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An Open Letter to Waterfowl Hunters, Sportsmen and Women, and All Who Care
About Louisiana’s Natural Heritage:
Waterfowl and wetlands are centerpieces of Louisiana’s natural heritage.
Over the last five years, we have experienced both exceptionally good and
poor flights of waterfowl. But, poor flights don’t necessarily mean
that duck populations are in trouble. No matter how high the continental
population is, weather across the whole flyway significantly influences
how many, and when, ducks fly south to Louisiana’s wetlands. Recent
hunting seasons with record warm weather testify to that undeniable fact.
Continental waterfowl populations are also highly variable from one year to
the next. They always have been, and always will be. Why? Because much of
their breeding habitat is highly variable. The wetlands of the breeding
grounds can be boom or bust due to periodic droughts that can not be avoided.
And, all the forces of waterfowl management together cannot manage enough
dry habitat to keep populations from declining during drought. Fortunately,
ducks have adapted to weather-related ups and downs over thousands of years.
After going through record lows in the mid-1980’s, the late 1990’s
saw record high populations for some species. In 2003, most populations
are above the long-term averages.
But, our waterfowl are indeed facing a crisis, one to which they cannot
adapt.
It’s not the weather. It’s not predators. It’s the continuing
loss of the habitat they need throughout North America. Some of the facts:
 Over
53% of the nations’ wetlands
are gone. And, as we work, play and hunt, losses continue at the rate of
over 100,000 acres per year!
Approximately 70% of the prairie potholes of Canada and the northern
U.S. have been lost. This is the most important duck breeding region on the continent.
About ¾ of the national losses are occurring in Louisiana! A football
field-sized area of Louisiana’s coastal marsh vanishes into open water
every 30 minutes.
Potential changes to federal wetland regulations could result in accelerated
wetland losses, decreased duck production, and closed waterfowl seasons.
Prairie grasslands are being rapidly lost. In 2002 almost 13,000 acres
of the best nesting habitat on the continent were lost from two South Dakota
counties alone!
Habitat loss is the real threat to waterfowl and the duck hunting
we love. What is Ducks Unlimited doing about it?
DU is the ONLY waterfowl conservation organization committed, and
delivering on that commitment, to protecting and restoring the habitats
that waterfowl require throughout their range. If those habitats continue
to disappear, so too will the ducks, and eventually the hunting that is
dear to so many of us.
Last year, DU protected and restored over 490,000 acres of the most important
waterfowl habitat on the continent!
Once protected, the breeding habitats financed by DU’s members’ dollars
will produce ducks year in, year out.
Over our 66 years, DU and our many partners have conserved almost 11 million
acres.
Right here in Louisiana, DU protected, enhanced or restored over 20,500
acres last year alone.
Since work in Louisiana began in 1985, almost $20 million has been used
to conserve over 211,060 acres in the state for waterfowl and hunters.
As part of the 2002 kick-off of the America’s Wetland campaign to
save Louisiana’s coast, DU committed to investing $10 million in wetlands
restoration projects!
DU is influential in the public policy arena that affecting waterfowl habitats
and waterfowl hunting due to the size and strength of our membership and
partnerships.
Last year, 85% of your DU dollars were spent on waterfowl and wetland conservation.
Compare us with other organizations.
And, because of DU’s efficiency, history, and commitment to waterfowl
habitat protection, your dollars are multiplied several times before being
spent.
DUCKS UNLIMITED: DEDICATED TO PROTECTING THE FUTURE OF DUCKS AND DUCK HUNTING
YOU ARE DUCKS UNLIMITED: THANK YOU FOR ALL YOU DO!!!
Darwin Miller
Louisiana State Chairman
Louisiana Habitat Projects
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