2011 winter newsletter draft3 - ducks unlimited content/al... · alabama’s mobile bay, the...

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On the Wing Alabama Ducks Unlimited Newsletter - Winter 2011 As I watched a flight of gadwalls from a Louisiana marsh duck blind a couple of weeks ago, I was reminded of just how important Ducks Unlimited’s work is to our remaining wetlands and to the waterfowl that rely on them. Spreading the message and supporting the DU mission is the best present we can give to the future generations of duck hunters and other conservation minded people. While we are still wrapping up our fall fundraising season, the num- bers continue to amaze me. In spite of a still weak economy, Alabama DU continues to grow and exceed the goals we set. While traveling this fall throughout Alabama attending our events from Mobile to Huntsville, it was easy for me to see why we are so successful. It is clear to me, we have the best volunteers, and our supporters are truly second to none. We owe our successes to you, the DU member, our sponsors, our supporters, and last but, not least to our local volunteers. I hope you take time when the occasion arises to thank the local committee members in your area for their hard work and support of Ducks Unlimited. I am proud to announce the formation of our first high school chapters as well as our third college chapter. In addition, it looks like the University of Alabama chapter will finish in the Top 3 of the DU ‘Sweet Sixteen” competition and Auburn is not far behind, either. Please support these young folks whenever you can to help insure our continued success. We’ve already started planning our spring event season and our expectations couldn’t be higher. Several new events have been scheduled and interest in areas where we had past events has been renewed. If called upon, please consider joining a local committee and help us leave a legacy for future generations. I thank all of you again for giving me the honor of being Alabama DU state chairman. Renew- ing old friendships and starting new ones has been a plus I’ve received from attending numerous events this fall. There are really a lot of good people in our great organization. I hope that all of you have a great season, and maybe we will cross paths at an event this spring. Thank you for your support of Alabama Ducks Unlimited. Best wishes, Wayne Keith, State Chairman Alabama Ducks Unlimited

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Page 1: 2011 Winter Newsletter Draft3 - Ducks Unlimited Content/AL... · Alabama’s Mobile Bay, the nonprofit Restore Coastal Alabama project based out of Mobile, Ala., will rely on a “100

On the WingAlabama Ducks UnlimitedNewsletter - Winter 2011

As I watched a flight of gadwalls from a Louisiana marsh duck blind a couple of weeks ago, I was reminded of just how important Ducks Unlimited’s work is to our remaining wetlands and to the waterfowl that rely on them. Spreading the message and supporting the DU mission is the best present we can give to the future generations of duck hunters and other conservation minded people. While we are still wrapping up our fall fundraising season, the num-bers continue to amaze me. In spite of a still weak economy, Alabama DU continues to grow and exceed the goals we set. While traveling this fall throughout Alabama attending our events from Mobile to Huntsville, it was easy for me to see why we are so successful. It is clear to me, we have the best volunteers, and our supporters are truly second to none. We owe our successes to you, the DU member, our sponsors, our supporters, and last but, not least to our local volunteers. I hope you take time when

the occasion arises to thank the local committee members in your area for their hard work and support of Ducks Unlimited. I am proud to announce the formation of our first high school chapters as well as our third college chapter. In addition, it looks like the University of Alabama chapter will finish in the Top 3 of the DU ‘Sweet Sixteen” competition and Auburn is not far behind, either. Please support these young folks whenever you can to help insure our continued success. We’ve already started planning our spring event season and our expectations couldn’t be higher. Several new events have been scheduled and interest in areas where we had past events has been renewed. If called upon, please consider joining a local committee and help us leave a legacy for future generations. I thank all of you again for giving me the honor of being Alabama DU state chairman. Renew-ing old friendships and starting new ones has been a plus I’ve received from attending numerous events this fall. There are really a lot of good people in our great organization. I hope that all of you have a great season, and maybe we will cross paths at an event this spring. Thank you for your support of Alabama Ducks Unlimited.

