The Southern Prairies and Playas Initiative uses conservation, science and policy to conserve the grasslands and wetlands of the Southern Great Plains and

to ensure suffi cient breeding, migrating and wintering habitat for waterfowl in the Central Flyway.

SOUTHERN PRAIRIES AND PLAYAS INITIATIVE

2014 ANNUAL REPORT

GIVING BACK TO THE DUCKS

Rob Kimery’s involvement in Ducks Unlimited began when a friend invited him to a DU banquet. He had a good time at the event and loved duck hunting, so he decided that supporting DU was the way he would give back to the resource. He’s now been volunteering with DU since the early 1990s, is engaged in the Claremore DU Chapter and enjoys attending several events in the Tulsa metro area. Rob’s motivations are simple, “Volunteering is important to me to ensure habitats and opportunities are there for future generations,” he said. Rob also owns an industrial coatings company, Kimery Painting. In addition to volunteering, he fi nancially supports DU both personally and through is company. In fact, Rob views his support of DU as his personal conservation legacy. His newest pledge to the Southern Prairies and Playas Initiative will make him a Sponsor in Perpetuity. With regard to this pledge, Rob said, “It’s nice to see conservation projects in progress that are providing better duck habitats in the Oklahoma Southern Prairies area.”

SOUTH CANADIAN RIVER RESTORATION PLANNEDDU is working with the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation (ODWC) to secure funding for one such area in northwest

Oklahoma. ODWC submitted an application for a NAWCA small grant for restoration work on the Packsaddle Wildlife Management Area. DU is a partner in the project. Th e 19,659-acre Packsaddle WMA is bordered to the south by almost 10 miles of the South Canadian River, and the area has historically been important for waterfowl and other migratory birds. Th e proposed Bonser Marsh project is located within the Canadian River fl oodplain and has been aff ected by poor farming practices over the last 100 years. Over time, these practices have caused excessive soil erosion and deposition, reducing the size of the original wetland. Currently, establishment of permanent vegetative cover throughout the majority of the aff ected watershed has stabilized the erosion issues. If funded, this project will restore historic wetland acres lost to soil deposition through the development of two wetland impoundments. Hydrology restoration will promote management of moist soil plants.

Public land moist soil wetlands provide critical habitat for waterfowl and places for Oklahoma waterfowlers to hunt..

(left ) When he’s not supporting the ducks, Rob enjoys duck hunting, deer hunting and fi shing with his daughter, Christina.

VETERINARIAN, RANCHER, HUNTER, DU VOLUNTEERJoe Freeman co-founded the Quartz Mountain DU chapter in 2013 with Jesse Doyle, Kyle

McMahon and several other volunteers. Th e chapter was somewhat of a re-start of the Altus DU chapter, which had been inactive for several years. Th ey had meager goals in the fi rst couple years, just focusing on getting the chapter up and running with a fun event. But thanks to providing great merchandise in a very appealing setting and making it an enjoyable evening with friends and family, they met with great success. In fact, their 2014 banquet had a standing room only crowd.

“I have always been a hunter and conservationist, and I’d like for the opportunities to enjoy the outdoors to be better for future generations then they were for me,” Joe said of his reasons for supporting DU. “It was my need to give back to a sport and way of life that has shaped me so much that led to my interest in giving my time and energy to co-founding this chapter and raising funds for wildlife conservation.”

As a veterinarian, farmer and rancher, Joe has a special appreciation for conserving our natural resources and preserving the outdoor way of life. He’s glad to see the Southern Prairies and Playas Initiative focus on habitat in the Southern Great Plains. “Improving habitat in our part of the country includes providing more acreage and more consistent wetland areas for waterfowl traveling through the arid region I call home. I hope our eff orts can go towards development of more productive wetland marshes that are great for waterfowl migrating through the area and also benefi t this region’s other wildlife,” he said.

A POLICY WIN FOR WATERFOWLIn a major win for wetlands and waterfowl conservation, President Obama signed into law both the Duck Stamp Act of 2014, raising the

price of the federal duck stamp; and the Permanent Electronic Duck Stamp Act, which will make the federal duck stamp permanently available for online purchase.

Th is is the fi rst time the price of the federal duck stamp has been increased since 1991, and its purchasing power had drastically declined due to infl ation and rising land costs. Th e $10 increase will be used only to purchase conservation easements on vital wetland habitat across the country, especially in the Prairie Pothole Region, one of the continent’s most important production areas.

Th e E-Duck Stamp Act will allow hunters to purchase the duck stamp online, and while physical stamps will still be mailed to buyers, the online proof of purchase will immediately fulfi ll the requirement of possessing a stamp to hunt waterfowl. Aft er 45 days, the proof of purchase expires and purchasers must carry the traditional paper stamp when hunting waterfowl. Th is is a great step toward making waterfowl hunting more accessible to everyone.

Habitat delivery

2,678 ACRES

160 ACRES

FY12 1,560 ACRES

Public Revenue

$4.20M

FY12 $318,000

FIV

E-YE

AR

GO

AL

FIV

E-YE

AR

GO

AL

Philanthropic Revenue

$13.44M

$3.68MFY13

FY12 $2.88M

FIV

E-YE

AR

GO

AL

Total Revenue

$17.40M

$3.78MFY13

FY12 $3.09M

FIV

E-YE

AR

GO

AL

$99,300FY13

881 ACRES

$41,490FY14

$4.37MFY14

$4.41MFY14

FY13

FY14

SOUTHERN PRAIRIES AND PLAYAS INITIATIVE - 2014 REPORT

193 Business Park Dr., Suite E, Ridgeland, MS 39157

Phone: 601.956.1936 • www.ducks.org