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 [...]
I’m not a lobbyist and I don’t plan to become one, but I was in DC to give a presentation at Phoenix Landing, so I thought I would tack on a bit of time to check out what the Ducks Unlimited DC office gets itself up to.
I work with major donors and I thought major [...]
It’s hard to wrap my head around it, but I’ve been at Ducks Unlimited for almost a year now. The difficulty of the wrap around is less about the passage of time and more about the information I’m still trying to absorb. The amount of work that originates in the Western Regional Office is astounding. [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
We’re having a contest at DU to see who can raise the most money in our “Duck Fever” fundraising drive. (See the widget in the sidebar.) Technically, since fundraising is actually my job, I really think I should be disqualified from any of the prizes. However, I really should try to make a good showing.
You [...]
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 [...]
This is a great video discussing the various benefits (including saving tax payers money) that are created through Ducks Unlimited and partners working on projects in the San Francisco Bay area. I visited the Bair Island restoration project, shot video and took photos. I will do a separate post on that, but in the mean [...]
A few tidbits from the Mid Winter Waterfowl Survey Report from California:
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 [...]