Best wishes,

Wayne Keith, State Chairman Alabama Ducks Unlimited

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DUCKS UNLIMITED SUPPORTS “100 MILES, 1,000 ACRES” RESTORE COASTAL ALABAMA INITATIVE

To combat the decades-long downward trend in the amount of coastal marsh habitat and oyster reefs of Alabama’s Mobile Bay, the nonprofit Restore Coastal Alabama project based out of Mobile, Ala., will rely on a “100 Miles, 1,000 Acres” initiative to restore and enhance these lost habitats on the northern Gulf Coast. RCA’s ultimate goal is to construct 100 miles of oyster reefs in Mobile Bay and subsequently develop 1,000 acres of marsh and seagrass habitat, primarily through natural recruitment, but with supplemental planting as well. “The successful restoration of 1,000 acres of new marsh could potentially benefit waterfowl whose winter migrations bring them to the Gulf region,” Tim Willis, DU’s regional biologist for Alabama, said. “Not only will the RCA project benefit area sportsmen and women, it will also benefit the local economy.” Bethany Kraft, executive director of the Alabama Coastal Foundation, said during the last several decades, Mobile Bay has seen a significant loss of oyster reefs, seagrass beds and coastal marsh habitats through dredge-and-fill activities, seawalls and jetties, erosion and storm events. Replacement or restoration of these habitats poses long-term benefits in helping to improve ongoing problems in Mobile Bay, from stormwater problems to shoreline erosion. While the marsh component is critical to rebuilding habitat for quick fish stock recovery, it will also aid in stormwater reme-diation, including nitrogen capture. This restoration will also make the coastline more resilient to future impacts from hurricanes, oil spills or climate change, according to Kraft. “As state chairman of Alabama Ducks Unlimited, I am extremely proud of DU’s commitment to support the Restore Coastal Alabama project,” Wayne Keith, DU’s volunteer state chairman for Alabama, said. “The DU members and volunteers from across Alabama understand the importance of restoring and protecting our vital wetlands.The Restore Coastal Alabama project certainly falls within DU’s mission to conserve, restore and manage wetlands and associated habitats. Our support for this project will continue our long history of restoring and protecting irreplaceable wetlands across Alabama.” RCA has partnered in this effort with the Mobile County Wildlife and Conservation Association, Coastal Con-servation Association of Alabama, The Ocean Foundation, The Nature Conservancy, Mobile Baykeeper and Alabama Coastal Foundation. To learn more about Restore Coastal Alabama, visit http://www.100-1000.org/. Ducks Unlimited is the world’s largest non-profit organization dedicated to conserving North America’s continually disappearing waterfowl habitats. Established in 1937, Ducks Unlimited has conserved more than 12 million acres thanks to contributions from more than a million supporters across the continent. Guided by science and dedi-cated to program efficiency, DU works toward the vision of wetlands sufficient to fill the skies with waterfowl today, tomorrow and forever.

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Alabama Ducks UnlimitedState Committee

Alabama Ducks UnlimitedState Committee

Page 3

State ChairmanWayne Keith, Mobile, AL(251) 476-3610 [email protected]

State SecretaryCarol Sutfin, Birmingham, AL(205) 326-5214 [email protected]

State TreasurerGreg Hodges, Huntsville, AL(256) 722-8181 [email protected]

State Council ChairmanKaren Wood, Athens, AL(256) 230-0339 [email protected]

State Major Donor ChairmanMatt Stiles, Birmingham, AL [email protected]

State Strategic Planning ChairHenry Gaulden, Morris, AL(205) 790-5208 [email protected]

State Greenwing ChairmanRandy Ryals, Springville, AL(205) 937-7925 [email protected]

State Local Projects ChairmanJake McNeal, Auburn, AL(256) 656-3452 [email protected]

AL Department of Natural Resources LiaisonChuck Sharp, Silverhill, AL(251) 626-5474 [email protected]

Cypress Point Duck Club at White River LodgeStuttgart, Arkansas

870-241-3980 Cell 314-805-8325 http://cypresspointduckclub.com/

Opening Day at the Upper Delta WMA near Hubbard Landing by Cameron Weavil, Mobile Chapter Chairman

