On January 30,2010 the ninth presentation of the Heidelbauer Award

was conducted at the 21st Annual South Dakota State Ducks Unlimited Convention in Watertown. The Frankie Heidelbauer award was created to recognize an individual or couple who have exemplified themselves with a long history of devoted volunteer work for the Ducks Unlimited cause in South Dakota.

This year’s recipients were Rick and Pam Berg of Watertown, SD. This dynamic duo has held nearly every volunteer position that DU has to offer in South Dakota. Rick’s resume of SDDU volunteer positions include the following: State Chairman, State Council Chairman, State Chairman Elect, State Convention Chairman, Council of State Trustees & National Delegates, Sponsor Banquet Co-Chair, Zone Chairman, Area Chairman, and Area Chair for Golf Event.Rick presently holds positions with National DU as well: Regional Vice President (CO-ID-KS-MT-ND-NE-SD-UT-WY), At-Large Board Member, and Conservation Programs Committee Member

Pam has held the following volunteer SDDU positions: State Recruitment Chair, State Web Master, State Convention Committee

Registration Chairman/Manager, Council of State Trustees and National Delegates, Zone Chair and Area Chairman.

Rick and Pam were both born in Watertown in 1953. Following graduation from Watertown High School in 1971, they attended and graduated from Northern State College (now NSU). They were

married 36 years ago on March 16, 1974. They have two children: a son, Shawn, and a daughter, Jamie. Shawn lives in Hot Springs, Arkansas with his wife Danielle. Jamie lives in Bismarck, ND with her husband Neil. Both Rick and Pam retired in May 2008 following lengthy careers in public service. Rick worked for the Municipal Utilities of Watertown

Rick and Pam Berg of Watertown, SD, deserving recipients of the 2010 Heidelbauer Award, pose with their award plaque.

Duck And Energy Development

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Bergs Win 2010 Heidelbauer AwardBergs Win 2010 Heidelbauer Award

National Headquarters,Ducks Unlimited, Inc.One Waterfowl Way • Memphis, Tennessee 38120

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SpringIs Here

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SPRING 2010

� • Spring 2010 Fowl Talk - South Dakota Ducks Unlimited

BergsFrom Page 1

The National President of Ducks Unlimited, John Pope, attended the SDDU

2010 Convention in Watertown, SD where he addressed DU volunteers and guest attendees. As follows is a summary of his message to the convention attendees:

Our strongest supporters continue to be those who give freely of their time and treasure to DU. One of our organizational goals next year is to continue the resurgence of our grassroots activism by encouraging our members to attend banquets and speak up on behalf of DU to their congressional leaders. In 2009, these activities netted more than $200 million for our conservation mission and helped us maintain our 80 percent efficiency rating. In fact, DU saw 86 percent of every dollar invested in our mission and added another 197,000 acres in the United States alone to those we have protected and restored over the years. With nearly 13 million

acres conserved historically, DU members, volunteers, partners and donors are changing the landscape. Our Wetlands for Tomorrow campaign continues to provide solid results for our continental work. Reaching a milestone of $1.5 billion this year, we saw great success under WFT with a specialized campaign called “Rescue the Duck Factory.” That campaign has helped conserve more than 67,000 acres in the U.S. prairies and create a new partnership with Bayer CropScience that is helping DU reach out to farmers in the U.S. and Canadian prairies to find solutions to benefit agriculture and waterfowl. While we celebrate our accomplishments, we understand there is still more to do.

To remain on solid ground, we must continue to focus on three basic principles:

• We must conserve key priority habitats critical to waterfowl.

• We must expand our commitment to science to guide efficient, effective conservation.

• We must increase our capacity to influence policy, because policy is increasingly influencing conservation.

In addition, we must continue to recruit outdoorsmen and women—those who have historically and consistently funded conservation through the years. Whether it’s a handshake in a duck blind or a meeting in a board room, our passion for waterfowl and conserving the habitat in which they can thrive and continue to flourish should be shared with as many people as possible. We thank you for your work in making DU the world’s leader in wetland conservation, and we look forward to seeing you at a local DU dinner. While we are confident in the science directing us, we understand that it’s the passion from the people within that makes everything work. Passion puts us on solid ground.

