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Since 1937, Ducks Unlimited in cooperation with Ducks Unlimited de México and Ducks Unlimited Canada has conserved more than 19 million acres of wetlands in North America, with more than a million acres added last year alone.
On Sept. 26, the recently formed San Benito County chapter will be doing its part by holding its second annual fundraiser dinner and auction at Swank Farms, donating the proceeds to the organization’s conservation projects.
“It feels good,” chapter co-chairman Chris Perez said, “to be involved in something that has such an international reach in terms of this kind of preservation effort. It makes us feel like we’re doing a good thing and that we are making a difference.”
According to Bay Area Regional Director Dan Papp, funds raised by local organizations are matched by the federal government through programs like the Duck Stamp, which waterfowl hunters are required to purchase.
“We brag that we are the greenest dollar,” Papp said, “meaning we are sending whatever money we have straight to where science tells us and to places that need it.”
Papp said that the most critical regions are the Northern Boreal Forest, which covers 60-70% of Alaska, the Prairie Pothole Region, which covers three Canadian provinces (Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and Alberta) and five U.S. states (Minnesota, Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota and Montana), and the Sacramento–San Joaquin River Delta in California.
“These are areas,” he said, “that biologists and scientists have identified as being the most populated waterfowl habitats. The vast majority of these birds will travel through these regions at least once in their lifetimes.”
Member Scott Adessa joined Ducks Unlimited in 2012 following his retirement from the military. Regularly hunting with his youngest son, he was drawn to the organization through his interest in local conservation, particularly the 6,200-acre wetlands in Los Banos.
Saying hunting is a sport that “either you’re going to enjoy it or not enjoy it,” Adessa said one of his best memories is of seeing the results of conservation efforts during an early morning hunt in a rice field.
“When the sun came up,” he said, “all the birds came off the river, sounding like rolling thunder. For the first hour, I didn’t fire a shot because I was blown away by all these birds just circling. We have got to preserve that.”
Papp said that besides conserving wetlands, Ducks Unlimited engages in a range of scientific projects, such as flood regulation, water purification, and carbon sequestration, as well as studying breeding patterns, migration routes and genetics. The work not only benefits waterfowl and other species in the ecosystem but also has an impact on humans.
“About half of our members are avid hunters,” he said. “And the other half want to keep things wild because they want to know their kids have clean drinking water. They want to be able to go out and see birds in an area that isn’t a city.”
San Benito Chapter co-chairman John Hopper is one such member and said he became interested in conservation after losing interest in duck hunting.
“It was at a time when wetlands were pretty well depleted in California,” he said. “When I went out hunting with my college professor.Two or three ducks would fly over and about 500 people would shoot at (them), which really turned me off.”
Hopper, who joined Ducks Unlimited 25 years ago, began supporting wetland preservation by purchasing Duck Stamps and related artwork, which fund more than half of the organization’s budget. About 98% of the revenue from Duck Stamp sales is directed toward conservation efforts.
Ducks Unlimited also sponsors 61 scholarships annually to students who are committed to conservation and demonstrate an understanding of the importance of wetlands and wetlands conservation. That aspect of the organization drew in San Juan City Council member Scott Freels after he witnessed the difference between an Arkansas flyway, where the sky was dark with ducks, and the scarcity of birds in California.
“Ducks Unlimited gives out a ton of money to students,” he said. “It’s essential that we get the youth involved in our wildlife and our wildlands. There are hundreds of thousands of kids out there who would love to do this conservation work but aren’t hunters.”
The upcoming fundraising dinner will feature catering by Gilroy’s Barbecue 152. It will include live and silent auctions as well as raffles for items such as guided hunting trips, outdoor sporting goods, a Traeger BBQ, firearms, wildlife art and other donated items. The group is hoping to exceed the $20,000 raised last year.
“It’s a fantastic event,” Hopper said. “It’s a way to promote the cause, but there is a lot of excitement, and it’s great for the fellowship. And it’s an excellent way of learning what we’re raising the money for.”
The Ducks Unlimited dinner is one of two annual fundraising events the group sponsors and will be held at 5:30 p.m. on Sept. 26 at Swank Farms. Tickets are available online through the Ducks Unlimited events page or by calling John Hopper at (408) 386-7301 or Chris Perez at (831) 682-3203.
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