After four years of hunting the Mobile Delta, my Ducks Unlimited co-chairman Jarrod Gibson and I, finally got our break. We had to use our heads to find spots that no one else knew of. I decided to take a good look at Google Earth and find some potholes off the river banks. When using Google Earth, wherever you put the cursor, you will notice at the bottom of the screen is the longitude and latitude coordinates directly related to where the mouse cursor points. When I found likely spots, I put the cursor right where I wanted to stand in the hole and took a screenshot and emailed it to my iPhone. Opening morning Jarrod and I and two more buddies launched the boat at Hubbard’s Landing. I pulled out my iPhone and GPS and put the coordinance in and just headed down river. Jarrod and I parked the boat and followed the GPS through the woods at 5 a.m. With our headlamps fighting the brush the ground started to get a little wet and after about 100 yards we were at the edge of a large pond. We looked at each other and at the same time said, “This has got be it.” We scouted out some young trees in the middle of the pond as our cover and put our gear down to get a better feel for our spot. We put out 12 decoys, loaded guns and began to wait. Sunrise was at 6:30 a.m., so we knew our first shots were going to be at 6 a.m. Sure enough, at around six we heard the wood ducks whistle and they started flooding in. It was like WWII! Woodies were flying in faster than we could shoot and reload. We were dropping shells in to the water and birds were falling left and right. I

felt like I was back in Marks, MS hunting with my fraternity brothers in college. I hit my limit at 6:05 and Jarrod hit his a few minutes later. We sat there and watched more than 250 birds fly over and into the pond. It was like nothing I have ever seen in Mobile County. Our new method of spot finding paid off and it is now, Game On!

Above, Cameron, Jerod and hunting buddies. Right, Cameron with his opening day limit.

Save an acre, become a sponsor.

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�e Easiest Way to Support DU in Alabama.

There are a lot of ways to support Ducks Unlimited. You can attend an event, become a member at a sports show or signup online. Maybe the easiest and most visible way is by purchasing a Ducks Unlimited license plate. Alabama has had a Ducks Unlimited license plate since 1996, and since that first plate was purchased in December 1996, more than 4,000 additional plates have been sold. Maybe the most impressive fact is that more than $1.9 million YTD has been raised through the license plate program. To put it another way, those who show their support with a DU license plate have helped Ducks Unlimited permanently protect more than 7,600 acres of vital duck producing habitat. Now that is impressive! Looking back, we owe a number of individuals a great debt of gratitude for personally getting involved and getting that first Alabama Ducks Unlimited license plate produced. In researching how the plate came to be, everyone I talked with gave credit to Bill Corley (who now resides in Houston, TX) as being the driving force behind the idea and making it reality. According to Bill, the idea came to him while attending a meeting at Ducks Unlimited headquarters in Memphis, TN. Bill, says the idea came to him while he was walking through the parking lot and he spotted a Maryland Ducks Unlimited license plate, and said, “We need one of those.” When asked what he thought about how much money had been raised by his idea, he said “It was easy money.” Bill Collins from Guntersville, who was the Alabama DU state chairman (1996-98) at the time, said, “We thought that it would be great if we could raise $5,000 a year, we never dreamed it would be this big.” That first year, the plate raised more than $14,000. Bill was quick to point out that he played virtually no role in the process, and quickly gave credit to Corley, D. Patrick Harris (Montgomery), Grady Hartzog (Eufaula), Richard Kowallik (Madison), Doug Lasher (Decatur), William G. Pappas (Montgomery) and Joe Propst (Decatur). There are others that played a major role in the license plate’s success. Wayne and Karen Wood (past AL DU state chair) of Kare Packaging, Inc., in Athens sent post card reminders to DU members as their vehicle registrations came up for renewal for two years. This may have been one of those key ingredients that helped us get to where we are today. Karen was very quick to point out that she practices what she preaches, and proudly displays DU plates on all three of their vehicles. Ducks Unlimited and duck hunters throughout the country owe these individuals, as well everyone who drives a vehicle with an Alabama DU license plate, many thanks, as they have already protected more than 7,600 acres of duck producing habitat that will guarantee fall flights for generations to come. The cost of the Alabama DU plate is only $40, and roughly $35 of that fee goes directly to DU. You can purchase a DU plate at any Alabama Motor Vehicle

Registration Office, and personal-ize plates can be ordered. Show your support. Get your DU plate today. Saving wetlands and waterfowl is truly that easy.

