how we’re going to restore the salt evaporation ponds into tidal marsh. If your going for a heated discussion, ask me why I personally choose to hunt ducks with a falcon when my day job is to raise money to conserve them.  Even if I can’t convince you that it’s okay that I hunt ducks we should be able to agree that you should support conservation.  Please support Ducks Unlimited. DU doesn’t hunt ducks. I do.

©2010 Operation Delta Duck. All Rights Reserved.

From Subactive_Photo via Flickr courtesy of Creative Commons Licensing

There are nearly 37 million people in California, a tremendous amount of people who consume a stunning amount water and require a great deal of electricity. Usually around the office, we worry about water, but lately, power has been at the forefront of our conversation.

We use a lot of power in Northern CA, particularly in the Bay Area. This means as the population expands and there’s a requirement for even more power, more electricity  has to be carried somehow into our metropolitan areas.

Those gigantic transmission towers and lines are an eyesore however, and require a decent sized bit of land. The construction of a new transmission route is inevitable. It will happen. All the same, it’s a bad idea to point at the map and say, “No worries. There’s some open land right here. We’ll run it there.”  Which is pretty much what happened with the current proposal.

The current proposed routes of the California Transmission Project cut through District 10, Sutter National Refuge, Butte Sink, Yolo Wildlife Area, Stones Lake National Wildlife Area and a tremendous amount of other public and private wetlands.  See the map for more details. Some of this land is protected by conservation easements, some of it has seen the benefits of millions of taxpayers dollars and restoration work.  Perhaps it wouldn’t be that big of a deal if we weren’t talking about degrading a portion of the 250,000 acres remaining in a state that once boasted 3 to 5 million acres of wetlands which played host to 50 million waterfowl. We can’t afford to lose habitat.

But they’re just powerlines, so is there a problem?  Waterfowl experts feel that powerlines can impact larger birds, especially in foggy conditions when the birds may be killed by running into them. The real problem is that smaller waterfowl steer clear of habitat around the lines, giving the towers a berth of .2 to .5 miles, rendering a swath of the wetlands useless for conservation purposes.

No route is ultimately going to be a perfect solution, but it would be fantastic if the habitat were considered when making the final decision. Fortunately, there is some time for public opinions and comments to be considered.

Waterfowl hunters and conservationists worried about losing crucial habitat in the Central Valley need to write a letter before MAY 31st and send it to:

Mr. David Young

Western Area Power Admin

114 Parkshore Dr.

Folsom, CA 95630

Want more info? Look athe Western Area Power Adminstration’s website for further maps and details.

©2010 Operation Delta Duck. All Rights Reserved.

Ducks Unlimited Project in the Grasslands

Hopefully, most of my waterfowl conservation and hunting friends are already aware of the North American Wetlands Conservation Act (NAWCA), but did you know that the president has suggested a $10 million dollar increase in NAWCA funding for FY 2010?  This brings NAWCA funds up to $52 million across the country and honestly, it’s the sort of spending I can get behind. The government isn’t just throwing money at a problem. NAWCA requires that for every $1 given by the government at least another $1 must be matched in private funds.

To private donors this really means a great deal. Basically, if I come asking you, Mr. or Ms. Private Donor or Private Business owner, to commit to assisting in funding a project, the government matches the money that you give us. I can also leverage this money in the community because everyone wants more bang for their buck. And quite frankly, conservation projects that are based in science and solid engineering aren’t cheap.

Once upon a time, a million dollars went a long way. Those days are over.  And getting $1 mil in one fell swoop is not that easy of a proposition. However, $100,000 from five foundations, corportate partners or individual donors adds up to a milion. See what I mean? We love NAWCA.

Don’t get me wrong, every level of giving makes a big difference. The $100 or $1,000 people like you and I give a year adds up too. That’s why I give it. We need to keep the lights on around here.  Big money though, means big projects and with a fraction of our wetlands left, the work that needs to be done is huge.

NAWCA grants are tough to get. They are challenging to write and require a demonstration of an organization’s ability to nail the science, gather the appropriate partners, garner the confidence of the communties they work in and of course a record of success. A lot of the projects managed in my office though are backed by NAWCA. The people who work here and the projects they manage are just that cool.

I want these people to keep working. I want more wetlands restored. And if you don’t have $100,000 to help me restore the wetlands on the Pacific Flyway, that’s okay.  You could really help just by contacting your representative and senators and letting them know you support the NAWCA funding increase.

(Although if you have $100,000 you really should call me…)

©2010 Operation Delta Duck. All Rights Reserved.

Helen, the woman I would want to be were I in the UK, wrote a beautiful post about the history of beach birds, complete with a link to the LIFE photos (bless Google for making these available). And Isaac writes of the very real possibility of passage take returning to Florida (other states are following) but with the brutal opposition with which it is being met. Please read his post and consider the arguments.  (And HT to Rachel Dickinson who also linked to Helen and has a great blog.)

     I am just a baby falconer, pushing 40 and a Master, but a youngster in our continuum. Yet I have always lamented the loss of the passage peregrine.

From my memoir, LIFT:     

     “Falconry is a religion and at the center of falconry is a holy war for the peregrine.        

