Yesterday when I was feeling a little bit sorry for myself for not having gotten much done in 2011, I started making a list. What all HAD I accomplished? What had I left behind that I loved best? And the list surprised me. My book on Lories and Lorikeets was published in February. And I [...]
View at the Office (Napa Plant Site) Current suggested budget cuts on Capitol Hill would eliminate funding for the North American Wetlands Conservation Act (NAWCA) bringing annual funding ($46 million in 2010) to ZERO. I’ll preface here… the budget needs to be cut. We are spending too much money and not enough taxes are [...]
This season was a series of mishaps, training challenges, unexpected weather, surprising moments of good luck and some gorgeous flights. So, yes, pretty much like the last nine seasons, only with it’s own flavor and favorites. Much of my falconry this season also doubled as work. Ducks Unlimited gives me the opportunity to talk about [...]
The ducks are coming! And so is the Federal Duck Stamp Art Contest! The Federal Duck Stamp Art Contest being is being judged for the first time in California and there are a lot of ancillary events going on especially in the Bay Area. If you decide to come see the judging, look for me. [...]
I’ve been buying duck stamps for eight years now. I knew that the money went toward conservation, but I didn’t entirely understand how it worked. I’m guessing most falconers don’t. This year, I’ve had the pleasure of working on the committee organizing the events surrounding this year’s Federal Duck Stamp Contest (in California for the [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