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Alabama Ducks UnlimitedState Committee

Page 5

DECATUR/MORGAN COUNTY DU TO HOST FEDERAL DUCK STAMP EXHIBIT

Duck Unlimited owns two com-plete collections of Federal Duck Stamp prints. One is on permanent display at National Headquarters in Memphis. The other is occasionally loaned out for public exhibits and special events. These collections represent a significant mile-stone in the American conservation movement, marking the beginning of a national focus on waterfowl conservation funded primarily by hunters through self-imposed fees and taxes. The first stamp was issued in 1934 and has occurred annually since that date. The collection now numbers 75 signed prints accompanied by the stamps. Decatur/Morgan County DU has arranged a public display of the collection for April at the Carnegie Visual Arts Center in Decatur. The collection will be there throughout April, but a special exhibit unveiling will be held to coincide with a Ducks Unlimited sponsor event before going public. The local committee is excited about the prospects of the exhibit and feels it will be a great opportunity to re-kindle what was one of Alabama’s most successful sponsor programs. The tentative date for the sponsor event is April 7. For further information, contact District Chairman Chad Hughey at 256-773-8632 or Area Chairman Grant McKelvey at 256-341-7379.

Alabama District ChairmenDistrict #1 Chad Hughey, Hartselle, AL(256)565-4747 [email protected] #2Russell Stone, Huntsville, AL(256)990-1718 [email protected] #3 Scott Farrar, Centre, AL(256)490-9322 [email protected] #4 Bob Suellentrop, Birmingham, AL(205) 913-6710 [email protected] #5 Ryan Stallings, Northport, AL(205)339-4577 [email protected] #6 William Holmes, Greensboro, AL(334)624-4001 [email protected] #7 Taylor Hart, Mathews, AL(334)451-5051 [email protected] #8 Kim Sides, Auburn, AL(334)319-1512 [email protected] #9 VacantDistrict #10 VacantDistrict #11 VacantDistrict #12 Craig Brantley, Mobile, AL(251)423-2020 [email protected]

STATE LEADER TAPPED AS NEXT HONOREE FOR AN ALABAMA TRIBUTE EVENT In the wake of the immensely successful Tom Jernigan, Sr. tribute event this past summer, Alabama Ducks Unlimited has moved forward under the leadership of Regional Vice-President Stephen Whatley with the selection of the next program honoree. Grady Hartzog of Eufaula has been selected to be honored this coming year, with a tentative date of May 5 in Montgomery. Grady’s career in state conservation initiatives and DU dates back more than 30 years and his influence has been felt across the continent in the numerous roles he has played for DU and others. In our organization

alone, Grady has served as state chairman and serves as our perennial conservation programs chairman (once known as MARSH). With DU, Inc., Grady serves on the National Conservation Committee as well as sitting on the DU Canada Board of Directors. This involvement in conservation in Alabama is mirrored in numerous other organizations and worthwhile efforts that reflect his many interests. Most notably, Hartzog is the immediate past-president of the Alabama Wildlife Federation. Grady sat on Alabama’s Forever Wild Board and is currently involved with the effort to reauthorize this impor-tant program. He sits on the Alabama Conservation Advisory Board. His personal commitment to DU involves a conservation easement on his property in Eufaula that joins Eufaula NWR, protecting it forever from development. Grady is a benefactor member of Ducks Unlimited as well. We look forward to honoring Grady with a project in his honor. The specific site has yet to be selected.