National DU President John Pope Addresses SDDU Convention

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for 30 years. Pam worked for the Federal Government’s Western Area Power Administration for 30 years. Following their retirement, they purchased a second home north of Pierre at Spring Creek where they and their black lab, Coach, spend time fishing, hunting, relaxing and socializing with friends and neighbors.

South Dakota DU has been a very big benefactor of all Rick and Pam’s volunteer work for many years and their immediate future does not appear to be any different.

Rick and Pam join the distinguished list of previous recipients of the Frankie Heidelbauer Award: Terry Boxdorfer (2001), Bob Fulkerson (2002), Gary L. Peterson, (2003), Gary W. Peterson (2004), Craig Jones (2005), John Cooper (2006), John Green (2007), Bruce & Marilyn Krentz (2008), Rick & Pam Berg (2009).

Spring 2010 • �www.ducks.org/states/62/

Rescue the Duck Factory

Update

February, 2010

More than 75,000 acres of grassland and wetland easements have been purchased from landowners in the Prairie Pothole Region since Ducks Unlimited launched its Rescue the Duck Factory campaign. The easements cost almost $17 million dollars, of which RDF contributed almost $4.1 million. Additional funding came from the North American Wetlands Conservation Act, Duck Stamp and the Land and Water Conservation Fund.

DU has been partnering with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on purchasing perpetual easements since 1997, when DU launched Grasslands for Tomorrow, an aggressive effort to protect 2 million acres of the best-of-the-best waterfowl breeding habitat in the U.S. Prairies. The FWS now holds almost 1.1 million acres of grassland easements and 1.4 million acres of wetland easements, of which 849,324 acres were purchased since DU launched Grasslands for Tomorrow. In addition, 14,166 easement acres have been recently “optioned,” meaning they will close pending assurance of clear title, subordination agreements from lenders, and other legal requirements.

RDF was launched in September 2008 to help accelerate our easement work. This campaign set an objective of addressing the 600-person backlog of landowners on the easement waiting list. The acres represented by these landowners was 300,000, and it was estimated that $40 million in private funds would be necessary to leverage a total of $120 million to purchase these easements given assumptions about delivery timetable, distribution of easements and associated costs (North Dakota versus South Dakota), easement appreciation rates, and staff costs.

Interest remains strong among landowners with 296,263 acres currently being offered for easement purchases.

If you have ever experienced a day on the prairies of the Dakotas, there is no denying the

power of the wind. Developing wind energy resources on the prairies is attractive for many energy companies. As stewards of America’s grasslands, Ducks Unlimited and its partners are investigating the influence this development will have on the Prairie Pothole landscape.

Researchers will continue collecting data on breeding pairs again this spring in cooperation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Next Era Energy. This will be the third year of data collection for this study.

DU scientists will make a final report on breeding pairs this year after they analyze data and include the variations in wetland conditions between the years of the study.

In a separate project, Tanner Gue, a graduate student at the University of North Dakota, is fitting ducks with radio transmitters to monitor hen nesting and survival throughout the spring and summer. Gue’s crew captured and radio tagged 165 female ducks in 2009 and will trap and monitor a second set of hens this year. A final report will be completed in late 2010.

As wind energy grows in the Dakotas, DU and its partners will continue to monitor waterfowl response to these developments. These early research studies are important to gage initial impacts on waterfowl, however as wind turbines become more prominent on the landscape waterfowl response may change due to increased landscape impacts.

Watching Out For The Ducks In The Face Of Wind Energy Development

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4 • Spring 2010 Fowl Talk - South Dakota Ducks Unlimited

ABOVE: State Council Chairman Don Kallenberger works a raffle table in ‘70’s garb for “Disco Duck” theme.

TOP RIGHT: National President John Pope was hosted by 2010 Heidelbauer award winners, Rick and Pam Berg.

RIGHT: Volunteer attendees dressed up for the “Disco Duck’theme on Saturday night.

RIGHT: Attendees listen and dance to the music of Too Drunk Too Fish on Saturday night.

by State Convention Chairman Brian Pellish

The 2010 South Dakota State Convention held in Watertown in the final week of January was once again a huge success. Another near record attendance was set with Ducks Unlimited members and volunteers coming together for a weekend of food, fun, and education on a variety of topics at the local, state, national and international levels.