     “Fifty years ago peregrines were considered vermin, to be shot on sight. Many states had bounties that made sighting the gun on narrow wings profitable. Hawks and falcons were thieves that robbed humans of fine game, fattened chickens and lofted pigeons. There were few groups of people who valued the raptor. Yet the falconers valued them more than anyone. To the falconers there was nothing more perfect than a peregrine. Then the sea change came.    

     “In the years before I was born falconry was nearly eradicated for the sake of the peregrine. The cosmopolitan falcon had remained a stead-fast beloved to the falconer for more than three thousand years, but during the years of my childhood these birds nearly disappeared from North America. The falconers were just as mystified as the conservationists and then horrified when the blame was placed on their sport, on the few that loved them the most. Falconers were named nest-robbing soulless pirates. 

     “The North American Falconers Association formed a committee “for the preservation of falconry” and waged a war for their rights. The falconers saved their art, keeping it legal, but lost the right to trap a peregrine. In order to preserve the privilege to hunt with raptors, we forfeited the wild take of Falco peregrinus.

     “Birds were no longer trapped on the beach to fly a single season and released on the migration. Eyasses were no longer tenderly tucked in a jacket pocket to be rappelled down the sheer face of cliff eyeries. Yet the falconers were determined. If they couldn’t borrow them from the wild, then they would breed them. And the falconers succeeded where the scientists did not. I didn’t know it when I was eight years-old, but the falcon on my roof was a miracle of desire.     

     “Then the peregrine began to resurge as a wild population and burgeon as a captive-bred resource.     

     “When I was in high school the long-wingers, falconers who preferred the flights of the long-winged falcons had their choice of flighted companions from many different breeding projects even if they weren’t allowed to borrow them from the wild. As the captive-bred peregrine became more accessible, surprisingly, the war resurged as well.     

     “Scientists didn’t believe that falconers could be successful breeding the falcons when others had failed. Surely, the falconers were laundering wild birds through fake breeding projects that couldn’t possibly be producing young.     

     “Across the United States Fish and Wildlife Agents knocked on the doors of 60 falconers. Search warrants in hand they tore through homes, interrogated falconers, and confiscated their falcons. Described as “clumsy, clueless, ham-fisted jack-booted storm troopers”  They turned the falconry community upside-down and heralded the beginning of Operation Falcon.     

          “Some of the falcons confiscated were returned after lengthy arduous and expensive court battles. Others perished. Our government was convinced that falconers must be passing off wild birds as captive bred young in their breeding projects despite the lack of proof. Tried in the media, we were all dubbed international falcon smugglers.

      “There was little truth to the accusations. In fact the trial revealed that the main perpetrator was an undercover agent supplied with illegal birds by the government. He had set about entrapping whomever he could snare. Again the falconers fought for their rights, for the sake of their love of the peregrine. Again they won, but the damage was done. Federal agents, state authorities and worse, the public had tried the falconers in the media and proclaimed them wildlife criminals.

     “The peregrine is off the endangered list. Young wild birds are now abundant and pester our trained falcons in the field. We long for the short-term company of a truly wild peregrine but wonder if we’ll ever be allowed to trap them again. It’s doubtful.”

I was wrong to be doubtful, the possibility of the peregrine again being considered a resource is real and upon us but met with fantastic opposition. To touch, to engage, to understand is the future of our wildlife resources. There is no reason, scientific or even emotional, that the peregrine should not be a partner again to those of the mere 4,000 of us licensed falconers  (a fraction of whom fly peregrines), falconers who wish to worship peregrines as their humble servants once again.  

     This level of passion inspires, it spreads, it is the passion of the few who make the difference. Please support us. Florida is a new beginning.

Please send comments by April 15th to: peregrine@MyFWC.com

©2010 Operation Delta Duck. All Rights Reserved.

Sunset on a Refuge Outside of Lincoln, CA (AKA the photo I took when I was lost the other night)

We’re all aching from the sudden shift in the economy. I doubt there’s a single person out there that hasn’t felt the effects of the recession. So there’s no need to launch into a sob story, but what is happening in California at least merits discussion, if only because it’s interesting.

In late December, while still waiting on budget to be passed, the California Department of Finance froze use of state bond money for general programs statewide.  (As a simple explanation, the state ran out of money.) The ripple effect of this was immense. Many organizations utilize this money. At Ducks Unlimited this instantly suspended many DU wetlands restoration projects and all payments for recently completed project work.

Bond monies fund a great many things, some might argue that work on state wildlife management areas and federal refuges is the least of these things.  All the same, over $7 million in DU project work has come to an ordered and screeching halt.

There are plenty of other organizations suffering over this and many without the national support and diversified funding of Ducks Unlimited. It’s just bad news for conservation in California in general. There are projects out there halfway finished and now sitting that will have to be started over, meaning they will cost more money.  (When you get halfway through the removal of an invasive plant species and then let the land sit fallow for 6 months… well you get my drift.)

Over $2.6 billion is now owed to organizations using bond funds for projects, and at least $20 billion in overall public project work is on hold. So now that the budget’s passed, the crisis has been averted, right?