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[email protected]

http://www.ducks.org/alabama/events

Page 6

Ducks UnlimitedNational Volunteers

South Atlantic Flyway

Sr. Vice-PresidentMonty Lewis,Thomasville, GA (229) 228-4427 [email protected] VP Stephen Whatley, Anniston, AL (256) 405-8013 [email protected]

Regional DirectorShawn Battison2506 Leonidas Dr.Montgomery, AL 36106(334) 430-8622 [email protected] Service CoordinatorLillian TiniusMemphis ,TN Headquarters(901) 758-3821 [email protected] of Fundraising & DevelopmentDoug LasherDecatur, AL(256) 751-5930 [email protected] of DevelopmentSouthern RegionChris Cole(601) 206.446 [email protected]

Ducks UnlimitedNational Sta� - Alabama

New Upcoming EventsCullman Dinner

Elks Lodge Cullman, Alabama

Saturday, February 05, 2011Zac Smith (205) 717 - 4596

Will Harding (256) 338 - 3049Aaron Terry (256) 338 - 2943

http://www.ducks.org/alabama/events/23307/cullman-dinner

Vestavia Hills High School DinnerRosewood Hall - SoHo Homewood, Alabama

Thursday, February 17, 2011Austin Allred (205) 329 - 8645Adam Pierce (205) 283 - 1276

Shawn Battison (334) 430 - 8622 http://www.ducks.org/alabama/events/23611/vestavia-hills-hs-banquet

280 Scotch & Cigar PartySuperior Grill

Hoover, AlabamaThursday, February 24, 2011

Bob Suellentrop (205) 913-6710http://www.ducks.org/alabama/events/23609/280-scotch-cigar-party

Is Ducks Unlimited in your town?Would you like it to be?

Become part of the TEAM, and join TEAM DU today.

Call Shawn Battison at 334-430-8622 or email @

[email protected] and help us get a DU event in your town.

Purchase Online Tickets Here!!!

Purchase Online Tickets Here!!!

Alabama Ducks Unlimited would like to start the follwing chapters in

2011 and we need your help!-Alexander City -Birmingham Southern-Cleburn County -Eufaula-Fayette County -Franklin County -Ft. Payne -Hoover HS-Jackson -Jacksonville St. Uni. -Marion County -Montgomery Acad HS-Mt. Brook HS -Pickens Co.-Selma -Thomasville-Troy University -Wetumpka

For a complete listing of Alabama Ducks Unlimited events,

Click Here

Purchase Online Tickets Here!!!

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*Only includes completed projects as of 1/1/2010. Does not include the recently completed project at the Demopolis WMA, or any private land work during 2010.

