Ducks Unlimited (DU) recognized the Louisiana, South Carolina and Ohio state wildlife agencies for 50 years of supporting waterfowl habitat on the Canadian breeding grounds during a recent ceremony at the North American Wildlife and Natural Resources Conference. All three states have been participating in the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies’ (AFWA) State Contributions to Canada Program since 1965.
The Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission has contributed more than $10.8 million through the program to enhance and protect habitat in Canada, where many of Louisiana’s ducks are produced. The Ohio Department of Natural Resources’ Division of Wildlife has invested $4.1 million in Canadian habitat conservation, and the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources has contributed $2.7 million through 2015.
The AFWA State Contributions to Canada Program is funded by states that understand investments in the breeding grounds pay dividends during the fall flight. Last year, 37 states participated in the program. Individual state contributions are combined with other state contributions, matched dollar for dollar by DU Inc. and DU Canada, then are used as match for North American Wetlands Conservation Act grants. These collective investments in Canadian habitat conservation recognize that waterfowl are a continentally shared resource.