Not so fast.

The state has to start selling bonds again before bond funding projects can get rolling again. And the state doesn’t really have the credit to do that right now. There’s some cleaning up and straightening out that has to be done. Then they are going to start working down the list to get money flowing as is available and conservation isn’t at the top of that list.  So many projects are probably not going to start up again until this summer at the earliest. In the mean time, organizations out there are letting people go or at the very least not hiring the people to do this work.

Interesting times in California.

So what you do? Now is perhaps the the most important time since the depression to support your favorite nonprofit conservation organization. (For me that’s hands down DU and not because I work there, I’ve extolled the virtues of DU for years.) If you can spare the gift, give it. If you can’t at the very least keep your eye on what’s happening with State and National policy. Changes are coming at us in rapid succession and not all of them are good for the long term. Make sure you educate yourself and make your voice heard. We need you more than ever.

©2010 Operation Delta Duck. All Rights Reserved.

by JamesJordan at Flickr.com

In the Sacramento Valley, fall ground surveys on federal refuges indicated peak duck numbers of about 1.7 million, about 15% lower than last year. Of course, precipitation was below average. Areas like Lincoln which depend more on precipitation showed a decrease in the amount of quality wetlands. Seasonal wetlands that were flooded in the fall were in average to below average condition due to two dry springs in a row. Flooded rice offered habitat comparable to last year. (Tough on us falconers to have the only good habitat be large stretches of water, but at least there was someplace for the ducks to winter.) For the second year in a row, the peak occurred 2-3 weeks earlier than average with the ducks then dispersing out of the west Valley.

In the Northeast, fall populations of waterfowl peaked at 0.7 million in the Klamath Basin, less than half of the 1.5 million counted in 2008. Considerably lower populations of arctic nesting geese and pintails were noted in the fall. Populations of canvasbacks were notably decreased as well.

Down south the temperatures were running 5 to 10 degrees above average. Which I’m sure everyone who waiting for some crisp weather to encourage high flying falcons definitely noticed.  Again irrigated lands had good to excellent habitat conditions, but everywhere else was hurting a bit for the lack of precipitation.

Looking at waterfowl numbers in specific locations from one year to the next really doesn’t give you a very good view of the overall picture, so I would caution against reading into these numbers. If you’re hunting or waterfowl watching in Northern California though, you can see a reflection of what our season looked like. Primarily these counts are on bigger water and since most of the ducks we hunt have dispersed from concentrated areas, you can sort of extrapolate what you saw from the big picture.

I wouldn’t hazard a guess to what all of the numbers and observations mean, but if there’s something in particular you want to know, I can corner a biologist and try to get an answer for you.  My only interpretation of both the numbers and the season itself would be to say that it was a better year to be flying a goshawk out here than a falcon…  But there’s always next season.

©2010 Operation Delta Duck. All Rights Reserved.

It's a Cook Book!

I understand intimately what the lack of outdoor exploration is doing to our children and our future. All the same, I do want to shake a finger at those who are turning off and dropping out of  Web 2.0. Perhaps in your heart of hearts you’re worried that Hulu.com really is run by aliens intent on rotting our brains because that’s how you Serve Man. Rod Serling, may he rest in peace, must have known better than anyone that it is far easier to imagine the potential pitfalls of technologic tragedy than the immense good it can do. I’m terrified that we’re missing out on this gigantic good because I quite frankly am not impressed with the good that’s being done now.

A WHAT Up?

I went to a Tweetup (a group of geographically connected people who use Twitter for marketing and communication) a few nights ago and was stunned that no one in this group of young and inspired social marketers had a clue who Ducks Unlimited was. (Is it a marketing firm? A publishing house?) It wasn’t like I was in Los Angeles. I’m in Sacramento, the cradle of western water policy and wetlands conservation. And I couldn’t make the excuse that they were uninitiated in the world of giving. This generation, believe it or not, embraces giving. What they did know about, however, was Twestival, a massive and successful Internet driven philanthropy working to raise funding for clean water in Africa.

I hate that this future generation of philanthropists is throwing their money at projects overseas before working to protect and restore the water they are consuming and sullying themselves. I hate that they know what Twestival is, but have no idea who is doing the work to conserve the wetlands and their access to clean water in their own backyard. And it’s our fault!

What about Our Lost Paradise?

Hen Mallard in Flooded Rice

Where all you all?

Where are the leaders who should be building a young inspired internet tribe of water warriors in North America?

I’m listening and I’m not hearing you. If you don’t step up now it will be over soon. The Internet is the world whether it’s a Nigerian scam or a child in Africa needing clean water. Someone somewhere is building a better mousetrap and you don’t have to be next door to discover it. People in Africa deserve clean water, I’ll throw in 20% of my giving to help, but the other 80% I’m scraping up for philanthropy is going in my backyard.

If the plane is going down, you have got to put your own mask on before you reach to help the person next you. But someone better have the fortitude to not only put on their mask, but make it to the cockpit. As Seth Godin would say, “We need you to lead us.” And I need you to lead me to water. In fact, it would be easier if we did it together. Come on, let’s go!

©2010 Operation Delta Duck. All Rights Reserved.