The Georgia Outdoor Writers Association holds its "Excellence in Craft" competition for members each year. This article won 1st place in the Ducks Unlimited category for 1999.
GEORGIA'S GREAT OUTDOORS
DU Banquet coming to Griffin on Nov. 11
Ronnie Garrison
October 31, 1999
If you see a wild duck in Georgia, chances are Ducks Unlimited had something to do with it being there. That organization has been working for many years to make sure ducks survive as a part of our environment, and they have been successful in Georgia in many ways.
For a time it looked like ducks would be only a memory to most folks because of loss of habitat. Ducks Unlimited was formed to attack the problems contributing to the decline in numbers of ducks, and habitat restoration and protection has been one of their main ways of doing this.
And by protecting duck habitat, many wildlife species have benifited.
Although Ducks Unlimited has done a lot of work in Canada and in parts of the U.S. with major duck flyways, much has been accomplished here in Georgia. There have been 30 projects completed in the state with 13,343 acres being protected or improved here.
A total of $1,309,214. has been spent just in Georgia.
Duck species that have benefited most in Georgia include wood duck, balck duck, mallard, Canada goose, gadwall, northern pintail, lesser scaup, ring-necked duck, American wigeon and canvasback. From planting feeding fields for geese to placing nesting boxes for wood ducks, Ducks Unlimited projects have made a difference for lots of duck species in our state.
In 1998/99 Georgia ranked 2nd out of the 50 states in dollars per duck stamp at $75.54, 10th in total dollars of income from ladies events and 10th in total number of sponser events, so fundraising for Ducks Unlimited has been successful here.
There were 87 different committees that sponsored 139 events during the past year, and they raised $1,451,597.
That is a bunch of money and work to help ducks!
The State of Georgia has also contributed to this effort, mostly through Project Marsh, a joint effort of several industries, the state Department of Natural Resources and Ducks Unlimited. Projects scattered through-out the state cover 44 different areas and over 2.23 million dollars have been spent on them.
Some of the closest to Griffin include Dyar Pasture, B.F. Grant, Oconee, Rum Creek and Joe Kurz projects.
The state DNR also agrees with Ducks Unlimited that projects in Canada are important to ducks here in Georiga, and it has funded a project in Quebec, investing $6000 to help improve nesting areas there.
Ducks Unlimited has 18,109 members in Georgia. Many of them do not duck hunt but are in the organization to help raise money to fund projects to protect the environment. Duck hunting is a big part of the organization, too. As usual, hunters have taken the lead in protecting the environment and wildlife.
Without duck hunters, we would not have any wild ducks left!
Banquets are one of the main ways Ducks Unlimited raises money for these projects. At these events, members can buy items ranging from puppies to prints. Puppies of duck dogs are always popular items, as are guns for hunting ducks. Most of the items are donated, and people at the banquets often bid a lot of money to try to get a special item they want.
If you walk into a business and see lots of pictures of ducks and dogs on the wall, you can bet they support Ducks Unlimited!
The banquets are a lot of fun and very popular. A good meal is served and all the money raised is for a worthy cause, so any money spent is like a donation. A banquet is just a fun way to donate money to something you want to support!
The Griffin Banquet isThursday, November 11.
Till next time, Gone Fishin'!