For those of you that have never attended a convention you should think about coming to the 2011 convention. It’s a great opportunity to meet people just like yourselves from all over the state that are interested in wildlife conservation of all types, including ducks.The Convention Committee, as always, did another great job this year in lining up an action-packed weekend of fun and entertaining activities. Friday we opened the convention with the state council meeting to elect delegates to the national convention (being held this year in Dallas, TX in May), as well as hear updates on various topics from DU biologists, staff and state officers. That evening we had a great time at the Casino Night where those in attendance socialized and participated in various games and raffles, as well as a silent auction.

During the Saturday morning session we had the opportunity to listen to various speakers from the Ducks Unlimited Great Plains Regional Office in Bismarck,North Dakota, as well as senior volunteers. The group was updated on progress of the Pintail initiative in Northwestern SD and the need to continue to work with the ranchers in the area to secure conservation easements to protect the nesting habitat in these critical breeding grounds for Pintails and other waterfowl. The highlight of the 2010 State Convention was the attendance of National DU President John Pope who addressed those in attendance. A summary of his comments can be found in another story in this issue.

On Saturday afternoon we were very fortunate to have the opportunity to a complimentary tour of the Dinosaur Adventure Exhibit at the Goss Opera House, followed by a wine and cheese reception provided by the Watertown Convention and Visitors Bureau at the Joshua Spies Fine Art Gallery. Thanks again to Goss, Joshua Spies, and the Watertown CVB for hosting the Ducks at this outstanding event.

With the business out of the way, on Saturday evening convention attendees, many garbed in 70’s clothing in response to this year’s theme of “Disco Duck”, had the opportunity to enjoy an evening of great food, state awards, and live/silent auctions; all followed by dancing to music provided by the Sioux Falls band “Too Drunk To Fish”. Remember that your convention registration is an outstanding value as it includes all of your meals, the hosted cocktails at “The Blind” for the entire convention, and concludes with the fantastic “Minerva’s Buffett” on Sunday morning before heading home.

If you don’t have your calendars marked for next year’s convention, the dates are January 28-30th 2011 at the Watertown Convention Center. We have the entire hotel reserved for the Ducks; however, rooms are available on a first come-first serve basis. There are additional hotel rooms available within walking distance as well. The Ramkota Best Western which is adjacent to the Convention Center is now taking reservation for the 2011 convention. If you want to reserve a room, you can contact the Ramkota at 605-886-8011

See you all in January at the 2011.

2010 State Convention Highlights

Spring 2010 • 5www.ducks.org/states/62/

Pan-Seared Snow Goose Breasts, Peppers and Onions4 servings

4 boneless snow goose breast halves, skin removed1/4 cup olive oil2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce1/2 teaspoon garlic salt1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce (Tabasco)1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced1 green bell pepper, coarsely chopped1 red bell pepper, coarsely chopped2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and minced2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced1 cup tomatoes, seeded and choppedSalt and pepper to taste

Slice goose breasts thinly across the “grain” of the meat. Combine half of the olive oil, Worcestershire sauce, garlic salt, and hot pepper sauce in a glass bowl. Add sliced goose, cover and refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours. Heat remaining oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion, peppers and garlic. Cook until onions are medium brown. Remove goose from marinade. Drain well and discard marinade. Add goose and stir-fry for 1 to 2 minutes or until just cooked, but not past medium-rare. Stir in tomato and season to taste with salt, pepper and additional hot sauce. Serve over a bed of Cajun rice.

Barbecued Duck with Honey, Mustard and Sage4 servings

4 ducks, split 1 teaspoon kosher salt1 Tablespoon cracked black pepper1/2 cup honey2/3 cup Dijon or coarse grain mustard1/4 cup yellow onion, minced4 cloves, garlic, minced2 lemons, juice only2 limes, juice only3 Tablespoons fresh sage, minced (or substitute 1 Tablespoon dried sage leaves)

Rub ducks with salt and pepper. Combine honey with remaining ingredients in a saucepan. Heat to blend, then cool. Pour half of mixture over ducks, cover and refrigerate for 8 to 12 hours, turning occasionally. Grill ducks over medium barbecue until just cooked, about 130 degrees at the breast. Just before ducks are done, baste with remaining sauce.

What’s Cooking?Recipes for the Sportsman/woman

ABOVE: Volunteer attendees incorporated a unique twist on their “Disco Duck” theme-oriented costume for Saturday night.

FAR LEFT: Volunteer attendee adds a bit of rock to the“Disco Duck” themed evening on Saturday night.