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I love it when a waterfowling story begins with “As dawn broke over the water, we readied our last minute adjust-ments to the spread and struggled to harness our excitement as we heard wings beat above us.” We have all been there, right? It is an amazing feeling that gets me “goosey” every time I think about it, much less blessed to feel it. This year’s opening morning came with a much different overtone. It was a nervousness and apprehension that I have never really felt in a blind on such a glorious morning. You see, I was sandwiched in between two United States Army Special Forces members on my home turf, Senior Marsh. These guys were guests of ours for a pretty special event, Operation One Voice’s Purple Heart Hunts. They had both served on multiple deploy-ments in Iraq and Afghanistan, and both had received serious “on the job” injuries. To make matters worse, there were four additional wounded veterans from the 75th Ranger Regiment, an officer from Special Operations Command, as well as other Army Special Forces scattered around in different holes I had scouted so carefully the morning before. All of these guys are still active duty, and all of them are trying to get redeployed, despite their brutal injuries. I wasn’t really nervous because they are really proficient at what they do in their communities. I was nervous because we had an opportunity show these guys a great duck hunt and everything hinged on our preparation. To say, ‘repay them for their service’, would be a joke because their service brought a severe sacrifice that we couldn’t even begin to repay. When 6:08 am became a moment in the past, I was chuckling on my call like a hen who had found the millet mother load. Randy, a buddy and guide who was 15 yards behind me with another group was doing the same. Then shots roared from the southern end of the marsh, a good sign for the hunt, but it also meant the pair of mallards over-head just got wise to our little game. Because of my involvement with youth hunts, I am an incredibly conservative when calling the shot on incoming birds. “Let’s let these get a little closer”, I would mumble between breaths. Then it dawned on me, these guys are probably wondering if I was paying attention last night when we were listening to stories around the camp fire. Beginning shooters, they are not! So I called the shot on the next bird that slid by the edge of our hole, and they schooled me very quickly on their abilities with a firearm. It was an amazing passing shot. Not so much because it was the amazing shot that it was, but because it solidified a moment in time when we were able to pass along a precious resource to some folks, that are in my opinion, a lot more deserving. I found myself saying, “take em”, or “cut em” a lot more often, and then gleefully cutting out through the spread to retrieve a bird with the agility of a 30-something wearing a suit of armor. I fell in three times. “Too bad” you say, not so much I would rebut, now I get to replace a worthless cell phone that became collateral damage in the maylay. And then, the geese came with their methodical honk and painful timing. December 4th, and we are gunning mallards in Senior Marsh, and who would have thunk geese showing up. It was like listening to a football game on the radio. You can almost tell what happened by the roar of a crowd before the announcer goes wild. I knew we weren’t getting a shot, but somebody was. It seemed like an eternity before the thumps started rolling across the marsh. We didn’t know what happened, but we were all smiles because it meant we were either high fiving someone, or raking them over the coals. As we trekked out of the marsh, we were all in high spirits, an awesome sight. It dawned on me that as with any other waterfowling experience, good or bad, bonds are formed. It was an early Christmas gift to me and everyone else involved that we

got to spend extraordinary time with extraordinary men of valor. I would be remiss if I left out the fact that several additional landowners provided their knowledge and hunting stands to yield four whitetail bucks and one doe to the Purple Heart Hunts that weekend. A score of cooks, skinners, pluckers, cleaners, and listeners also pitched in to make those three days as special as they were. We are blessed beyond measure to have men like these serve under the conditions that they do for us. I am truly heartfelt to be a part of a creation that yields such an immense blessing. Thank you, God, for the ducks.

A PURPLE HEART WEEKEND

Story and pictures by Colin McRae, Eutaw, Alabama.

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DUCKS UNLIMITED & PARTNERS IMPROVINGALABAMA HABITAT Ducks Unlimited members and supporters understand the value of a dollar. When they put a dollar in DU’s hands, they can count on two things: The majority – 80 percent – of that dollar is going directly to conservation, and that dollar will be matched and leveraged many times to increase its impact. “As a biologist, Ducks Unlimited volunteer and life sponsor, I am very proud of the work that DU has done in Alabama,” Shawn Battison, DU regional director, said. “Through the hard work and dedication of our volunteers, and the generosity of our local supporters, DU has done more for the duck hunter than any other wetland or waterfowl organi-zation in North America.” In Alabama, DU and partners have conserved more than 27,000 acres of wetland habitats impor-tant to waterfowl and other wildlife. DU has spent more than $1.7 million on conservation in Alabama, improving many public areas including projects on the Sipsey River, Demopolis Wildlife Management Area and Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge. “I don’t think many duck hunters realize that if they are hunting on a public hunting area in Alabama, chances are good they are hunting on a Ducks Unlimited project,” Battison said. Through a grant from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, DU and the Alabama Depart-ment of Conservation and Natural Resources continue to improve waterfowl habitat in Alabama with a project to enhance wetlands on the David K. Nelson Wildlife Management Area near Demopolis in Greene County. “This project will improve 70 acres of wetland habitat, complementing the ongoing work by the DCNR in adjacent counties,” Tim Willis, DU regional biologist, said. “Collectively, these projects bring us closer to our goals of providing quality wetland habitat, cleaner water in Alabama’s water-sheds and enhanced outdoor opportunities for the people in the region.”

