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Southern Region E-Newsletter
July 2018
A Message From the Regional Leadership Team
If culture is defined as the way people treat each other, the Southern Region’s culture of exceptional teamwork and support for others yields tremendous success for Team DU. This truth is recognized now, as we focus on fiscal year-end deadlines and anticipate exceeding every budget goal – habitat accomplishments, public revenue, net cost, event-based income and major sponsor income. We have done so in a year when Hurricanes Harvey and Irma complicated every aspect of our business, from staff and volunteers experiencing personal impacts, traditional event spaces being flooded, to project locations damaged or inundated and partners’ focus shifted to rescue and recovery.

Team DU, as embodied in Team Southern Region, has had a tremendous year across every sector of our business. If you are reading this, you are part of that success. We have a culture of teamwork, excellence and collaboration in the South, and that is something to be treasured and never taken for granted. 

From slowing conservation work with weather delays to diverting philanthropy to more directly human-focused needs, these storms presented daunting challenges to DU. However, they also served as a reminder that our work is human-focused. The wetlands we restore and protect for waterfowl have direct human benefits, from community resilience and storm protection to clean water. Unusual, and even some typical but heavy, rain events across the country brought attention to the vital role wetlands play in flood abatement and damage prevention. This growing appreciation for wetlands will serve DU well as we continue to focus on delivering the mission we began in 1937.

We have 6 months remaining in the Rescue Our Wetlands campaign, so let’s finish strong and greatly exceed our $2 billion campaign goal for wetlands and waterfowl conservation. Let’s capitalize on the growing awareness of the important roles wetlands play beyond waterfowl, broaden our network of supporters, increase our philanthropic income and grow our conservation footprint for waterfowl. What we do matters today more than ever.
News From Around the Region
America's River Initiative
Using two NAWCA grants and partner match, DU and the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks enhanced 1,033 acres of moist soil wetlands on Mahannah WMA.   Read More
Waterfowl on a moist soil unit at Mahannah WMA.
The new structures included large flash board risers to allow LDWF to more incrementally manage water levels, increasing habitat management flexibility.
DU and the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries replaced the primary water-management structures at Pomme de Terre WMA . Read More
Ducks Unlimited Canada and Ducks Unlimited Inc. recognized 50 years of support for waterfowl breeding ground conservation in Canada. The landscape produces waterfowl and other migratory birds that winter in and migrate through Arkansas. Read More
Southern Prairies and Playas Initiative
Over the last 20 plus years several of the steel water-control structures corroded, and some failed. Four degraded water-control structures will be replaced with aluminum structures, which are more resistant to corrosion to control water on ~700 acres.  Read More
Hackberry Flat is an important stepping stone for birds migrating throughout the Central Flyway. 
Southeast Wetlands Initiative
Having completed their first 5-year agreement, Bob Duncan, VDGIF Executive Director, recently announced at the Virginia DU State Convention that the VDGIF is committing to an annual increase in funds of $16,500 per year until they reach their AFWA goal of $116,000 by 2023.   Read More
Ducks Unlimited is partnering with Florida’s Jupiter Inlet District to restore an eroded red mangrove ( Rhizophora mangle ) habitat, known as Mangrove Island, along the Loxahatchee River Central Embayment.  Read More
Gulf Coast Initiative
DU CEO Dale Hall spoke to conference goers via video about the importance of coastal Louisiana for waterfowl and for DU’s conservation work. DU corporate partner and coastal Louisiana landowner ConocoPhillips provided a video focused on our partnership efforts to restore coastal wetlands. Staff from both organizations also presented during breakout sessions. Read More 
DU is wrapping up installation of a new water control structure for Unit 4 at Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries’ Rockefeller Wildlife Refuge in Cameron Parish. The new structure will efficiently and effectively manage hydrologic conditions in the 5,030-acre management unit.  Read More
The People of DU
Volunteer Spotlight: 
Hayden Brown, Alabama Gulf Coast Chapter
Twenty-two-year-old Orange Beach native, Hayden Brown, started as co-chairman of the Alabama Gulf Coast Chapter in 2015 and became chairman in 2016. Always quick to help and ready to come up with new ideas for fundraising within his chapter, he is an asset to Alabama Ducks Unlimited.

“I think with future coaching, Hayden will continue up the ladder of leadership,” said Regional Director Tommy Ware.

Hayden received his bachelors of science in geology from The University of South Alabama in 2017. He is working for a pest control company and aspires to one day open his own pest control business in Orange Beach, Alabama. Hayden has been duck hunting most of his life and understands the need for conservation.

“It has been instilled in me since the day I began hunting that we need to preserve wildlife for the future generations. Being a part of Ducks Unlimited is one of the ways that I give back to the ducks,” Brown said. “I always tell people, ‘Don’t forget to DU your part’.”
Awards
The Southern Region's Fundraising efforts received a lot of recognition at the 81st National Convention in Indianapolis.

Arkansas (No. 3), Mississippi (No. 5 tie) and Tennessee (No. 8 tie) had Top 10 State Campaign Committees for 2017 .

In addition, a new State Excellence Award program was unveiled at the 2015 National Convention to recognize all states that excel in all income, event income, all members, event attendance and volunteers. Growth in all 5 categories within a calendar year equates to Gold Level status, 4 equates to Silver Level status and 3 to Bronze Level status.

The following Southern Region states were recognized with State Excellence Awards:
  • Florida – Gold Award
  • Virginia – Gold Award
  • South Carolina – Silver Award
  • Alabama – Bronze Award
  • Mississippi – Bronze Award
Conservation Planning - Science in Action
Ducks Unlimited, in collaboration with researchers at the University of Arkansas- Monticello and the Natural Resources Conservation Service, initiated a graduate study to evaluate retention and persistence of conservation practices adopted as part of Rice Stewardship efforts in Arkansas, Louisiana and Mississippi. Read More
See the latest photo albums from the Southern Region
Staff Changes
DU recently hired Michael McVay as a new Louisiana biologist. He works out of the NRCS Field Office in Columbia, Louisiana. Michael will be working with NRCS staff on the Wetland Reserve Easement (WRE) Program, providing landowner outreach and assisting with all aspects of the program. Michael is from West Monroe and graduated with his B.S. in forestry and Wildlife Management from Louisiana Tech University. He is finishing up his masters degree from the University of Miami.  
Jamie Rader has been selected as the Director of Conservation Programs for the South Atlantic states. Jamie has been on our staff as a regional biologist and manager for 7 years. In that time, he’s demonstrated a “can do” attitude that has resulted in more dollars for the mission and more habitat on the ground. Prior to coming to SC for DU, he worked for SCDNR as the state waterfowl leader. Ducks are so much in his blood that he was a waterfowl technician for our Great Plains office in 2002, working on nest density research. 
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