LEFT: Attendees participate in games of chance at Friday night’s Casino Fun Night.

BELOW: State Chairman Don Aarstad and guest, Theresa, check out the silent auction.

LEFT: State Treasurer Michelle Rhead “hams it up” for the camera on Saturday night.

Duck Breast PoppersTake a duck breast (considering that there are two pieces of breast meat per bird). Cut a slot in it length-wise, like an envelope or a pocket.Put a couple (1 or 2) slices of jalapeno along with a generous portion of cream cheese into the pocket you created. Season the meat (I use cajin seasoning), Wrap it with bacon, and secure with a toothpick. The bacon helps hold all the goodies inside while cooking.Throw em on the BB-Q and cook until the bacon is done.

� • Spring 2010 Fowl Talk - South Dakota Ducks Unlimited

Finally, the long winter is waning and, as of the writing of this article, spring is at least starting to appear around the countryside. The migration

has just begun with first flocks and even mated pairs of Canada’s showing up and the first portion of the annual wave of snow geese making their way north. Obviously Mother Nature has blessed us with abundant moisture, OK – she may have gotten a little carried away with that part this winter, but the conditions are setting up for another banner year of waterfowl production in South Dakota and all along the Missouri Coteau and Prairie Pothole Region.

Spring, as a noun, is defined by Webster as ‘a time or season of growth or development’ which perfectly fits in with this time of year with the duck broods that will soon be hatching and the goal of Ducks Unlimited, to grow more ducks. In order to do just that we need to grow and develop more members to help DU attain that goal. More members mean more dollars raised and, in turn, more dollars means more ducks as the habitat will be there to take advantage of conditions that years like this produce.

However all years are not like this. Abundant precipitation is not something we can take for granted. Just as the economy goes up and down so does the moisture every year. The habitat investments that are being made now will benefit our waterfowl populations in good years and bad. Spring, as a verb, means ‘to be resilient or elastic’ and again describes our waterfowl populations. When the conditions are right they can spring back time and time again but it is quality habitat that allows them to go about the business of making babies every year regardless of the weather conditions.

The numbers of waterfowl hunters nationwide continues

to decline so, as members, we really need to take it upon ourselves to recruit others into our organization. Across the country only 14% of people who consider themselves waterfowl hunters are DU members so there are a lot of folks out there that think and feel as we do about the ducks but are not yet involved. Invite and bring a new person to your local event. Tell them what DU has done in our own state of South Dakota (over 600,000 acres of habitat developed and nearly $26 million spent). Let them see the camaraderie that develops with a group of people that all believe in a great cause. Above all, show them a good time and just how much fun can be had at a Ducks Unlimited event.

Going forward Ducks Unlimited is doing whatever we can to think outside the box. You will see new events such as the Sportsman’s Night Out, Chili Feeds, golf and fishing tourneys and more. You will see more and different items at those events such as products for cooking, wine coolers, popcorn machines and even flat screen TV’s to go along with the traditional DU merchandise. If you have an idea for an alternative event, a different type of raffle or unique items you think might go over well at a traditional event let me know. We want to stay fresh for all our members both old and new.

Enjoy the warmer weather and get out and take in the marvelous sights and sounds of the spring migration. You have had a part in this annual event as a DU member – enjoy it!

Don Aarstad is the State Chairman for Ducks Unlimited in South Dakota. He can be reached at 605-882-2050 or e-mail at dona@iw.net.

New research and demonstration plots will soon be coming up in South Dakota. Through the Winter Cereals: Sustainability in Action initiative, DU and its partners have established four South Dakota demo sites to provide agricultural producers with information they need to make choices about their operations.

DU and Bayer CropScience are collaborating on the WCSIA program to promote planting winter wheat. Winter cereals provide cover for nesting waterfowl and, because it is planted in the fall, it has far less nesting disruption than spring-seeded crops. Initiative activities include providing agronomic support to producers and working with universities in the region on research to develop improved winter wheat varieties.

DU Agronomist Roger Knapp works in a 10-county focus area in the Prairie Pothole Region. He collaborates with agronomy educators, research specialists and other professionals from the South Dakota State University Extension office to advance the goals of the initiative.