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http://forestryland.co

[email protected]

Visit us on Facebook at Alabama Ducks Unlimited

Right - 2010 Mobile Dinner at the U.S.S. Alabama Battle-ship. Bottom Right - Greenwings at the Dothan WHP with completed wood duck box. Bottom Left - Dothan Chapter Chairman, Gary Glenn and son building a wood duck box.

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DUCKS UNLIMITED AND THE NEXT GENERATION While in some areas of the country well known civic organizations like Rotary or Kiwanis are experiencing a tough time recruiting new members into their ranks, there is a movement of young, eager and excited volunteers flocking (no pun intended) to Ducks Unlimited. Why? Duck hunting and Ducks Unlimited are cool. All you need to do is drive through a high school or college parking lot and look for the DU duckhead stickers on pickup trucks. The majority of pickups will have at least one. Years ago Ducks Unlimited began its college chapter program which has proven to be a huge success. Today, DU conducts a Sweet Sixteen competition among its college chapters, of which both Auburn University and the University of Alabama make the list. The college chapter program is a great place for our young volunteers to gain leadership, networking and other business skills all while helping DU raise money for its conservation efforts. Our college volun-teers then transition very easily into our adult chapters once they graduate. Two years ago, a North Carolina high school student contacted the DU regional director for his area and wanted to know what he had to do to start a chapter. Since it was the end of the school year, the regional director simply told him to wait until the next school year, and, if he had a group of friends that would help him they could start a chapter. Much to the regional director’s disbelief, that young man called him a week before school started and he had his group ready for a meeting. From that point forward, North Carolina DU has been starting high school chapters like wildfire. These student chapters are routinely as successful if not more so, and more organized than their adult counterparts. After pushing out a few inquiries about the possibility of getting a high school chapter started in Alabama, Adam Pierce from Birmingham (he is a co-chairman of our Birmingham Chapter) said that he might have found our first high school chapter. Adam knows one of the advisors of the Vestavia Hills High School Hunting & Fishing Club which has nearly 100 students on its roster. After a brief meeting with their advisor, David Howard, and after a presentation to the club, the rest is, as they say history. Vestavia Hills HS is AL DU’s first HS Chapter. On February 17th, the Vestavia Hills HS Chapter will host their 1st event at Rosewood Hall in Homewood. The event will feature the latest DU merchandise, collectables, hunting gear, a live & silent auction, raffles and dinner. For more contact information or tickets, see Upcoming Events section. If you would like to see a DU Chapter at your high school, please call Shawn Battison at 334-430-8622 or email him at [email protected] . Page 10

ALABAMA DUCKS UNLIMITED APPOINTS LOCAL PROJECT CHAIRMAN Jake McNeal, a student at Auburn University, has been chosen as Alabama Ducks Unlimited’s first State Local Projects Chairman, according to Alabama DU state Chairman Wayne Keith. The position is a new one for Alabama DU and is designed to increase volun-teer involvement and give college-age volunteers the opportunity for some real-world experience. An avid hunter and angler, McNeal is working toward a degree in wildlife management at Auburn and plans to pursue a master’s degree in waterfowl biology or ecology. He will coordinate local projects across Alabama while continuing his studies at Auburn. The goal of Alabama DU’s leadership team is to have at least one project finished in each of the 67 counties in the state. “Youth have the advantage of being able to handle a lot of activity, which was the basis of our decision to name a college student as the State Local Projects Chairman,” Keith said. “Jake will work hand-in-hand with state leadership to oversee all local projects in Alabama, projects that involve land management and habitat improvement that will benefit waterfowl,” he said. McNeal will start off working with Ducks Unlimited partners like the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to provide inventory, maintenance and installation of wood duck boxes on wildlife management areas and refuges throughout Alabama. However, the work does not stop there. The goal is to have this position bring new ideas to the state leaders and encourage volunteers to step up to the plate and make improved waterfowl habitat a reality in Alabama. “Essentially, this new role gives direction and organization to Alabama DU volunteers to actively participate in improving the hunting opportunities all across Alabama,” Keith said.