WINteR CeRealS:Sustainability in Action Update

Spring Is Here

Spring 2010 • 7www.ducks.org/states/62/

There was a famous television commercial 40 years ago showing a Native American Chief looking across a polluted landscape as a tear rolled down his cheek. I often wonder if 100 years from now will there be a child in camo looking across a barren field where once a wetland teaming with waterfowl and other wildlife once existed as a tear rolls down his cheek. Or will that child be smiling as he sits with his dad, in a blind on that protected wetland as mallard’s wing across the water to their decoy spread. Which version of the future occurs is dependant on what we do now.

Ducks Unlimited has protected and conserved over 13 million acres of wetland and associated habitat over the last 72 years. But there is so much work left undone. The grasslands that support the duck factory in our own back yard are disappearing at an alarming rate. We are racing to help conservation minded landowners to protect native grassland thru grassland easements. We are seeing thousands of acres of CRP plowed black. From nesting grounds to the wintering grounds habitat needed by waterfowl is at risk of being permanently lost. Ducks Unlimited is the only waterfowl conservation organization that delivers conservation projects across the entire North American continent. These projects protect and restore habitat that help fulfill the needs of waterfowl throughout their life cycle.

You can sit on the sideline as our precious resources are taken over by urban spread, wetlands are drained and the native prairie is plowed under to be converted to crop land. Or you can rise with other concerned and dedicated waterfowl enthusiasts to take a stand to protect our Waterfowl heritage. We need your help! I am asking you to join your local DU committee to work for a future where those who come after us can experience the excitement of skies full of waterfowl.

Please call me at 605-630-8696 or email dthorpe@ducks.org to join the DU Team.

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The Future Our Waterfowl Heritage

By Don Thorpe

State ChairmanDon Aarstad1305 Sunset Street NWWatertown, SD, 57201dona@iw.net605-882-2050 (H)605-881-0253 (C)

State Chairman-ElectJeff HeidelbauerP.O. Box 292Custer, SD 57730 jheidelbauer@goldenwest.net605-673-4208 (H)605-440-0772 (C)

State Council ChairmanDon KallenbergerP.O. Box 547Eureka, SD 57437kaldon@valleytel.net605-284-5121 (W)605-284-2102 (H)

State TreasurerMichelle Rhead300 W 3rd StTea, SD 57064Michelle.Rhead@hsfl.com605-336-3021 (C)

State Convention ChairmanBrian Pellish320 N. Lake DriveWatertown, SD 57201duckman@iw.net605-882-8219 (W)605-351-9837 (C)

State WebmasterPam Berg108 14th St NEWatertown, SD 5720121berg@wat.midco.net605-886-7403 (H)605-881-5614 (C)

State Volunteer Recruitment ChmVacant

State Greenwing ChairmanMike Pederson17026 449th AveWatertown, SD 57201mike.pederson@state.sd.us605-882-5111 (W)605-886-7419 (H)

State Sponsor ChairmanMaynard Isaacson3405 S. Pennant PlaceSioux Falls, SD 57110isaacson@sio.midco.net605-338-3718 (H)605-759-8837 (C)

State Major Gifts ChairmanGary L. Peterson508 Alder LaneSioux Falls, SD 57105gpinsfsd@aol.com605-330-0553 (H)605-336-4411 (C)

Senior Regional VPBruce PoseyP.O. Box 1416Billings, MT 59103bposey@streeterbros.com888-443-0214 x1 (W)406-245-7624 (H)

Regional VPRick Berg108 14th St NEWatertown, SD 5720121berg@wat.midco.net605-886-7403 (H)605-881-1859 (C)

Regional DirectorDon Thorpe25346 400th AveMt. Vernon, SD 57363dthorpe@ducks.org605-630-8696 (C)

Regional DirectorBrad Jensen2120 Birch Ave. NEWatertown, SD 57201bjensen@ducks.org605-881-3379 (C)

Regional DirectorRobert Hathaway351 N. Forest #29Casper; WY 82609rhathaway@ducks.org307-333-4929 (W)307-221-2061 (C)

Director of DevelopmentDave Afton2525 River Rd.Bismarck, ND 58503dafton@ducks.org701-355-3525 (W)701-471-2629 (C)

Director of Fundraising and Volunteer RecruitmentGreg Dinkel1516 9th AveKearney, NE 68845gdinkel@ducks.org308-237-2950 (W)308-440-6413 (C)

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� • Spring 2010 Fowl Talk - South Dakota Ducks Unlimited

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